After a highly successful production run of almost 12 years and with over 100,000 Magnums leaving the production line, the heavy hitting Case IH Magnum was due a substantial overhaul. The all new MX Magnum was released in 1999, its curvy styling bringing the Magnum into the 21st century. An imposing looking beast, the range comprised of the MX Magnum 180, 200, 220, 240 and 270, no lightweights at 9.3tons.

At the front, the tractor is home to the proven 8.3litre Cummins engine, turbocharged and intercooled and now with a 24 valve cylinder head and electronic fuel pump on the larger two models. The MX Magnum 270 has an impressive maximum power output of 306hp at an even more impressive lowly 1700rpm.

The tractor employs the familiar 18F/4R powershift transmission complete with left hand shuttle. The lever and gate controls of the previous Magnum tractors now replaced with a sleek controller which is home to the both the hand throttle and a rocker switch cycling up and down gears. At the rear, the tractor can hoist just over 11tons, with an oil flow of 166l/min.

The all new Surveyor cab boasts 6.35 square meters of glass giving outstanding visibility. The typical dashboard display now resides on the left A pillar further enhancing forward vision with the centre console narrowed to only 48cm, with the sloping nose also adding benefit.

The newly introduced air suspended Optima seat has all the controls built into the armrest which moves in all directions with the operator. (This concept was first introduced on the New Holland 70 series in 1993, now standard on most higher spec tractors).

Despite its size, the tractors manoeuvrability is impressive with a turning circle of 9.9m. This is thanks to the clever design of the cast steel Surround Frame chassis which narrows at the point of the front axle allowing for a tight turning.

The MX Magnum 270 boasts a whopping 605litre diesel tank, the filler point now at ground level. The A single piece bonnet which is hinged at the rear allows for easy routine checks and servicing while electrically adjustable mirrors are a novel feature.

A heavy draft tractor aimed at the tillage sector, these tractors were not a common sight in Ireland, particularly in the early 2000’s. However, thanks to its manoeuvrability and raw power, this Magnum MX 270 found particular favour with Raymond McCarthy powering a set of Kuhn butterfly mowers for a number of years.

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