We go to rural Kent to test drive a legendary Italian name that’s a
tractor, not a racing car.

On standard 20in tyres,the tractor still has a low profile. Note front steering axle

SO IT IS NOT ROSSO RED and a top speed of 40kph is another departure from what one normally associates with a Ferrari, but the Vega tractor range has its automotives cousins licked for speed when it comes to reversing; within a minute, the operator can switch from forward to reverse drive.

Although it is the reverse drive feature that sets the equal wheel size Ferrari Vega tractor range apart from ‘ordinary’ tractors, it is the relatively compact size of the 64, 84 and 92hp tractors that initially impresses.

Available in Vega AR, Vega RS and Vega MT We go to rural Kent to test drive a legendary Italian name that’s a tractor, not a racing car flavours, the folding ROPS AR and RS models will be no more than 1.25m tall on standard 20 inch tyres, lower profile rubber dropping this to make these potential limbo dance champions. The snag, of course, is the need to accommodate an operator, but you get the point.

LOCK IMPROVEMENT

In broad outline the narrow track AR is the articulated steer ROPS model, RS adding Dual Steer and a marginally increased track width, the wider ‘alpine’MT with cab as standard in the UK completing the line. It is the RS Dual Steer that Bladerunner got to try, this tractor combining articulated steering with a conventional steering ‘front’ axle. This dramatically improves its lock, an RS seeing the AR average turn radius of 3.25m drop to nearer 2.70m. The wider track MT cab tractor has the same articulated steering as the AR and but has a slightly increased turn radius; it can be fitted with wider low profile tyres too and is the machine to go for where steep terrain needs working.

View over the ‘rear’ in reverse drive is best when the seat is adjusted to full height

Just as you think you have gathered a basic grasp of what is on offer, a further complication is the availability of essentially the same tractors from a further two suppliers in the UK. To simplify what at first seems a somewhat complex issue, Ferrari tractors are owned by Italian company BCS. BCS ‘badge engineers’ the tractors under its own name with a blue and silver finish, as a Ferrari in green and as a Pasquali in vibrant yellow.

Kilworth bring in the BCS range, Pasquali Tractors UK having been set up to handle the yellow line.

Green Ferrari models are imported by Lamberhurst Engineering in Kent and it was at the company’s premises the Bladerunner got to grips with the featured Vega 95RS Dual Steer.

As an aside, although the three brand offering of the ‘same’ tractor initially confuses, it should be pointed out that the UK importers will offer the base specification tractors for the same money. Any differences in list price should be down to differences in specification. As with so many items of kits these days, there is an extensive options list, essentially allowing end users to spec a machine to suit a specifictask. Equally, each of the importers will perhaps offer a different entry level spec to target different end users.

Rear linkage controls stay put when in reverse drive and can be reached easily enough

VERY ITALIAN 

Now to the tractor itself. The three main reasons for trying this model are that it has articulated steering, front axle steering and reverse drive. At the risk of upsetting the importers, the rest of the tractor is otherwise pretty much what is expected of an Italian built model; a good spread of 16 speeds from 0.7 to 40kph, simple forward reverse system, decent hydraulic spec. To those who need a slower speed than 0.7kph, incidentally, this is measured on 20in wheels. Drop to low profile 15 in rubber and the low speed will obviously reduce further.

No need for an instruction book. All the controls are easy to understand and use

Nice touches include the electro hydraulic controls and automatic parking brake. The clutch action is also nice and smooth in its uptake; it is a multi plate oil bath design, so bear in mind the need to allow the oil to warm before assuming it is sluggish to release. Fit and finish look perfectly sound and noise and vibration levels are well up to modern demands.

So what of the reverse drive feature? First up, spinning the console round to face forwards or back is a piece of cake. In fact, describing how it is done probably takes longer than actually doing it:

turn off engine
raise the clutch and brake pedals
re
lease lock catch
lift seat
turn console round
ensure unit locks home

Operators of previous generation reverse drive Ferrari Thor / BCS 400 series tractors will note the latest design has all the cables concealed and the whole operator area tidied up.

Fitting a steering front axle to the articulated RS reduces the turn radius by around 540mm

NO CONFUSION

The operator console revolves around the three central gear levers, so they operate ‘upside down’ when in reverse mode. The central forward reverse shuttle works back and forth however, so there is no risk of confusing which direction you’re going.

The rear linkage controls stay in situ, like those for the remotes, so in reverse drive they are in front of the operator. When using a mower, this control position switch actually works well. Similarly, visibility over a mower when working in rear facing mode is pretty good; to suggest a view to match an out front rotary would be wrong, but far better than a rear mount.

It is interesting to note there is a pneumatic seat option on the Vega RS. A common misconception is that a pneumatic seat offers greater comfort. In practice the main benefit is that this type of seat will selfadjust to suit different weights of operator. On the Vega, an advantage of the seat is that it will help ensure a heavier operator sitting on a seat adjusted to suit a much lighter colleague will sit high enough to get the best view over the rear linkage.

The Dual Steer system does not feel any different to drive than a standard ‘bend in the middle’ articulated design, but a key difference is the front and rear wheels do not follow the same track. This can initially make it confusing when negotiating through obstacles but, or greater importance, is that the added manoeuvrability brings with it additional wheelings. This maybe an issue for some.

So, what’s the verdict? Difficult this. The Vega RS is a cracking ‘little’ tractor, its price premium over its narrower track non-Dual Steer Vega AR sib weighing in at a little over £400. If shaving 540mm off the ARs turn radius is an issue, then that is not a lot of extra cash. At a shade over 2 tonnes, it is, in ROPS and unballasted guise,

Brake and clutch pedals lift to allow console to be turned. Gear levers stay in place

nudging perhaps 400kg lighter than some ‘conventional’ 4WD mechanical tractors too.

The reverse drive feature makes it a potentially great mowing tractor; with a growing choice of front mounted rotary mowers now available it should be easy to exploit this feature. The Caroni F series mower range, also imported by Lamberhurst Engineering, stretches to 2.35m (93in) in width, and is an example of what is offer and well suited to the 64hp model.

As to price, the Vega RS range starts at £23,691 for the 62hp model, the 84hp and 92hp versions weighing in at £24,350 and £26,244 respectively. It is difficult to make a ‘conventional’ tractor price comparison as they are different animals. But one point is clear. The Vega range offers something different and this makes it well worth taking a look at.