Built to fill the gap between the 844XL and 956XL, the 856XL had the hallmarks of a tractor that would meet the needs of farmers across Europe – a machine to suit the demands of agriculture in the 1980s. It was also deemed to be a viable alternative to the British-built 885XL and was offered to UK farmers too.
Sadly, despite its reliability, performance, and attractive features, it did not find favour in Great Britain, although it was quite popular in France. In terms of German production (French production data is unavailable), more than double the number of 844XL and 956XL tractors were built at the company’s Neuss plant and, more importantly, around seven times more 885s (L and XL) were built in Doncaster. Buy why?
To answer this, we must get to grips with what the 856XL offered in terms of its specification – which, as it transpires, was an enviable one!
Production started in France and Germany in 1983 – two years after the 844XL and 885XL, and a year after the 956XL – using a turbocharged fourcylinder engine built at Neuss. Think of the DT-239 as four-cylinder version of the D-358 used in the 956XL and 1056XL, but with the addition of a turbo for more power than would otherwise be realised.
It may not have generated maximum torque lower down the rev range, like the 844XL’s 1,400rpm, but the combination of maximum torque at 1,600rpm and the turbo coming on song gave
