Versatile tractors for all terrains

The steering rear axle means the Lintrac has above-average agility for turning in tight areas.

All the Lintrac models are powered by Perkins engines.

The steering rear axle means the Lintrac has above-average agility for turning in tight areas.

All the Lintrac models are powered by Perkins engines.

The steering rear axle means the Lintrac has above-average agility for turning in tight areas.

Chris McCullough

October 19 2015 09:30 PM

Austrian manufacturer Lindner is expanding its markets for a unique range of four-wheel-steer tractors.

Lindner is one of the few remaining family-owned tractor manufacturers and is already increasing its market share in central European countries.

However, thanks to the development of a unique four-wheel-steer Lintrac tractor, Lindner is looking to spread its wings further afield.

Plant Systems near Balrothery in Dublin currently import Lindner for Ireland (see separate panel).

Last year Lindner produced 1,400 tractors in its Geotrac and more recent Lintrac ranges, plus a further 200 of its specialist Unitrac range of transporters.

It's the new Lintrac range that the company has high hopes for with its four-wheel-steer design and lower centre of gravity, making it ideal for working steep gradients.

Based in Kundl in the Tirol region of Austria, the Lindner family have been producing tractors for over 67 years.

Lindner is famous for producing tractors and transporters used in mountain and pasture agriculture, forestry, vineyards and local government since 1948.

After developments in aircraft construction, Lindner made its name as specialists in all-wheel-drive through the production of the first four-wheel-drive tractors in Austria.

Since the end of 2014 Lindner has been producing the new Lintrac series which is the first standard tractor with a steering rear axle.

This tractor is well suited to mountain and grassland farming, as well as in cultivation agriculture and in the municipal sector.

Due to its four-wheel-steering the manufacturers decided to move the engine forward and place the cab in the centre of the chassis in a lower position, therefore lowering the centre of gravity and increasing stability.

David Lindner, the company's marketing and export sales manager, said Lindner has plans for more versatile machines in the future.

"Most tractor manufacturers saw sales drop by 10pc so far this year, which is a big hit for some companies," he said.

"We were quite fortunate that we already had the Lintrac launched onto the market and this model has performed really well for us since that launch at the end of last year.

"The factory has produced over 220 Lintracs so far and sales are looking encouraging for the very near future.

"Tractors are at the very heart of our business and indeed half of our employees come from a farming background.

"Lintrac is perfectly developed for working farms in mountainous regions but it is equally suited to grassland and arable applications.

"We currently have 300 dealers and it is our goal for each dealer to sell 10 to 20 machines per year.

"We are currently looking for more dealers in the UK and in Plant Systems we already have one started in Ireland.

"We feel the Irish market is one of the toughest to crack, hence why we wanted to focus there first."

There is currently only one model of Lintrac, the Lintrac 90, but plans are afoot to further develop the range with a 150hp machine.

The Lintrac 90 is driven by a 102hp Perkins 3.4l turbo-diesel, which develops an enormous torque of 420 Nm at 1,400 rpm, with a very steep torque slope of greater than 40pc.

These characteristics provide powerful starting on a slope and for traction tasks.

Together with the TMT09 transmission from ZF, the engine can run at a reduced speed providing very low consumption figures. Emission level 3b is achieved with the particle filter.

It's simply a matter of getting into the cab and driving the Lintrac with its simple to use continuously variable driving transmission.

The TMT09 is the first continuously variable transmission specially developed for a take-off power of about 90hp.

The transmission is particularly efficient due to the power transmission that is mechanical for the most part with a small hydrostatic proportion.

The Lintrac is light and agile and just perfect for working the Alpine meadows or similar slopes.

Some of the key features of the Lintrac besides the four-wheel steering are the continuous ZF gearbox and the high-performance working hydraulics from Bosch and the particularly simple LDrive operation.

Over the last few months the Lintrac has been consistently improved and as one example the maximum permissible total weight of the Lintrac is now up to 6,800kg.

The rear hydraulics has a lifting capacity of 3,800kgs, with and without the four-wheel steering.

Forestry

During 2015, Lindner presented the Lintrac in the forestry and vineyard versions.

With its minimum possible exterior width of 160cm, the Lindner Lintrac is designed for plantations due to its narrow design, yet stable structure.

Especially in the 1.35m or 1.5m track, the Lintrac achieves over-average manoeuvrability as a result of its steering rear axle and can achieve a turning circle as low as 7.6m.

This usually allows the vehicle to be driven into one plantation row after the next without having to change into reverse.

The working hydraulics with a 100-litre displacement pump guarantees efficiency.

This Lintrac model is driven by a Perkins (four-cylinder) turbo engine providing 102hp.

Thanks to the steering rear axle, the over-average agility skills are still gentle on the soil and landscapes.

The well-established Geotrac range formed the basis of the Lindner range until the company wanted to expand its options with the Lintrac.

The Geotrac series currently consists of eight models from the Geotrac 64, which scores on steep terrain, through to the high-performance Geotrac 134ep, which is the most powerful tractor in the history of the agricultural machine specialist from Tirol at 144hp.

Technical highlights of the tractors include the panorama comfort cab, vibration damping, front hydraulics and the high-performance hydraulic system with its separate oil circulation system.

All tractors are equipped with Perkins engines and an excellent relationship has been built over the years between Perkins and Lindner.