TRACTOR TEST: For UK and Irish farmers the Arion 620 and 650 are hitting the Claas sweet spot, with owners tending to opt for the more basic CIS trim in the 114kW/155hp 620 but leaning more towards the top spec Cebis if buying the 650 flagship. Most of these 650s are sold with a Hexashift semi-powershift, but should buyers be considering the stepless Cmatic? Read on …
Having tested the Hexashift Arion 650 two years ago, we were very impressed. Now here’s the CVT version. So time to spend some happy hours in the seat of this 129kW/175hp (ECE R120) mid-weight mule and come up with some cold, hard performance facts.
The engine department can be wrapped up pretty quickly. It’s the same six-cylinder, 6.8-litre motor from Deere Power Systems that’s used in the Hexashift models. And it seems Claas has enough of these Stage IIIB (Tier 4i if you’re in North America) engines to keep the Arion rolling off the Le Mans factory line until the end of the year.
Hooked up to the DLG’s dyno and revving at a rated 2,200rpm, our test Arion 650 model Cmatic pushed 116kW/158hp through to the pto. This is excellent, especially as its output increased up to 123kW/168hp at maximum speed. This translates into a 39% torque rise and a constant power range of nearly 28%, which along with the fuel consumption results from the dyno testing, of 253g/kWh at rated and 239g/kWh at maximum output, are solid average results — especially when you factor in that there is no AdBlue needed on top.
We took a close look at how the in-house EQ200 stepless transmission turns power into speed in the 04/2014 issue, so we were looking forward to see how it performed. Like other CVTs it relies on a combination of hydro and mechanical bits, with full mechanical drive at around 20km/hr and 50km/hr (top speed is achievable at 1,500rpm). Maximum in reverse is pegged at 20km/hr
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