DRIVING IMPRESSION: Claas has learned lessons from the first-generation Axions, and with a revised series for 2014 sets out to put the wind up the opposition. We see what’s changed…
IIntroduced at SIMA, the new Claas Axion 800s look identical to the topdrawer 900s — tick off a four-post cab, similar styling, frameless construction, a big cab armrest with ‘Cmotion’ controller. Other changes aren’t so easy to see: the wheelbase is the same 2.98m as for the old versions (rather than the 3.15m of the 900s) and the maximum permissible weight has jumped up from 12t to 14t. So because the tractor itself is only some 0.7t heavier than before, this means it can carry some 1.3t more equipment.
The 800 line-up now comprises four models, the 810, 830, 840 and 850 — see table.
Engine powers closely match the boosted powers of the old range, with the biggest model topping out at 194kW/264PS/260hp at max. The welcome news here is that, as with the 900-series, full engine power is on tap for all operations rather than only for pto work or on the road. That’s excellent. There’s also a surprise in that JD power has been ousted in favour of a six-cylinder motor from Fiat Powertrain Technologies (FPT), which sits over a slimline sump in a narrowwaisted chassis. Displacing 6.7 litres, this engine meets Stage IV emission requirements via SCR and a diesel oxidation catalyst; in doing so it bypasses Stage IIIB to be ready for new standards that will apply to the power class from 2014.
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