All-Around Performers
As the Farmer of the Year award, McClellan won use of a MF5465 for one year.
By Sabra Morris
Dale and son Leon with the MF5465.
With a year-round growing schedule and the daily care of 690 dairy cows to attend to, Leon McClellan has his work cut out for him at M&B Dairy. In fact, he estimates he’ll put about 2,500 to 3,000 hours of work on the family’s new Massey Ferguson® 5465 tractor this year. As the winner of the 2012 Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year award, Dale has won use of the tractor for one year, and both he and son Leon (the primary operator) are happy with the choice.
Used for tillage, planting, turning compost, loading the feed wagon, pushing up feed, putting compost bedding out and loading manure, “It’s kind of an all-around, one-size-fits-all tractor,” says Dale.
So far, the McClellans have been especially impressed with its ability to turn compost smoothly. “It’s got a low gear in it,” says Leon, “so it turns the compost better because you have to go as slow as you can.”
“When you’re turning compost with our John Deere, you have to ride the clutch or stop and start,” adds Dale. “But the Massey’s geared up perfectly.”
With the amount of time he spends in the cab, especially on those sunny, hot Florida afternoons, Leon cites comfort and visibility as important features. With the mechanical cab suspension, it rides smooth, even on rough terrain. “And the transmission is good,” Leon says of the Dyna-4™. “It switches from A to B to C and D, just like that. You don’t have to push in the clutch for any of it.”
Leon also likes the additional power the AGCO POWER 66 CTA 6-cylinder engine gives him. “A 6-cylinder is a lot more stout than a 4-cylinder any day. They just don’t give. They’ll stay right there and hang with you,” he says. When their year of use is up, Dale and Leon expect they’ll purchase the MF5465. “Basically, it can fill any space in the company that we need, small or large,” Dale says.
