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The Tuatara UTV is for someone who needs a vehicle to deal with extreme terrain.
They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
However, while the Tuatara UTV won’t ever win a pageant, it certainly looks the part, much like a military vehicle and something that would be driven by Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Having come across a vehicle in China, Geoff Hill and partner Qingnei Pang established Tuatara Machinery Limited in 2017, with the aim of customising the basic design to specifically suit New Zealand conditions and beyond. Fast forward, the Tuatara of today, named after an ancient lizard that can live for up to 100 years, is aimed at farmers, foresters, hunters, contractors and utility workers who need a vehicle to deal with extreme terrain.
Featuring an all-steel construction, this UTV is often compared with the iconic Willys Jeep or Land Rover Defender. Hill admits that the overall design has followed a simplistic approach, meaning that maintenance and repairs are easily accomplished in the field or at a local garage, with parts readily available and competitively priced.
At the heart of the machine, a 3-cylinder, water-cooled Chery petrol engine with Bosch EFI pushes out 69hp through a manual 5-speed gearbox, with selectable two or four-wheel drive modes. Additionally, independent front and rear axle diff-locks make sure the vehicle can cope with the toughest conditions.
Offering the ability to travel at speed of 60 or 70km/h, depending on rear differential choice, suspension is taken care of by independent single-wishbone with McPherson struts up front, with independent double A-arms and dual coil springs at the rear, combining to offer ground clearance of 310mm. Bringing things to a safe stop falls to servo-assisted disc brakes on each corner of the machine.
Weighing in at around 1000kg, so substantially more than a typical mainstream UTV, carrying capacity in the 1.6m by 1.4m steel rear tray is 500kg, while the tow-bar is rated to 1000kg capacity.
Hill says the development of the Tuatara is in direct response to customers who were finding ATV-derived UTVs just weren’t up to the job in extreme conditions. “Hopefully, we can deliver toughness with the all-steel construction, with just a small amount of plastic in the cabin interior. We also deliver durability with oversized components, an 8-stage electro-phosphate primer and the twin-pack exterior paint finish,” say Hill.
Departing from the more conventional CVT-type transmission usually used in most machines of this type, it uses a 5-speed manual transmission that Hill says is easy to use, offers engine braking via the gears on downhill sections, while a low bottom gear allows stock to be followed at walking pace at engine tick-over.
In the operator station, a substantial ROPS structure combines with retractable lap belts to keep up to three personnel safe, while a fold down windscreen helps protect against the elements.
Standard equipment includes LED headlights, fog lights and a roof-mounted lightbar, roof rack and snorkel air intake, Bluetooth radio and a front-mounted 1360kg electric winch. An electric hoist system is used to tip the rear load tray, while a front mounted carrying tray also offers up to 150kg capacity.
Warranty on the Tuatara is 12 months/800 hours/8000 kilometres, or whichever arrives first.
Massey Ferguson has announced a strategic supply partnership with International Tractors Limited (ITL), a manufacturer of low-horsepower and compact tractors, with recognised brands such as Sonalika and Sollis, to expand its portfolio with a new tractor range.
With the biannual Italian EIMA machinery Expo less than a month away, Case IH has taken out a Technical Evolution award for the Advanced Vehicle Suspension system available on its Optum 360–440 series tractors.
The Advanced Vehicle Suspension system, available on Optum 360, 390, and 440 models, responds to changing conditions, automatically adjusting how the suspension reacts to absorbs shocks and controlling vehicle movement.
In operation, sensors monitor the vibrations transmitted from the tractor chassis to the operator cabin, allowing the system to adjust suspension damping in real time. The control system incorporates key priorities, such as comfort at lower speeds and stability as speed increases, while also reacting to factors such as lower tyre pressures, where the tyres absorb more of the initial shock.
Case IH said as suspension requirements change throughout the working day, as tractors move between the paddock and road transport, the system manages suspension response in the background as tasks, speeds and conditions change, leaving the operator without the need to make manual adjustments.
Richard Hollins, Optum series tractors global product manager, said: “Pioneering technology must earn its place in the working day. Farmers and contractors will judge an investment by what it delivers, including manageable ownership costs, dependable up-time and the versatility to tackle different jobs. With AVS, we are putting intelligent control to work for comfort and stability, without giving the operator another setting to manage.”
Organised by FederUnacoma, the Italian Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers Federation, the contest has been part of EIMA since 1986, with the Technical Evolution distinction awarded to products that introduce original improvements to solutions already manufactured or patented.
www.caseih.com
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