Content area
Full Text
John Deere's 5R range, which replaces the firm's outgoing 5020 tractors, gains extra horsepower and load capacity. Emily Padfield put it to work on a wintry morning
Travel to Bavaria and you'll find any number of highspec sub-100hp tractors fulfilling a multitude of tasks. But in the UK, stock and arable farmers tend to be distincdy different animals when it comes to buying tractors.
John Deere's 5R range aims to redress the balance. Three models rated at 80hp, 90hp and lOOhp are designed, says Deere, to meet the needs of the medium-sized mixed farmer. In the UK, though, they'll inevitably be destined for livestock farms in the main.
Now the range extends to lOOhp, the extra lOhp is expected to double the size of the potential market.
These Mannheim-built tractors have a dinky, go-kart feel to them. We tested the 5100R and 5090R models, the 5100 fitted with a JD 583 loader, one of the four available straight from the factory.
The 5080 and 5090 replace the 5720R and 5820R, while the 5620 has been done away with, being usurped by the larger 5100R. It's worth noting that this is the first range to adopt Deere's new numbering system, too.
Dimensionally, 5R tractors are pretty much the same as the 5020. A 4.5-litre PowerTechE two-valve common-rail engine - borrowed and tweaked from the 6000-series tractors - resides under the bonnet to meet Stage Illa obligations and with that the 5R has gained a charge air cooler, with its own fan. That's what has necessitated the sure-to-be-dented lump in the bonnet. For those that are concerned about the close-meshed grill clogging up, there's a reverse switch up in the cab to clear it of any trash that settles.
The "all-new" slide-out coolingpack isn't quite as easy to access as promised....