CHANDIGARH, Dec 2: Greaves Ltd, a Thapar Group company, launched a 50-HP tractor at Agro Tech `98 here today. The new tractor, SAME Greaves 503, will be manufactured in technical collaboration with SAME of Italy.Launching the new tractor, Thapar Group chairman L.M. Thapar said the two companies had set up a plant at Ranipet in Tamil Nadu at a cost of Rs 40 crore for its manufacture. The plant will have a manufacturing capacity of about 15,000 engines - about 9,000 of which will be bought back by the Italian partner.Initially, only two models of SAME Greaves will be available in the 50-HP category in Punjab, Maharastra, Gujarat and other select states, he added.Thapar said the new tractor, which marked the entry of Greaves into the 45-plus HP segment, was equipped with a power-packed engine, fool-proof oil immersed sealing brakes, the first ever cooling system with no loss tank, a forceful hydraulic system, an independent power take-off and suspended pedals for fatigue-free tank.He expressed confidence that the new tractor will do well as the higher-end tractor segment was expected to register significant growth in the future due to the increasing focus on farm mechanisation.
