Hard-Working Tractors, Creature Comforts

Operator comfort isn’t a luxury, it’s a must, especially on those long days and nights behind the wheel. That was a major motivation behind the recent redesign of Massey Ferguson tractors and the brand’s operator platforms and cabs.

From subcompact 22-HP GC models to the mid-range Massey Ferguson 6700 Series, AGCO engineers listened to operators and placed their comfort high on the list of changes. “We wanted to make them the biggest cabs in the class,” says AGCO marketing product specialist Taylor Ergle of recent class-leading cab refinements from Massey Ferguson. “Immediately, farmers see how big the cab is, with a lot more legroom, headroom and visibility.”

According to Ergle, comfort starts from the ground up, with radial tires and optional air-ride seats helping absorb the shock of field and farm operations. The result is a more consistent, even footprint across different terrains.

Steve Marble has a farmstead in western Missouri, near Kansas City. When he went to purchase a utility tractor for his farmstead, the general comfort of the Massey Ferguson 1758 tractor was evident from the moment he stepped into the cab.

“It wasn’t as confining,” he says, as compared to the cabs in other brands. “You don’t think the cab is that huge from the outside, but it is,” adds Marble, who stands at about 6 feet, 2 inches. “There’s just more space. For me, it wasn’t as noticeable getting in as it was in getting back out. With any tractor, I have the seat pushed back all the way. In the 1758, I wasn’t nearly as [cramped by] the steering column and pedals.”

When he purchased his MF1742, the positioning of pedals and the general orientation of the cab were huge factors for Brad Whirley. For him, it is more than just a comfort issue. It’s also about his productivity when working from the cab for long periods of time.

“Things sometimes aren’t much fun when you’re taller. In other machines, I was sitting lower and it just didn’t feel right to me. It was cramped. You can’t sit in a seat like that for a long period of time,” says Whirley, who has a farmstead in western Missouri. “In the Massey machine, the pedals are in the right place. You can tell they put a lot of thought into it when they designed this cab.”

Ergle acknowledges the compliment, saying: “To us, cab comfort in compact and utility tractors is a moving target, and we are always striving to improve our designs. Using feedback from our customers and advancements in technology, we are constantly moving toward our goal of building the most comfortable, hardest working and easiest-to-use tractors in each tractor’s respective class.”

MORE: 1700 Series Premium Compact | 4700 Series | 5700 Series | 5700SL Series | 6700 Series