Equipped with a 14-meter disc harrow Gregoire Besson the new MT875B from Challenger broke the world record in cultivating the soil. With a harmonic balance of power, endurance, and efficiency the breath-taking result of 644 cultivated ha is a fact. This is 26,8 ha/h speed, or about 30 football courts… per hour.
The world discing record has been set in Timisoara, Romania with only one driver for all the 24 hours – Benoit Verdin from Gregoire Besson.
Besides its great power (570 hp) the Challenger MT875B is also very economical. With an average speed of 20 km/h in the field, it has been using only 4,42 l/ha.
According to Richard Miller, Challenger’s marketing manager, this accomplishment is not just a record, but also describes the everyday work of this type of tractor. Challenger MT875B and the Gregoir Besson harrow are specially designed for hard work in extreme conditions. Many MT875B are working in the fields all over the world, achieving results very close to this record, demonstrating the unique efficiency and economy of the brand.
Nor the tractor nor the harrow are specially modified for setting the record. They are completely standard production.
The farms in Eastern and Central Europe are developing fast. Agrocereals farm in Romania (the host of the event), has begun with only 3500 ha five years ago. Now they are cultivating 30 000 ha with plans of growing with more 15 000 ha in the future.
According to Mark Grigson, Challenger’s manager of maintaining products, the differences in the economy and the efficiency are so huge, that instead of standard wheel tractors, which have to be about 50 to complete the work, the farms like Agrocereals can use about 5-6 Challenger machines. The potential economies are huge, he says.
