Reverse steer avoids pain in the neck
Greg Bolland's new reverse-steer Valtra N134 tractor eases his workload and prevents tractor driving from giving him neck and back pain.
Made in Finland, where forestry is a major earner, the 190hp Valtra T174 has proven ideal because its heavy-duty rear transaxle can tow trailers loaded with up to 15 tonnes of logs.
Savill has also attached two winches to haul logs: the 180m front unit is the main hauling winch, and the 500m rear winch is used to drag the main winch out to hook onto logs. Both units are PTO driven and can move 30 tonne items.
Savill says he is likely to fit a 6-tonne log hoist to load trailers quickly.
Besides hauling timber, the T174 is used to power a MeriCrusher mulcher that clears sites when logging is finished
The Valtra also helped out over easter period with silage duties on the 260ha, 250-cow dairy farm at Katikati, run by Savill’s daughter and son-in-law.
Graeme points out the 174 has a particularly comfortable cab that can be optioned to a customer’s own preference including a 180-degree swivel seat, armrest, air conditioning with automatic climate control, mechanical cab suspension and two safety cameras.
