MachineryLink

Equipment Roundup: Tractor Zoom, Bobcat Offer New Tools; CNH Unveils New Tech Center

Dan Miller
By  Dan Miller , Progressive Farmer Senior Editor
Bobcat is launching new Brushcat rotary cutter attachments and redesigned loader drum mulchers for land clearing work. Show here is the loader drum mulcher. (Photo courtesy of Bobcat)

In this Equipment Roundup, DTN/Progressive Farmer looks at Tractor Zoom offering a new pre-approval process that facilitates farm equipment financing, Bobcat releasing new land-clearing tools, and CNH Industrial opening a new engineering center in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Read on for more details.

**

TRACTOR ZOOMS OFFERS NEW PRE-APPROVAL TOOL

Tractor Zoom has announced a new pre-approval process that facilitates farm equipment financing with some of the industry's leading farm equipment lenders.

Farmers interested in financing farm equipment will be taken through a pre-approval application process that, end-to-end, is three steps and takes less than 20 seconds to complete. Based on their inputs and financing needs, farmers will receive customized quotes to compare rates almost instantaneously and be able to finalize their applications directly with the selected lender.

"We find that most of the visitors to our site, whether looking to buy a compact utility tractor or a combine, are actively in-market, so this helps remove additional barriers for them to make a purchase," says Kyle McMahon, founder and CEO of Tractor Zoom. "In essence, we've created the first-ever, interest rate comparison tool for the farm equipment industry."

Farmers can also get pre-approved for financing on equipment that is secured directly through a dealer, auctioneer or third-party sale.

P[L1] D[0x0] M[300x250] OOP[F] ADUNIT[] T[]

"In our research, we found that interest rates are the most important variable in financing equipment, but 74% of farmers also indicate that the application process to secure this rate is too cumbersome," says T.J. Masker, senior product manager for Tractor Zoom. "We set out to build a pre-approval process that is not only fast and user-friendly but gives farmers access to multiple quotes so they're able to make the best financing decision for their operation."

While the new pre-approval feature marks the first entry into facilitating farm equipment financing for its customers, Tractor Zoom is in active conversations with other industry-leading lenders and plans to continue to add additional lenders.

Tractor Zoom features over 23,000 farm equipment listings on its website in any given week.

For more information: www.tractorzoom.com.

**

BOBCAT RELEASES NEW LAND-CLEARING TOOLS

Bobcat has launched two new Brushcat rotary cutter attachments and a full line of redesigned loader drum mulchers -- models built to cut, pulverize and clear debris during land-clearing work.

The Brushcat attachments -- 44-inch and 54-inch Brushcat rotary cutters for mini track loaders and small articulated loaders -- are the smallest two models in the Bobcat lineup. These cutters give landowners access to areas of untamed growth where larger rotary cutters cannot go. The models feature a high-efficiency, direct-drive motor that maximizes hydraulic horsepower for cutting and mulching vegetation up to 2 inches in diameter.

These attachments are compatible with Bobcat's small articulated loaders (L23, L28), mini track loaders (MT85, MT100) and Bobcat's 450 skid-steer loaders and compact track loaders.

The redesigned loader drum mulchers are available in 50-inch, 61-inch and 72-inch cutting widths and are approved for the 700- and 800-Series compact track and skid-steer loaders.

The mulchers' standard two-speed hydraulic motor provides increased drum torque and quicker drum speed recovery. The 50-inch and 61-inch mulchers come equipped with a pressure gauge to better monitor drum speeds.

For more information: www.bobcat.com.

**

CNH OPENS PRECISION ENGINEERING CENTER

CNH Industrial is opening a new engineering center in Scottsdale, Arizona. This facility will support the growth of the company's Raven precision agriculture technology business.

In addition to the new Scottsdale location, CNH Industrial also will invest in the expansion of Raven's existing Innovation Campus in Baltic, South Dakota, located near its headquarters in Sioux Falls. These facility upgrades will support demand for innovative aftermarket solutions and further Raven's technology integration and advancements for the Case IH and New Holland Agriculture brand platforms, CNH says.

Dan Miller can be reached at dan.miller@dtn.com

Follow him on Twitter @DMillerPF

P[L2] D[728x90] M[320x50] OOP[F] ADUNIT[] T[]
P[R1] D[300x250] M[300x250] OOP[F] ADUNIT[] T[]
P[R2] D[300x250] M[320x50] OOP[F] ADUNIT[] T[]
DIM[1x3] LBL[] SEL[] IDX[] TMPL[standalone] T[]
P[R3] D[300x250] M[0x0] OOP[F] ADUNIT[] T[]

Dan Miller