DRIVING IMPRESSION: Two years ago, Claas’s middleweights, the Arion 500 and 600-series, received a raft of upgrades … and this autumn brings a stack more
Spanning the all-important 115hp to 175hp power band, Claas’s Arion 500 and 600 models make up a big chunk of the German giant’s tractor sales. In 2017 they received a pretty major revamp, and now there’s a new round of upgrades for 2020 machines.
The two ranges are split logically between four- and six-cylinder power plants: the 510, 530 and 550 are equipped with four-pot Deere motors running with rated outputs from 115hp to 155hp, whereas the four 600 models stretch from 135hp to 175hp (the biggest rises to a boosted 205hp) and get an extra two cylinders (again provided by Deere). Where things get a little more complicated is when it comes down to spec and transmission choice. There are effectively two gearboxes on offer: the firm’s own Cmotion stepless CVT and the time-proven Hexashift powershift (a product of AGCO joint venture GIMA also badged by Massey as the Dyna-6).
Tractors kitted out with the more mechanical box get the option of the most basic trim level and mechanical spool valves — CIS. A blackand-white A-pillar display shows all of the critical information, scrolled through with an armrest-mounted dial.
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