Posted on 03/08/2009 12:41:46 PM PDT by SandRat
One of 14 ArmaTrac 602 tractors presented to local sheiks in the Lutifiyah Nahia during a ceremony on Combat Outpost Meade, March 5. Photo by Pfc. Evan Loyd, 1st Armored Division Public Affairs.
COMBAT OUTPOST MEADE — Multi-National Division—Baghdad Soldiers presented 14 new tractors to local Shaykhs from the Lutifiyah Nahia during a ceremony here, March 5.
Each ArmaTrac 602 tractor should help to cultivate an area over 25,000,000 square feet.
Troops from Task Force 4th Battalion, 27th Field Artillery, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division used funds from the Commander’s Emergency Response Program to purchase the 14 new tractors.
“When we were first asked [by the Lutifiyah council], we immediately wanted to help,” said Lt. Col. Michael Mammay, commander, TF 4-27 FA. “Agriculture is very important in helping this area.”
Since November, the battalion leadership has worked on transporting these tractors from Turkey to the farmers who need them. Throughout the effort, the council has continued to help the Coalition forces daily in their efforts to secure a safe Iraq.
The improving security situation and decreased attacks against Coalition forces, Iraqi Security Forces and the Iraqi people has allowed the local government here to continue improving the economy for a better quality of life. The tractors will allow local farmers to grow crops and contribute to the stability of the Nahia.
“We won’t squander the goodwill of the Americans,” said Shaykh Hamash, the chairman of the Lutifiyah Nahia Council. “We will use these tractors to help bring back the area to its fullest.”
The Lutifiyah Nahia is a primarily agricultural land with almost all of the residents working as farmers. Previously, the farmers could only work with hand-held or animal driven equipment. The 14 tractors will allow the entire area to rebuild their farmland faster.
“Every day we drive down the road, we can see the green returning to the area,” said Mammay. “With the tractors we are providing today, we hope to see even more green return.”
(Multi-National Division – Baghdad Release)
ArmaTrac is Turkish AFAIK.
Source of tractors:
Turkey-
“Erkunt develops, manufactures, markets and services ArmaTrac tractors, and is one of the leading tractor manufacturers in Turkey.”
“Erkunt was founded in 2003 and production started in September 2004. However its historic roots go back to 1953.”
Hey, I could use one of them.
Yeah, really great allies in freeing Iraq weren't they???
What is wrong with giving some nice green John Deeres?
The problem would be that everybody would want a John Deere.In a couple of years,after all the cheap third world junk tractors fell apart-the Deeres would stll be working.
That’s what I was thinking. After 9/11 when I went through a rough patch and had to sell everything to survive no one gave me a tractor.
Who paid for theirs?
Yea, I know, I did and you did.
Don’t know why this irritates me so much. I hope they do well. It would be nice to think it made a difference for them.
Got an Old ‘48 8n,rebuilding the engine now.
But look at this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEdXc1i7P00
Were I the one to be giving these, I would select machines for which parts are fairly readily available. I doubt there are many Deere dealers in the Fertile Crescent.
That is the point - we need to build up our own export markets. Nobody else will for us..
Bingo. You’ve nailed it.
When we were farming, we had three makes of tractors:
- NH 8670, a great design, but NH was bought up by Fiat.
- A Fiat-Hesston 160-90, great on fuel, good reliability, but parts had to come from Italy
- JD 4440 and JD 4640, both of which used more fuel, were less comfortable, but which got used the most because I could get parts at 50% off from tear-down yards all over the US.
In that power range, Deere’s tractors are made in Mexico, Europe or Japan.
Only the “big iron” is made here in the US — like 120HP and up.
I’ll add this:
If you don’t have computers, electronics and emissions BS festooned all over a diesel engine, they’re simple to fix and keep running.
The Perkins diesels in these are probably modern, but not computerized, diesels.
The last thing these guys need is a load of EU/EPA BS emissions nonsense.
It’s got a Perkins diesel. Can’t be a bad machine.
Sorry, I don’t do YouTube.
I have a ‘48 Farmall M, a ‘41 Farmall A, a ‘58 Minneapolis Moline 445 and a ‘62 Massey Ferguson 204, plus some David Bradley stuff (read: junk) and a couple AC garden tractors from the early ‘70s when they really made them...not like this Craftsman (and other) junk of today.
John Deere = Japanese.
As far as I’m concerned it’s not a Deere unless it was built in Waterloo,Iowa.Although the Deeres from Mannheim aren’t too bad.
John Deers of that size are built in china. LOL
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