A civil engineering contractor in Ireland has taken delivery of what its dealer describes as the country's largest Fendt tractor. Mick English, owner of Shannon Valley Group, recently bought the 552hp Fendt 1052 from Dublin-based Farmworks Machinery. English said the machine is Ireland's first 1052 and described it as a massive tractor when seen in person.
The 14t tractor is powered by a 12.4-litre, six-cylinder MAN engine that produces 2,650Nm of torque. English said that output was a central reason for choosing the 1052, which he first saw at Agritechnica. The group already runs a Fendt 1050 bought three years ago, which has accumulated 4,000 to 5,000 hours. He said the company had been satisfied with that machine and opted for the newer model.
Shannon Valley Group has used Fendt tractors for seven or eight years. English put the loyalty simply: in his view, a Fendt is a Fendt. But English rejected the suggestion that large tractors are merely for show. The new machine is expected to work with a 3.5t front weight and a 9t hybrid stone-crushing and soil-stabilisation implement mounted on the rear.
Heavy attachment duty
English said he takes guidance from the manufacturers of the attachments he uses when specifying tractors. According to him, those suppliers consistently recommend Fendt, and he compared the brand with Rolls-Royce while making clear that the assessment came from the equipment makers rather than from him alone.
The workload is demanding. English said the tractor reaches its limit when working in the ground to mill limestone boulders and hard clays, and that the whole machine is pulled down in those conditions. In his view, more power makes the task easier on the tractor. That argument underpins the choice of a high-horsepower model for heavy earthmoving and stabilisation work rather than for road transport or light farm duties.
Family background in earthmoving
English comes from Co. Leitrim and has 35 years of earthmoving experience. His family's involvement with tractors goes back further. His father started in 1976 with a Massey 35 and then a Massey 165, at a time when the family did not have the luxury of a cab. English recalled that the 165 was a mark one model with round axles and a small Perkins 203 engine. He also remembered climbing onto it as a three-year-old when it arrived in the yard and jumping off in tears when the throttle was opened because of the noise. The family still has those tractors.
His father was among the first in Ireland to own JCB machines. He started a business in London in 1966, where he bought new JCB 3C diggers, and moved the operation back to Leitrim in 1970 with the JCBs and other equipment. Shannon Valley Group now operates more than 200 diggers, including a 75t Hitachi Zaxis 690-7 bought in 2020. At the time, it was the first of its kind sold in Europe.
English said he will probably buy another Fendt 1052 next year. For now, the first example is due to enter service on the kind of heavy ground-conditioning work that prompted the purchase, with the owner arguing that the additional power is a practical requirement rather than an indulgence.