Bigger, faster, stronger!

It used to be the norm for the ‘old faithful’ Ford 4000 to rattle along at 30km/h; now everything off the shelf now runs at 40km/h, contractors favour 50km/h for road work and some manufacturers in the last three years have introduced, subject to local regulations, 60km/h rocketships.

So, it was always going to be inevitable that some regulatory body was going to take a long, hard look at the other side of the equation and decide if regulation was needed to bring these machines back to a safe controlled standstill: step forward the good old E.U.

New EU braking regulations will come into force in 2016 and include a number of new and higher requirements in tractor braking performance, compatibility, safety standards and stability. Of course, because most New Zealand tractors are sourced from Europe, these systems are likely to be part and parcel of the vehicles the importers bring to our shores.

Requirements of compatibility between tractor and towed vehicle have been included to ensure braking distances are shortened and the systems are optimised for towing and towed vehicles. As of 2016, anti-lock braking systems (ABS) will be mandatory on all tractors capable of 60km/h or more. There is also a move to make this regulation applicable to tractors with a capability of 40-60km/h by 2020.

So in the run-up to 2016, and the implementation of the new regulations, manufacturers are making big investments and engineering changes to their machines to bring them into line with these tougher requirements. A major challenge lies in the fitting of ABS to the hydraulic braking systems fitted to most tractors currently available, since ABS is, at the moment, only suitable for pneumatic systems.

Where will this leave NZ? Especially when there seems to be a ‘she’ll be right’ attitude to anything that looks like it will cost a few dollars?

The uprated tractors for the Euro market are likely to find their way to our shores with this technology already on board. NZ tractor and machinery importers and dealers will need to embrace the technology and sell their benefits to the customers. 

Already, over the past few years, we are seeing more European style tipping trailers being sold, from a humble five tonnes to large tandem axle units weighing 12 tonnes and more. The same applies to feed wagons: as dairy operations get larger, so do feed wagons, as evidenced by a number of 16m3 units on the field days circuit. 

These shouldn’t be on the road behind tractors weighing five to seven tonnes without proper braking systems, as the ‘tail wagging the dog’ syndrome is likely to occur. And let’s not forget the Kiwi favourite, the quick hitch – a lump of folded angle iron with a central pin, carried 1m behind the recommended towing point of the tractor (the axle) to move heavy trailers.

Get real; it’s time we embraced proper manufacturer-rated pick-up hitches to do the job. Then she’ll be right!