Shannon Valley Group has purchased Ireland's first 552hp Fendt 1052, a 14t tractor bought from Dublin-based dealer Farmworks Machinery. The company's owner, Mick English, described the machine as massive when seen in person, and the dealer said the 1052 is the largest Fendt in the country.
The tractor is powered by a 12.4-litre, six-cylinder MAN engine producing 2,650Nm of torque. English said that power was one of the main reasons he upgraded to the 1052 after first seeing it at Agritechnica. The group bought a 1050 three years ago and has put 4,000 to 5,000 hours on it; satisfaction with that machine led it to choose the new model.
Shannon Valley Group has run Fendt tractors for seven or eight years. English's explanation for the loyalty was succinct: a Fendt is a Fendt. The new 1052 will carry a 3.5t front weight and a 9t hybrid stone-crushing and soil-stabilisation machine on the rear.
Working machine, not a showpiece
English said the 1052 would not be a showpiece. He described the tractor as being at its limit when working in the ground to mill limestone boulders and hard clays, with the whole machine pulled down. In his view, more power makes the work easier on the tractor.
When buying tractors, English takes advice from the manufacturers of the attachments he uses. He said those manufacturers have done their research and that, regardless of which one he speaks to, they recommend Fendt. He described the brand as the Rolls-Royce, adding that the recommendation comes from the equipment makers rather than from him.
Family history in earthmoving
English is from Co. Leitrim and has 35 years of earthmoving experience. Like many contractors, he was involved with tractors from a very young age. His father started in 1976 with a Massey Ferguson 35 and then a Massey Ferguson 165; the family did not have the luxury of a cab at that time.
English recalled that his father's 165 was a mark one model with round axles and a small Perkins 203 engine. He remembered climbing onto the tractor at three years of age when it arrived in the yard and jumping off again in tears because of the noise when the throttle was pulled. The family still has those tractors.
Buying new machines runs in the family. English's father started the business in London in 1966, where he bought brand-new JCB 3C diggers, and moved the business back to Leitrim in 1970 with the JCBs and other equipment. English said his father was one of the first in Ireland to have JCB machines.
Shannon Valley Group now has more than 200 diggers, including a 75t Hitachi Zaxis 690-7 bought in 2020. At the time, it was the first of its kind sold in Europe. English said he will probably buy another Fendt 1052 next year as well.