Indeed, in North America, the use of proprietary software has seen at least one manufacturer involved in an extended legal battle over the “right to repair.”
Canadian company Ursa Ag hopes to address those concerns with its new range of Cummins-powered tractors that any mechanic can work on – and at a very competitive purchase price.
Their “back-to-basics” tractors are offered in150 and 180 HP outputs featuring remanufactured 5.9-litre, 12-valve, Cummins engines, while the larger 260 HP model features an 8.3-litre unit from the same brand, typically found in large tractors and combines from the 1990s. Importantly, the manufacturer stresses that they all feature mechanical fuel injection, rather than complex electronic injection systems.
While many components are built in-house, externally sourced items like the cab carry on with the mechanical theme.
They are said to be about as simple as the engine, with little more than an air-ride seat, and featuring mechanically connected controls throughout.
There are also no touchscreens, emissions computers and dealer-locked software.
Owner Doug Wilson’s idea with Ursa Ag is to sell equipment that’s affordable and serviceable by third-party shops.
As the Cummins engines have powered everything from farm machinery to pickup trucks for many years, practically anyone with basic mechanical knowledge should find them easy to work, while parts are easy to source, so downtime is kept to a minimum.
Currently only available in Canada and the United States, the tractors are priced at the equivalent of NZ$ 160,000, 185,000 and 249,000, respectively for the 150, 180 and 260 HP versions, clearly significantly less that comparative models from the mainstream players.
The Ursa Ag branded models are manufactured by Bearco, at their Bowden facility, in the Canadian province of Alberta.
