Claas persistence pays off with the Xerion
PERSISTENCE is certainly paying off for Claas, as it celebrates 25 years of Xerion tractor production.
It was a long slog to get this big equal-wheeled, fourwheel-drive tractor widely accepted but, in a sense, the agricultural industry has caught up with the concept of this powerful, versatile machine.
In its current form, up to 400 examples of the Xerion tractor annually roll off the assembly line at the Claas headquarters factory in Harsewinkel, northern Germany, and annual sales have doubled over the past three years as more farmers in North America, Australia and Europe have come to appreciate its capabilities.
Originally conceived as a multi-purpose power unit with the potential to handle anything from ploughing to lifting sugar beet with a wraparound harvester, the first Xerion 2500 in production form was launched in 1997.
It sported a 250hp Caterpillar six-cylinder engine and the HM08 continuously variable transmission developed by Claas. It also had novelties like four-wheel steering, implement linkage at both ends and a rotating cab option that meant the tractor could be operated efficiently in either direction.
Full-time four-wheel-drive added to the appeal of a tractor capable of tackling heavy cultivations, operating a triple mower set, or grain drilling with a deck-mounted seed hopper.
An increase in power to 315hp brought the 3000 to the range and further development led to the Xerion 3300 introduction in 2004 with 335hp and a heavy-duty ZF Eccom stepless transmission. It was joined by the 3800 in 2007, with 388hp to further boost the performance potential.
The introduction of a ball mount behind the cab galvanised interest in the Xerion from slurry handling contractors who could operate purpose-built swan-neck drawbar tankers with a good proportion of the weight borne by the tractor between the two axles.
This concept was further developed when the Saddle Trac version was introduced with the cab permanently located in a forward-control position over the engine, leaving a large clear space to carry a slurry or digestate tank plus a dribble boom on the back.
In 2009, as the Xerion 3300 was dropped, the Xerion 4500 at 483hp and the 5000 with 524hp made their appearance in Trac and Trac VC (with rotating cab) forms alongside the 3800 as demand increased for more power and tractive effort.
In addition to cultivations, drilling and slurry handling, these two models also opened a new market for powering large wood chippers and snow blowers.
The 3800 made way for the 435hp Xerion 4000 in 2013 as the range made a switch to Mercedes-Benz engines from MTU, with the 4500 now on 490hp and the 5000 with 530hp.
Claas made its first foray into the North American market in 2014, working hard to persuade growers and contractors there that a rigid chassis four-wheel steer tractor with a stepless transmission and 50kph top speed could perform favourably against their long-established articulated 4wd powershift tractors.
Independent Nebraska tests that saw the Xerion 5500 set new records for power efficiency, low engine speed, tractive effort and cab noise helped in that goal.
In 2019, as part of the transition to Stage V emissions standards, the Xerion line-up kicked off with the 4200 on 462hp while the 4500 on 490hp and the 5000 with 530hp continued as before but with a Trac TS version also available in some markets running on four triangular track assemblies.
That line-up endures today as Claas produces a limited edition retro-look Xerion in the green and white colour scheme of the original 2500 from 1997.