AGCO’s €1B engine investment
Global tractor manufacturer AGCO – the home of Massey Ferguson, Fendt and Valtra – has released a totally new engine design.
Shane and Kylie McDonald were searching for a reliable, straightforward tractor for their specialist farm at Bell Block, New Plymouth. They looked at several brands and models then test drove a Valtra and loved it, they say.
The McDonalds milk 700 Saanen goats and run a Simmental and Charolais beef stud.
A lot of harvesting is required for the dairy goats. So on their 90ha they regularly sow 50ha of pasture and lucerne from August to May to feed them. The goats prefer shorter grass so the lucerne is cut every month. Grass silage is cut more often and shorter.
Their new Valtra T194 Versu, rated at 190hp and boosting to 210hp, with front linkage now allows the McDonalds to run a front mower/conditioner with a similar rear unit.
A stand-out feature for Shane is the tractor’s 7.4L AGCO Power engine that appears extremely fuel efficient.
“We filled it up when it arrived then our son Jacan used it for 10 days. I got in and asked him when he’d filled it and he hadn’t. The cost of running it is minimal.”
Fitted with a loader, the Valtra is also used to load or shift bales, often on a trailer to the farm’s various platforms and lease blocks.
They make the most of the machine’s 50km/h road speed on the 11km journey, and the transmission with four ranges, five speeds and a five-step powershift system that can be operated manually or auto.
They ordered the tractor with larger tyres – 710s on the rear and 600s up front. Their larger footprint suits Taranaki’s wet weather and McDonald finds they have more pulling power in difficult conditions.
He also applauds the touchscreen monitor.
“It’s easier to use than an I-phone,” he says. It can store settings such as engine and transport speed, linkage settings for the mowers and shift positions for automated gear changes.
Specified with a 15L/min hydraulic system, the Valtra has six hydraulic valves. Dependent on the task at hand it can be configured to operate through the tractor’s joystick or the conventional levers, while also offering different flow rates or timers.
The cab has a good stereo, air conditioning and Bluetooth connectivity and is comfortable and quiet. A practical feature is the windscreen wipers that keep the whole window clean, making operation easier particularly with lateral visibility.
The cab is very comfortable and quiet, with lots of user friendly functions like the seat automatically calibrating for the operator’s weight.
While healthcare itself got a $5.5 billion investment in Budget 2025, rural doctors are sounding the alarm about growing health inequities in rural New Zealand.
Hawke’s Bay Regional Council says a new plan for managing the Wairoa River Bar will improve resilience for the Wairoa community in flood events.
Otago Regional Council is set to begin its annual winter farm flyovers in the next three weeks.
The Good Carbon Farm has partnered with Tolaga Bay Heritage Charitable Trust to deliver its first project in Tairāwhiti Gisborne.
Education union NZEI Te Riu Roa says that while educators will support the Government’s investment in learning support, they’re likely to be disappointed that it has been paid for by defunding expert teachers.
The Government says it is sharpening its focus and support for the food and fibre industry in Budget 2025.
OPINION: Last week's announcement of Prime Minister’s new Science and Technology Advisory Council hasn’t gone down too well in the…
OPINION: At its recent annual general meeting, Federated Farmers’ Auckland province called for New Zealand to withdraw from the Paris…