The ARION is one of the most popular tractors in the CLAAS range, and this winter we visited Mark Bowes, to chat about his commitment to CLAAS machinery and in particular their CLAAS ARION 630 workhorse.

Mark and Judith Bowes farm at Townfield Farm near Winsford together with their youngest daughter Sophie who helps out when not studying at agricultural college, and full time member of staff Ray.  Situated on 320 acres of heavy clay land in Cheshire’s dairy farming heartland, the family team milk a herd of 150 cows and sell on surplus freshly calved heifers every year. The milkers are averaging 8,000 litres of which 4,000 litres come from forage, so being able to bring in good quality forage when conditions are ideal is paramount.

The family moved to Townfield Farm from a Cheshire County Council holding in 2008 and started investing in machinery to help them with daily tasks and seasonal jobs around the farm. They grow and clamp their own silage plus this year they made 400 round bales and extra smaller bales for use in the calf sheds. They also grow 35 acres of wholecrop spring barley.

In 2014 Mark was looking for a quality second hand plough, and after a decent search, he decided buying a new Lemken 4 furrow plough from Peter Baldini at Morris Corfield’s Chester depot was the way forward. Impressed with the service he received and after a number of other transactions including a Schaffer 8610T telehandler, in 2021 they invested in a new CLAAS ARION 630 from the machinery dealership.

Mark and Judith wanted a tractor that could be used with ease for all tasks on the busy farm. In winter months when cows come in from grazing the tractor is predominantly used on the feed wagon, but in the spring and summer months it undertakes all the farms’ muck spreading, fertiliser application, tanking, ploughing, power harrowing and grass work including their forage box.

It’s clear that the farm look after their cows and their kit with equal passion. Neatly stored in their dedicated machinery shed you will find an excellent condition CLAAS CARGOS 8300 Forage box which they sourced from a fellow CLAAS dealer in the North with only 700 loads on the clock, paired with CLAAS 3200 DISCO front and back disc mowers, a CLAAS VOLTO 800 tedder and a traditional CLAAS small baler sit alongside a selection of well looked after cultivation kit.

Mark describes the ARION 630 as their “prime mover”. He benefitted from a 0% finance deal and had the assurance of the CLAAS MAXI CARE Maintenance Contract.

“We like how the 630 is well balanced and doesn’t need a weight block on the front, meaning it is shorter in length and is much better when pulling out on to busy roads. Some of our fields are up to 4 miles away so road comfort is important. We like how the cab is big, light, airy and comfortable” commented Mark.

The farm went for a simple spec with CIS transmission – Mark wanted it to be easy for anyone who jumped in the cab to be able to hook up and drive away with confidence and ease. Everyone in the farm team enjoys using the tractor, and Sophie even took the opportunity to drive herself to her school prom in it this summer.

The 165hp ARION came with 50K transmission, front linkage, 24/24 gear HEXASHIFT with HEXACTIV, standard electronic linkage control, rear linkage with increased lift capacity, hydraulic brakes and air brakes, load-sensing hydraulics 110 l/min, 4 mechanical spool valves, Power Beyond load-sensing connections, PROACTIV front axle with wet multi-disc brakes and a fabric comfort seat with air-suspension. After delivery the farm decided to add a front PTO to make operations even more simpler and enabled them use CLAAS front and back mowers.

CLAAS’ reputation was a big deciding factor for the purchase. Mark commented “we know our CLAAS machinery is going to last. We have never had a stoppage with the tractor and any minor repairs have been sorted the same day by the Morris Corfield technicians.” He continued “The back up from the team at Chester depot has been brilliant.”