India is an agricultural nation. No matter how modern and cosmopolitan people around you might look, most of us have our roots attached back in fields and mud. All our festivals usually celebrate a happy harvest. Recent years have shown the scale of attention shift towards the service industry, but the fact of the matter is more than 70pc of Indians live in villages. Farming is the most widespread occupation in the country. A farmer’s best friend is his tractor. Right from tearing up the soil, to sowing the seeds, to transporting goods and even driving around the countryside is a tractor’s duty.
However, when everything around is going faster and more technically proficient, farming equipment used to take the backseat in these terms until recent years. Driving and working with a tractor was not for anybody. In fact it did require physical strength and expertise to operate one. Tractors around the world have become so advanced, big and intimidating that you might mistake one for a tank. Our tractors looked like goats in front them really. Mahindra has decided to step in and bring the learning’s from lands afar lands for our farmers.
You see us in the middle of one of the biggest farming hubs in the country, Punjab. Arriving at the outskirts of the city of Ludhiana we realised the entire place is tractor central. There were millions of tractors driving all around us. The gentleman from Mahindra told us that people do all sorts of stuff on tractors here. Apart from being used for farming, harvesting, transporting goods and carrying people around, some of them also do up their tractors with alloy wheels and upmarket stereo systems also. Tractors owners tend to get more attached to their machines. Tractors are not just metal components bolted down together, but it is a way of life for farmers.
The tractor we are here for is the Mahindra 8085. First look at it and you know it is very special. The 8085 is a fairly large machine against the usual crop of tractors. Now everybody realises that operating a tractor implies sitting in the heat of the sun roasting away while working. Considering this fact, the 8085 has an air conditioned compartment for the operator. Sitting on an air cushioned seat, a farmer can spend long hours working on his field in comfort. Another feature which will take a load off an operator is the power steering. The turn in is effortless and the steering is tilt adjustable.
The 8085 comes with two separate clutches and an independent Power Take-Off (PTO). The independent PTO is becoming very essential now as the operators want to control the wheel motion and the implement separately. Then is the Automatic Depth/Draft control feature used mostly while operating soil engaging implements like ploughs, tillers and mounted harrows. Apart from cooling the cabin, the air conditioner can also heat the cabin for ease in the cold winters.
The surprise is that everything is easy to operate. As a matter of fact it almost drives like a normal car. Even a plebeian like me was able to drive it around the farm with ease and had a lot of fun at that. There are 5 forward gears with 3 intensities, which would result in 15 forward gears. Then flick the left indicator stalk to shift into reverse. The 3.3 litre engine develops 85 HP of power which is more than enough for the farming requirements in India.
Farms in Punjab are large in sizes as compared to the rest of the country. Hence smaller HP tractors are not successful here. Farmers usually prefer 40-45 HP tractors for their larger sized land. The 8085 sort of becomes the super car of tractors here. The owner of this one is a former ‘Sarpanch’ of the village and bought the first Mahindra 8085 tractor. The delivery of the machine was more an occasion for this household.
Then is the after sales comfort that Mahindra provides to its customers. A team from Mahindra regularly visits to get a status of their machine. They get valuable feedback regarding new ideas and features that farmers provide from their learning. Retailing at nearly Rs.18 lakh, the 8085 is an expensive proposition. But then you do have to pay for exclusivity and technology. Mahindra has already sold 9 units of the 8085 and more inquiries are coming in. Welcome then to the world of luxury farming!
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