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| I really like the Jamesway MaxxTrac (parallel link suspension) tanks. The AutoTrac tandems, not so much. For several years we rented a Deere 8300 and 5200AT with rear steering. It worked pretty good, and the steering was great, but weight distribution was terrible on these hills (entirely too much rear overhang) and it really worked that tractor hard. And being a tandem, it rode rough, meaning that every bump transmitted to the tractor somehow. It would bounce annoyingly on the tractor drawer when coming back down our long gravel drive empty. It was on 28L26 rubber, which just isn't adequate for preventing compaction on our heavy clay soils.
I got a 5500 US gallon MaxxTrac tri-axle (with the upgraded DuraTach suspension), front and rear steer, 750/60R30.5 Vredstein tires, auto hydraulic brakes on all 6 wheels, weight transfer on the front axle, extended stainless steel fill port, low spray, lighted crash bumper, and so far I'm very happy with it. I bought it new from Donald Strite / Ag Equipment Specialties in southern Pennsylvania. He runs an ag tire shop with the biggest ag rubber inventory I believe I have ever seen, and sells tanks, pumps, vertical beater spreaders, silage trailers, etc. They order tankers from Jamesway without wheels and tires, and he supplies the wheels and tires, using radials exclusively. The tanker is heavy -- about 20k# empty, 66k# loaded according to Jamesway -- but the improvements in weight distribution, ride, and handling are night and day better than the tandems. The suspension absorbs all but the roughest bumps; it doesn't bounce on the drawbar, ever; and weight distribution when pulling hills is drastically better due to the very short rear overhang. And the new-style flat/straight splash plate spreads much more consistently than the old angled/curved splash plates, which were a joke quite frankly. They also offer full-length fenders with flaps but I didn't get them.
Right after I took delivery (last summer) parent company Valmetal rebranded the tanks to carry both the Jamesway and Valmetal name -- and they also now offer auto lube! I want that so bad. The only real downside to the suspension is the sheer number of grease fittings that require daily lubrication. I'm not sure whether I could add it on now or not, but I definitely recommend it.
The only thing that I don't like is the adjustable plates inside the hitch that tighten against the sides of the tractor drawbar, to secure the steering components tightly in place. The plates themselves aren't that bad, but the adjustment bolts are just barely adequate, and the welded nuts they thread through are not welded down well enough to handle very much force against them. Basically, tightening everything down like it's supposed to be done runs a high risk of causing outward drawbar pressure on those plates to bust the welds at the base of the nuts, thereby loosening everything and letting the whole front steering assembly come loose from the sides of the drawbar (although it can't come unhooked in that scenario). The bolts are really in the wrong place, anyway: they apply force above and below the drawbar, which inevitably causes the plates to buckle. A giant bolt and nut positioned on each side to apply force straight in line with the sides of the drawbar, and with the nut welded more than just around the base, would be a huge improvement. I also think they need a way to lubricate the contact area between the drawbar and those plates, to allow everything to move when the front-to-back pitch of the tractor changes relative to the tank or vice versa. In my application, the Class IV HD drawbar is almost as wide (5") as the hitch will accept (~6"), and I've toyed with the idea of pulling the adjustment plates all the way out against the stops on the frame of the hitch and having a set of precision-made plates slid tight into the gap between them and the drawbar, eliminating the adjustment bolts altogether and likewise eliminating the possibility of anything working loose. But I haven't tried it yet. I like the rest of the hitch design, and I really like the way the steering functions.
Everyone in the business makes a pretty good tank from what I can see, although I cannot comprehend why anyone who isn't doing full conventional tillage would run one of those "Compaction King" 6000-7500 gallon, tandem, non-steering Balzers. Around here you would not be able to maneuver those things, and you'd pack our heavy red clays into bricks by virtue of axle weight, regardless of tires and air pressures -- but tracks would probably work a little better. I suppose they work in big open flat country with huge fields and vast areas to turn around, and not much road running. Of all the main brands, I tend to group Jamesway, Houle, DM Machinery, and Teamco together by virtue of their similar tri- and quad-axle suspended, steerable designs, and Diller also makes a model or two of that type. The tri-axle Nuhns also look good. I think they would all perform well.
All of these claim to build the best steering system. Houle laughs at the "mechanical complexity" of Jamesway's steering, but Houle's hydraulic steering is not recommended for road use because it's too twitchy at higher speeds, and we do a lot of roading. I'm sure they steer fine, but... you have to remember to engage the steering before you attempt to turn off the road, or you'll jackknife the whole rig, which one Jamesway dealer told me has happened to multiple Houles in his area. Just forget one time and you'd most likely be looking at expensive repairs if not a full blown crash. I really like the Jamesway steering just because it's mechanical (no hydraulic pumping required) and it works automatically at all speeds. And as long as the aforementioned hitch plates are kept tight, they'll track nice and straight at whatever speed you run, within reason of course. I'm running up to 30 mph, and it handles beautifully -- with no steering to manually engage when I need to turn! DM Machinery also uses hydraulic steering from what I can tell, but I don't know much about them. To me, Teamco has the best concept, although I've never seen them run: theirs is hydraulic, self-contained with a steering cylinder that connects from tractor drawbar area to tanker tongue, and pumps in or out to the cylinders on the steering axles to function automatically at all speeds, like Jamesway.
Jamesway offers a 6200 gallon tank on the exact same chassis as the 5500. It's a few inches taller all around. I would've loved one, but Strite automatically puts 850/50-30.5 radials on them (smart man, in my book!), and most of the price difference is in the rubber -- and that difference would be felt again, whenever the tires eventually have to be replaced. The 5500 looked like a good balance, and it works great for us. I also would've liked to demo'd a 6600 on 850s if it would have been possible. That's probably pushing it for our terrain, but I think the tractor would handle it fine. It's longer than the 5500/6200, but should be shorter than the 7400 triaxle if I have it figured right.
You can never have too much brake capacity. Strite goes with all-wheel braking on everything he sells, as their terrain is similar to ours, and it's incredible how powerful those things are. The auto brake port on the tractor and the engine brake are both features I wouldn't do without, and I feel at ease on the road, even at high speeds. The engine brake isn't super powerful, but it does make a significant difference, especially on long gradual hills that don't need much mechanical braking. And that pretty well covers the tanker.
I don't want to get into any political discussion, but I will add this: from late 2006 when a family member bought a new Jamesway to late April 2018, about 11.5 years, the price of the tri-axles in the 5000+ gallon range increased approximately $15k, US. From then until early April 2019, when I ordered my tank, or about 11.5 months, the price went up 3 times in $5k increments, or $15k total, thanks to the steel tariffs by President Trump. In other words, the price went up as much in a year as it had in the previous decade-plus, which is just an incredible price hike. I suppose they're still going up, which is just mind-boggling to me...
I mentioned the width of the chopper and Dion head earlier without giving any numbers. If I remember correctly, we measured 16'7" from the outside snout of the head to the left side dual hub on the tractor. Mailboxes make me nervous, but I haven't collected any. Yet. Dion says not to transport the head on the chopper more than short distances. Generally I agree, although none of our fields are all that far away, so we've always left it mounted so far. | |
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Pros and Cons of Dion rotary corn heads on pull-type choppers
