We caught up with Donald Maxwell applying fertiliser; loading the bags with a McCormick X7.650 with the P6-Drive transmission. Alongside his son Grant, Donald farms 1,600 acres around the Melrose area, contract farms another 650 acres, breeds Beltex sheep and runs a 120-head suckler herd with some fattening store cattle under the Faughhill Farm business name.

“We run a mixed fleet of machines,” Donald explained. “About two years ago, we were looking for a decent loader tractor, one that had the versatility to handle other jobs on the farm. We knew AB Wight because they’d backed up our McHale kit in the past. They’re a good local family and we were happy to try out a new machine.”

Since taking delivery of the X7, the Maxwells have put nearly 2,000 hours on the clock. While it’s fitted with a McCormick loader and use for general loader work, they’ve found it more than capable of dealer with more intensive work.

“It’s got plenty of power under the bonnet,” Mr Maxwell said. “We’ve had it on the five-furrow plough, working on some of the steeper ground around us, and it’s handled a lot of the baling in the last season.

“Where it’s really excelled is on the grain carting,” he added. “The suspension gives it a really comfortable ride and the P6-Drive is easy to use. In automatic it handles the roadwork really well.”

The Maxwell’s specified the tractor with an extended warranty and have been impressed with the backup from AB Wight. “Everything breaks down occasionally. The important thing is how quickly you’re back up and running. The support from AB Wight has been second to none, and we’ve had no major issues with the McCormick. It’s got a quality build and I’d put it up against anything else in our fleet.”

He added that the latest additions to the McCormick portfolio feel like another step up in quality and performance. “Their new products are totally different machines to what we’ve seen before and it’s something that we’ll definitely consider when it comes time to change some of our mainline tractors.”