MASSEY FERGUSON 3000 SERIES
PART THREE
In 1986, Massey Ferguson introduced a new concept in tractor design when it launched the all-new 3000 Series, consisting of five models with power outputs ranging from 68 to 107hp. These new tractors came in two forms – Autotronic and Datatronic – and both boasted a host of electronic controls and systems, including electronic control of the three-point linkage and draft control.
The optional Datatronic versions came with a computer interface mounted inside the cab that allowed the driver to control many operations, as well as monitor the work in hand and even control such things as wheel-slip to maintain maximum efficiency. The design owed much to electronics, even in its original conception, thanks to the extensive use of Computer Aided Design (CAD).
The 3000 range replaced all the older 600 Series tractor models and was designed and constructed exclusively at the Massey Ferguson factory in Beauvais, France. With a new 300 Series range being built in Coventry to take care of smaller and lower-specification machines, this just left the 2005 Series, built in France, as representative of the old order.
Useful progress
That old order now seemed just that in comparison to the ultra-sophisticated 3000 Series, although the 2005 range was, at the time of its introduction in
