France (Gâtine)

In the region of Gâtine, sandwiched between Poitou and Anjou, harvest time may be coming to an end, but a new type of spectacle is just about to begin: the ballet of two XERION 3300 tractors. "We have a wheat area of almost 1,800 ha to plough," declares the farmer, a man who doesn't do things by halves. "We were satisfied with the first XERION, so we ordered a second one."

The ploughs of the two XERIONs and their 10 or 11 plough bodies turn over 8.5 m of stubble field with every pass. The two mechanical minotaurs need only drive back and forth six times to plough up a field 100 m wide.

"We have three requirements: to preserve the soil structure, to achieve good handling characteristics on the road, and to complete our work as fast as possible," summarises Bruno Broquerault. "Only the XERION met all three requirements." He reckons, "With the two XERIONs, we make a time saving of between 20% and 25% in comparison to conventional tractors."