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ATOS 350
COMPACT POWERHOUSE “The little ATOS is ideal for the size of fields and yards around here, as it can be baling in fields as small as a quarter of an acre and leave without having dropped a bale. I have no need for a more advanced tractor, I did consider the ARION 400, but even that is getting too big and I could not justify the extra cost,” states Glyn. “I used to run JAGUAR 60 and 62 foragers, as well as a ROLLANT 44, which never had any problems and that is the reason why I looked to go back to CLAAS again. I have known Steve a long time and I like the fact that ROBERTS is a family company and when you go there all the mechanics will chat with you. Also nothing is ever a problem. Last year I had a pipe blow on the baler on a Saturday evening and Steve came straight out having made up a new pipe for me. You don’t forget service like that.” The main operation Glynn offers, and why a lot of his old customers were asking him to start-up again, is round baling, making about 5,000 bales a year using a new ROLLANT 374 baler. For mowing, he has a 2.45m cut DISCO 250 and for this season has added a 5.2m VOLTO 52 4-rotor tedder.
Glyn Roberts | ATOS 350 | Gwynedd
Having retired from contracting due to a bad back a few years ago, pressure from customers has resulted in Glyn Roberts starting up again – but not before he had bought a more comfortable tractor.
“The ATOS is the quietest tractor I have ever been in; I can’t understand how something so small can be so quiet, and with the air-seat and airconditioning the cab is a very nice place to work. For baling and loader work, its ideal as most farmers only want about 100 bales done in a day and then for them to be wrapped and stacked at the farm as soon as possible, because we do have a problem with crows, seagulls and pheasants pecking the film.” “For loader work the ATOS is very well balanced and the joystick control, soft-ride and the REVERSHIFT reverser make it very easy to use. And SMART STOP is brilliant for baling if you hit a lump and want to stop in a hurry. Also the 4-pillar cab means that visibility is very good, especially for hedge-cutting. “For jobs like ploughing it’s quite happy. Fuel economy is extremely good and the engine has a lot of torque at the bottom end so will just keep pulling and doesn’t wince if you hit a stone.”
Based near Pwllheli on the Lleyn Peninsula in north Wales, comfort was a major priority for Glyn when he was looking to buy a new tractor, together with it being the optimum size and not too big for jobs like round baling, ploughing and hedgecutting. Having considered a number of makes, this time last year he took delivery of a new 109hp ATOS 350 fitted with an FL80C loader from local CLAAS dealer S&B ROBERTS. Standard features such as an air seat and air-conditioning ticked the comfort box, while the 20/20 TWINSHIFT transmission and electro hydraulic REVERSHIFT reverser allows the tractor to be driven without needing to keep using the clutch. The specification also includes SMART STOP, which automatically de-clutches the transmission when the brake pedal is pressed, so is especially useful for jobs such as baling or for loader work.
Plenty of power for ploughing. In the background is Yr Eifl, where granite used to be quarried to make curling stones.