This month’s long-term test candidate is a machine that’s a relative newcomer to the market and in its short lifespan has seen several revamps – the Kubota M7000-series. To find out if has inherited the reputation for reliability of the other Kubota products, we tracked down one contracting business which has clocked up over 3,000 hours with the French built tractor

When it was originally launched in 2016, Kubota’s M7001 tractor range was the most powerful ever produced by the company. Spanning the all-important 130-170hp segment, not only were these flagship primemovers complete newcomers to the market, they bucked the trend in sticking with a fourcylinder engine to provide all the muscle.