First Reversible Tractor with Front 3-PT & PTO

First Reversible Tractor with Front 3-PT & PTO TRACTORS New Tractors 9-1-36 "It's the most advanced tractor I've ever seen," says FARM SHOW reader Bill Short, Hamilton, Mo., who's had an early look at two new tractor models that'll be introduced at Versatile Farm Equipment Co. dealer show-rooms this month. "It has features not offered by any other North American manufacturer, including front 3-pt. hitch and pto, completely reversible controls, hydrostatic drive with the same power ratios in both forward and reverse, all same tire sizes, better cab vision and improved steering." The 100 hp. 276 tractor 4-WD was first introduced last year. This year it's been updated with the front 3-pt. and pto. Farmers who've seen it are excited. Versatile field engineers have tested the new tractor in a variety of configurations. Cultivators, mowers, snowblowers, forage harvesters, and other equipment can be mounted up front for better visibility. Or, you can simply reverse direction and mount them at back. The entire steering console, along with the instrument panel, reverses in seconds by simply moving the seat, releasing a pin, and swiveling around. The new cab's glass sides run all the way to the floor for uncluttered lines of vision in any direction. Visibility is particularly good in reverse so that choppers, mower conditioners, and other heavy equipment can be mounted on the,rear and the tractor operated in reverse. For example, Versatile engineers put a 14-ft. "auger header" mower on the rear and towed another 14-ft. mower on the front with a side hitch so the total cutting width is 28 ft. "The uses are virtually unlimited," says Al Dueck, product manager for the 200 series tractors. "The ability to operate large grain or hay headers and push-type forage harvesters on the tractor eliminates the need for many types of large self-propelled equipment. In the winter, you can put a snowblower on back and a blade on front. For construction, we've mounted a backhoe on back and a blade on the front." Dueck says the 276, and its little brother the 84-hp. 256, are the only tractors in their size range that are true 4-WD's. They've both got same size wheels and 3-range hydrostatic drive in both directions. Each 3-pt. and pto are independently controlled and each 3-pt. hitch is equipped with electronic position control. "We've had reverse controls on our tractors since we introduced our model 150 in 1978. We've still got the only tractor manufactured in North America with that feature," says Dueck. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Al Dueck, Versatile Farm Equipment Co., Box 7300, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3C 4E8 (ph 204 477-2257).

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