CASE IH Tiger-Mate 255 in the Field: Three Farms on Productivity, Tillage Quality and Performance in Challenging Conditions

Pre-seeding soil preparation directly affects seeding quality and crop emergence. For farms with large acreages, it is important not only to prepare the soil properly but also to complete the work within a tight agronomic window.

CASE IH Tiger-Mate 255 is a versatile cultivator for seedbed preparation, seedbed formation, moisture conservation, and weed control. The machine operates at speeds of up to 16 km/h, features five rows of shanks, approximately 65 cm of ground clearance, and a working depth of 4–15 cm. Final leveling is performed by a three-row tooth harrow and a TigerPaw roller.

The product line is available in various working widths, from 6.8 to 18.3 m.

But the best way to demonstrate the capabilities of the machine is through its actual performance in the field. Farmers from Zakarpattia, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kirovohrad regions share their experience with the Tiger-Mate 255 cultivator.

It should be noted that all three farms featured in this article purchased their equipment from Titan Machinery Ukraine and speak positively about both the performance of the machine itself and their cooperation with the dealer. The farmers highlight the service, machine setup and commissioning, availability of spare parts and, most importantly, the practical results achieved directly in the field.

Zorianyi Piatachok Farm, Zakarpattia region
Head: Mykhailo Turianytsia

Zorianyi Piatachok Farm operates on 600 hectares. The farm grows soybeans, corn, wheat, and sunflower. The soils are highly diverse — in fact, conditions vary from field to field. There are no true chernozem soils; peat soils, among others, are found here, making cultivation particularly challenging.

The farm follows conventional farming practices, using discing and cultivation.

The farm purchased a CASE IH Optum tractor in 2022 and a Tiger-Mate 255 cultivator a year later.

“The tractor meets all our field requirements. It is very comfortable and up to date. We saw that no one else had tractors like these, so we decided to give it a try. Its main advantage is the very high level of comfort. It is much easier, more convenient, and more pleasant to work with than other tractors,” says Mykhailo Turianytsia.

The farm also chose the Tiger-Mate 255 after seeing it in operation. Previously, they had used other implements.

“We saw the Tiger-Mate working at a neighboring agricultural holding. And we saw that they did not have the problems we had with our previous implements. You can get into the field earlier with it — that is the primary and very significant advantage. With other implements, when you enter the field in early spring, they get clogged up: the soil is too wet, and the machinery simply cannot work. But the Tiger-Mate can.”

According to Mykhailo Turianytsia, the productivity of the Tiger-Mate 255 is noticeably higher than that of the equipment the farm used previously.

“Its productivity is much higher. We cover approximately 130 hectares per shift at a speed of 14 km/h. The total area covered to date is approximately 2,200 hectares.”

Fuel consumption is also an important factor for the farm.

“As for the economic benefit, we have significantly lower fuel consumption. And together with the CASE IH Optum tractor, we achieve much higher productivity. At the same time, the Tiger-Mate also works well with other tractors. We use it both in autumn and spring. It works well even in overly wet soil.”

APF Progress-Agro LLC, Dnipropetrovsk region
Chief Engineer: Oleh Ivanovych Boiko

APF Progress-Agro LLC farms approximately 2,500 hectares. The farm is located in Dnipropetrovsk region, on the border with Kharkiv region.

The farm grows wheat, barley, sunflower, corn, soybeans, and rapeseed. Due to the diversity of soils, the farm uses different farming approaches, from No-Till to deep loosening. At the same time, plowing has been abandoned.

The farm purchased a 12.4-meter-wide Tiger-Mate 255 cultivator for pre-seeding soil preparation this year.

“We bought it in the spring because all our neighbors had also purchased Tiger-Mate and everyone was satisfied with it. Everyone is working with it. We bought the cultivator for sunflower and corn. It runs evenly, and we are satisfied. Compared with the domestic implements we had before, cultivation with it is much better.”

The 12.4-meter version of the Tiger-Mate 255 has 75 shanks, a five-section frame, and is designed to operate with a 300–360 hp tractor.

At Progress-Agro, the implement works in combination with a 320 hp tractor.

According to the farm’s chief engineer, average productivity is 9–10 ha/hour.

“We work at a speed of 10–12 km/h, while average productivity is 9–10 hectares per hour.”

However, for the farm, not only the speed of the operation matters, but first and foremost the quality of field preparation.

“Our yields have increased, partly due to the higher-quality performance of this cultivator, because it runs evenly and produces uniform crop emergence. It can be adjusted exactly as needed. We could not properly adjust the previous implement: one wing would run deeper, while the other would run differently. The center also worked unevenly. In addition, the main problem was that it did not till the soil behind the wheels. But this one follows both the wheels and the tractor. This is very important for us. There are no weeds behind the wheels — that is the most important thing. That is why we chose it.”

The farm also specifically highlights the ability to adjust the implement to specific working conditions.

“You can set the required depth. This is very important because conditions vary from field to field, and the implement has to work exactly as the particular field requires.”

By design, the working depth of the Tiger-Mate 255 is adjusted centrally using a single-point hydraulic system. For the series, the working depth ranges from 4 to 15 cm.

PSP Dymytrovo, Kirovohrad region
Chief Engineer: Serhii Shekhovtsov

PSP Dymytrovo is one of the largest farms among those sharing their experience with the Tiger-Mate 255. The farm has approximately 6,000 hectares and is located in the Kirovohrad region.

The main crops are rapeseed, sunflower, wheat, and others. The farm also used to grow corn, but abandoned the crop due to the local natural and climatic conditions.

The farm uses different farming approaches.

“We work with different technologies. We have both Strip-Till and fallow land. We sow wheat after fallow.”

According to the chief engineer, the Tiger-Mate 255 has been used on the farm for a long time. At the same time, last year the farm purchased a new model of the cultivator, which incorporates certain changes.

“We bought the cultivator a long time ago, and last year we purchased the newest model. There are already some changes, particularly in terms of transport — we call it the ‘travel’ feature. The travel on the smaller cultivators we had before was weaker.”

One of the main advantages of the Tiger-Mate 255 at the farm is its versatility throughout the year.

“They work very well. We work both in autumn and summer, we cultivate fallow land — essentially, all year round. We do not have any other cultivators.”

The farm’s overall fleet includes four Tiger-Mate 255 cultivators of different widths.

“We have four Tiger-Mate 255 models of different widths. There are older ones, newer ones, and the newest ones. The latest ones are excellent. They are very well suited to our area.”

The equipment for the farm was selected with consideration for the tractor fleet already in place.

“Our tractors are CASE IH. We like them, we trust the brand, so we selected cultivators to match them.”

This approach makes it possible to create a farming system in which the tractor and tillage implement match each other in terms of specifications and capabilities.

At PSP Dymytrovo, they highlight not only the quality of the implements’ performance but also their reliability and service support.

“The quality and service are reliable. Seasonal workload is around 2,000 hectares.”

At the three farms, the Tiger-Mate 255 operates under fundamentally different conditions. In Zakarpattia, there are challenging and heterogeneous soils, including peat soils, with 600 hectares under cultivation. In Dnipropetrovsk region, there are 2,500 hectares, different technologies ranging from No-Till to deep loosening, and work with sunflower and corn. In Kirovohrad region, there are approximately 6,000 hectares, different farming systems, and year-round use of the cultivators.

At the same time, the farmers agree on one thing: what matters to them is not only the machine’s rated productivity, but its ability to consistently perform the job under real field conditions.

For one farm, the key advantage is the ability to enter the field earlier and work even in overly wet soil. For another, it is uniform tillage, working behind the tractor wheels, and the ability to precisely adjust the depth. For the third, it is reliability, versatility, and the ability to use the implement throughout the year.

It is practical operating experience that shows that the Tiger-Mate 255 is designed not for performing a single narrow operation, but for working within different farming systems and under different field conditions. The design with five rows of shanks, high ground clearance, a terrain-following system, and centralized depth adjustment makes it possible to ensure consistent seedbed preparation quality, while the wide model range allows the implement to be selected according to the scale of the farm.