Tag: Nebraska Tractor Test Laboratory
Over the past couple of years, tractor technology has greatly evolved. Much of the focus has been meeting Tier 4 Final emissions standards, but some of the other common trends in tractor technology involve fuel efficiency, CVT transmissions and cab comfort. (more…)
As you’re wrapping up spring planting, we understand your first priority is getting your equipment to the field and getting it done.
Still, we expect that concern lingers in the back of your mind about rising fuel costs as you spend endless hours in the field. “Will our harvest cover these rising input costs? Will prices stay strong?”
With average U.S. diesel costs around $4 per gallon, (reported by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, May 30, 2011, it’s a hard issue to avoid.
While Case IH can’t do anything to lower fuel costs, we can offer you some guidance to optimize fuel efficiency as you operate your tractor. That’s why I asked John Bohnker, Case IH Marketing Manager for Magnum tractors, to provide helpful tips.
While tractor manufacturers like us are constantly measuring our performance in the field, there continues to be a need for third-party, unbiased data agricultural producers can rely on. In the United States, that need is met by the Nebraska Tractor Test Laboratory.
According to the Lab’s web site:
“The University of Nebraska Tractor Test Laboratory is the officially designated tractor testing station for the United States and tests tractors according to the codes of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) . Twenty-nine countries adhere to the tractor test codes (including non-OECD members: China, India, the Russian Federation, and Serbia), with active tractor test stations in approximately 25 of those countries. The OECD codes require that tractors be tested in the country of manufacture. Reciprocity agreements with the codes require that once an OECD test report is officially approved, it must be accepted by all participating countries.”
The Nebraska Test Lab is a neutral organization that does not endorse any tractor or manufacturer. It is housed at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, affiliated with OECD, administered through the Nebraska Tractor Test Board and funded by U.S. tractor manufacturers. According to Roger Hoy, director of the Nebraska Tractor Test Laboratory, “Our mission is to provide useful, unbiased data in the form of test reports on all tractors that we test.”
The Nebraska Tractor Tests first began in 1920 with legislation initiated by Nebraska farmer W.F. Crozier and State Senator Charles Warner. Crozier had purchased a tractor that did not live up to its advertised claims, so he wished to protect fellow farmers from such misleading claims. In 1980, the original lab building was declared an American Society of Agricultural Engineers historic landmark.
Preliminary Nebraska Tractor Test results reported by Case IH indicate that Tier4A-compliant, 2011 model year Case IH Steiger and Magnum tractors utilizing Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technology have set industry records for fuel-efficient power.
Those preliminary results are awaiting final signature from the Nebraska Tractor Test Board of Engineers and will then be posted for FREE download at tractortestlab.unl.edu. We expect this posting to be finalized shortly.
