At the World Ag Expo in Tulare, California, the two CNH brands, Case IH and New Holland, were each displaying a single example of the updated line of utility tractors they intend to offer farmers this year.
Both brands are ready to start accepting orders for the new tractors with initial deliveries to begin sometime late this summer.
At the New Holland exhibit, a new PowerStar 120 model took centre stage, equipped with the first CNH in-house designed and built front-end loader for tractors this size, an LU655.
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“We’re excited to bring out for the very first time the new generation of the PowerStar Series,” said Lena Bioni, New Holland Agriculture’s product manager .
“The PowerStar has been a very popular tractor for us in this mid-range size. For 2025, we’re bringing out a lot of new options.
“This is the first time we’re introducing a loader built and designed by CNH, and it has increased lift capacities over what we’ve seen with our previous-generation loader. We’ve designed the loader to be perfectly paired with the tractor, so we’ve moved the mounting brackets back toward the rear axle, closer to the centre of gravity for more stability.”
While horsepower ratings won’t change, the new tractors now get an FPT 3.6-litre diesel under their hoods. Those engines can be mated to the original 12 X 12 transmission or a second 24 X 24 option.
“The 12 X 12 has been the transmission in the Power Star,” she added.
“However, for 2025 we’re introducing another transmission option, the 24-speed Dual Command. We allow the operators to have a high and low in each gear, making it ideal for operations like haying where you need to speed up or slow down to feed that crop a little better.”
An upgraded hydraulic pump offers faster flow rates and a 23 per cent increase in three-point hitch lift capacity.
A short distance away, the Case IH exhibit had its new tractor on display as the Farmall C.
“This is our new version of the Farmall C,” said Matt Kurt, commercial sales trainer for Case IH.
“We’ve updated it. We have four models in this medium utility lineup, the 90C, 100C, 110C and 120C.”
The same engine and transmission combinations power the new Farmalls.
“Like the prior offering, we have either a 12-speed or a 24-speed variant,” he added.
“Both transmission variants have a brake-to-clutch feature available. I can just hit the brake and the tractor will automatically clutch for me. That’s a very handy feature when round baling. I can stop, release the bale, then release the brake and the tractor will engage the clutch on its own and take off again.”
A heavier front axle and extended chassis length allow the tractors to carry a little more heft to improve traction or pulling capability. It also allows for an increased loader lift rating.
“We’ve increased the capacity of the front axle,” Kurt said.
“We have a larger hydraulic pump, more lift capacity on the rear and a slightly longer chassis. These things add up to a little bit more power and performance. The current product is a 16.9-g.p.m. pump; we’ve stepped up to a 21.7-g.p.m. pump.”
Along with the new loader is a new available multi-function joystick control.
“On the 24-speed models, we can get an advanced loader joystick where we can shuttle the tractor forward and reverse from the joystick as well,” he says.
“There are a couple of other things we can do on that joystick. We have two engine r.p.m. settings, and I can use it to shift between high and low range.”
The new Farmall C models also get improved telematics and digital offerings.
“We’re bringing more big tractor capacity and features into the utility package,” Kurt says.
