John Deere 8RX debuts via Facebook live

The John Deere 8RX quad tracked tractor captured plenty of attention when it was first announced in October last year and it has finally touched down and launched to the Australian public, albeit in a slightly unconventional way.

NSW dealership, Hutcheon and Pearce, received the first model to arrive in the country late last year and has since done some internal training and roadshows with it, but just as the business was preparing to hold events across its dealerships to officially unveil the 8RX, the coronavirus pandemic struck.

Instead of sitting around waiting for the crisis to pass, Hutcheon and Pearce turned to social media and technology to launch the tractor virtually.

“Another business that we're majority owners of in the Sydney area, LandHQ, started to do some online live events so we thought we’d piggyback off some of the technology that they've been using and do something ourselves,” Hutcheon and Pearce Sales Operations Manager, Andrew Watt, told farmmachinerysales.com.au.

Watt then recruited a team of experts from Hutcheon and Pearce to run a live launch event on Facebook on May 5, where they pulled the cover off an 8RX parked at the company’s Wagga Wagga dealership and did a detailed walkthrough of the model.

The video has since received 3300 views and reached 11,500 people on the platform.

Aside from some minor audio issues over the night, Watt said the event was a huge success and a very cost effective exercise.

“We crunched the numbers and found that if we were to run an event at every single branch and include meals, drinks and travel costs, we’d be looking at quite a significant investment, whereas now we've done it over a virtual platform, we’ve been able to cut costs significantly,” Watt said.

However, the dealership is still running one-on-one demos with customers around NSW, in line with the Government’s current gathering restrictions.

John Deere claims the 8RX is the industry’s first fixed frame four-track tractor, which the company said offers the benefits of tracks while providing the driving experience of a wheeled tractor.

“It’s a big four wheel drive tractor and having tracks on every single corner means you get a whole lot more surface area and contact on the ground, which gives you better flotation in wet conditions and also the ability to have more power to the ground to pull larger implements with the same amount of horsepower,” Watt explained.

The 8RX ranges from 310 to 410hp and comes with a range of track and axle configurations. Multiple tread-spacing options are available and include 76, 80, 88, or 120-inch wide front axles.

Three belt widths are available and include 18 and 24-inch wide front belts, or 18, 24 and 30-inch wide rear belts.

Another significant upgrade on the 8RX is a brand new cabin used across the new 8 series of high-horsepowered tractors.

John Deere said the cab is the largest ever offered on any of its machinery line-ups.

It offers an extra 5cm of headroom and a 24 per cent wider entry path. The interior is automotive-inspired and features a new control layout. Customers can choose from three Comfort and Convenience cab packages that include Select, Premium or Ultimate.

“In terms of the comfort levels, it's got to be seen to be believed,” Watt said.

“There’s a brand new lighting package, cab suspension, brand new seat, armrest controls, new centre console, new heating and air-conditioning, new radio package...

“The seat even has heating, cooling and massaging functions, depending on the package.”

Watt said feedback on the 8RX has been overwhelmingly positive, especially by staff members who have been in plenty of other John Deere machinery before.

“We (Hutcheon and Pearce’s sales team) went to some John Deere training in December last year, and it was just fantastic to see the guys get into it for the first time, drive it with an implement in the ground, get out of the seat and then walk over with a smile on their face and say: ‘That is the smoothest tractor I've ever been in,’” he said.

“And to have the front tracks pivot like they do, that just gives you another bit of flexibility to be able to turn at speed and pull around corners.”

There are two key areas in which Watt sees the 8RX fitting in, the first one being row crop requiring high power machinery.

“So corn, cotton, any sort of fixed beds or row crop type work where they need a high amount of power to the ground, but need the flexibility that comes with a front wheel assist tractor,” Watt said.

The benefit of the 8RX is customers are able to specify the tractor with different widths and tread spacings to suit their needs, Watt added.

“So you can go a narrower track or a wider track depending on your widths, and what that will allow farmers to do is pull larger implements like a 16-row planter,” he said.

The other application that the 8RX is well suited for is broadacre farming.

“It will suit a grower which might be stepping out of an older articulated machine with dual wheels looking to get into controlled traffic, but don't want to sacrifice the width of their machine,” Watt said.

“The 8RX gives them great flotation, especially if they're in an area of the country where they're susceptible to narrower seeding windows and wetter weather. That allows them to get that same amount of power to the ground, especially if they need to pull around corners and trees.”

Watt said Hutcheon and Pearce dealerships are now taking orders for the 8RX and expects the units to be delivered by the end of the year.

Pricing for the 8RX tractor range starts from $433,500 including GST.

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