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AUCKLAND FARM manager Luke Hughes didn’t know much about Kubota tractors when the farm bought its first one, a M125X, several years ago but now he is sold on the brand and recently helped buy a new M135GX, reports the New Zealand distributor.
Hughes milks 330 cows on 175ha at Drury. “We trialed quite a few tractors originally. We were after something with a lot of power but not too technical with things that could go wrong.”
“There was so much difference in the power we got out of the M125X, compared to our previous tractor. It has so much more torque and grunt. We were really happy with it and we wanted to step up to the new M135GX.” Hughes compared the Kubota M125X with another tractor pulling his chicken manure spreader. He says the Kubota’s power was far superior.
“After running the M125X I was keen to get another Kubota. We went to the Kubota Roadshow at Norwood Farm Machinery Centre in Pukekohe late last year. We saw the M135GX tractor that we ended up buying. It wasn’t in the field and I couldn’t test it so they flew me to Palmerston North the week after to drive it.”
Hughes likes the front suspension because “it’s smooth in the paddock. It gives you a 360° view from the inside of the cabin without the side pillars on the doors, and the lighting is much better,” he says.
“It also has a smoother engine with more torque; it’s like a completely different tractor from the M125X. Kubota has stepped it up and upgraded everything. All the dials on the dash are user friendly and there’s so much more head room and foot room.
“The power is awesome. It doesn’t struggle with the manure spreader we have on the back. It does everything we want it to do. The Work Cruise button gives it an extra power boost.” Hughes’ M135GX is used for general farm work, feeding out, maize and manure spreading.
“It has the extra hydraulic bank on it, and the hydraulics are superior to other tractors. It’s a nice upgrade going from the M125X to the M135GX,” he says. “But you don’t notice the difference between them until you step in and out of them on a regular basis.”
Kubota tractors are imported to New Zealand by C B Norwood Distributors Ltd.
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