Looking to make a value-for-money tractor purchase without compromising on performance and reliability, one Cornish vegetable grower added an M7-153 Premium to his fleet.
Charlie Richards is a grower who is prepared to think outside the box. It also means investing wisely with tractor purchases, particularly where multiple operators will spend time in the same cab. “I wanted to add a tractor to the fleet that was refreshingly simple to operate, primarily to cater for the different levels of operator skill we often get at peak periods,” said Charlie Richards, pictured, of CP Richards & Son. “And that led me to a Kubota M7-153 Premium with powershift transmission and 12in K-Monitor.”
“This purchase represents a huge saving over what we’ve historically bought for the business, and I couldn’t look past that.”
Based at Splattenridden Farm, Hayle, Cornwall, the 1,350-acre mixed farming operation includes a grass based 350-head dairy herd, grass leys, plus cauliflowers and potatoes. It is a business that thrives on mechanisation, and the equipment needed to get the job done is considerable – as is a mixed brand fleet comprising 10 tractors up to 240hp.
His M7-153, supplied by Vincents in Spring 2024, was bought to handle a variety of tasks including carrying one of two front-mounted, nine-row cauliflower harvesting rigs that had been manufactured in the farm workshop.
“This tractor was equipped with a creeper gearbox from the factory, and the low forward speed capability means it’s ideally suited to the needs of our veg harvesting teams, without needing to spend more on a tractor with a continuously variable transmission,” he said. “We also used Solsteer to link the Kubota’s auto-steering to our existing RTK network, and the compatibility has been great.”
Charlie said that adapting the M7-153 to suit the high-value crops also required a specific approach with wheels and tyres.
“Ground clearance is essential for us, to avoid damaging the top of our crops during the growing season,” he says. “Working closely with a wheel and tyre specialist, we’ve fitted 420/90 R30 up front and 420/80 R50’s at the rear, lifting the Kubota’s ground clearance by around 125mm.”
“It’s an impressive tractor in the field, with decent comfort from the cab- and front-axle suspension,” he says. “There’s plenty of torque and lots of traction for heavy draft work. It’s no different to any other on fuel, though the cab could benefit from additional sound deadening, particularly when combi drilling.”
With prior experience of buying equipment through Vincents, he says the family-run dealership is relatively close-by and has a good reputation built on strong customer service.
“We’ve been well-looked after so far, and the tractor has already clocked up well over 1,000 hours,” he says. “We’ve the security of a five-year, 5,000-hour warranty, which provides reassurance when you’re buying into something new. And based on what we’ve saved so far, it’s unlikely to be our last Kubota.”
