Prologue
I must admit right away that when I hear the tractor brand Valtra, the first thing that comes to mind is, “Oh, that’s the Finnish Belarus.” Definitely very unfair, but people are subjective creatures, and once a phrase catches on, it tends to live its own life regardless of its accuracy.
So, it was a very pleasant surprise for me to receive a call from Taure, who were ready to let me try a 300+ horsepower Valtra, especially since compact but powerful tractors have recently piqued my interest.
A tractor should be able to pull a 6m stub cultivator without looking ridiculous when pulling a 12-ton trailer. Models like the Q, HD, Optum, etc., give the confidence that you look perfectly reasonable 😊.
Valtra is part of the AGCO corporation, which also produces Fendts and Massey Fergusons, so there’s probably no trace of a Finnish “Belarus” here, as components are shared with its corporate siblings.
First Impression
My neighboring company has been using Valtras for several years, and I had seen them from a distance, so the appearance was not a huge surprise to me. However, I have to admit that it looks pretty good. Personally, I would prefer it without the chrome accents on the front; a “shadowline” with dark paint would suit my taste more.
The width and sturdiness of the steps have not been skimped on; several farmers could fit on them at once, which isn’t necessary, but it shows that everything is in order. The incline of the steps is also very reasonable, allowing you to step out of the cabin belly-first without fear of ending up face-first in the mud.
The cabin is larger than my T7.270 NH, but I expected a bit more spaciousness. I didn’t feel cramped, but I wouldn’t say there was an abundance of room. Additionally, you have to get used to the fact that a RAM pickup could hide behind the left pillar-air intake, requiring a bit of back and forth peeking. And the door requires quite a bit of force to close, more than optimal.
But the view over the sloping engine cover? 5+
I initially didn’t like the black ceiling, but in actual use, it seemed quite practical from a cleanliness standpoint. It gave a bit of that “four rings” and “propeller badge” car black ceiling feeling that all novice car enthusiasts want to feel 😀. The cabin plastics could be of better quality, but I didn’t notice any creaks. Overall, despite the appearance of the materials, it seemed to be assembled quite decently.
270-degree windshield wiper – hallelujah!
The steering wheel – the small, go-kart-like control felt a bit unusual to me, and during our brief twenty-hour acquaintance, I didn’t decide whether I liked it or not. But I liked the ability to change the steering transmission speed, making it very convenient to turn the wheels fully with half a turn of the wheel at the end of a headland.
Fridge – a 1.5L water bottle and a 0.5L energy drink fit in, tested.
Driving
Being used to the quietness of CNH, I can confirm that the Valtra was not inferior to its competitors – the lack of hydraulic noise and only the slight hum of the engine in the cabin even surpassed them.
During our brief acquaintance, I unfortunately did not become friends with the control handle. It wasn’t that I couldn’t use its functions, but the square design didn’t feel ergonomic enough. It didn’t fit my hand very well…
However, the rest of the logic became quite clear to me fairly quickly. When connecting to the sprayer, the tractor immediately figured out what was going on, and the functions were also taught to the joystick without much effort. After a bit of surfing through the GPS menus, this part of the tractor was also quite easily set up for work.
Regarding the air conditioning, the ventilation openings were not skimped on, and they were distributed abundantly in the cabin. Since I didn’t work in 30-degree heat, I don’t know how effective the cooling really is, but I didn’t notice any problems like feeling too cold and then too hot with a one-degree temperature increase.
The tractor reaches its top speed at 1500 rpm, although it could use a bit of calibration. The tractor’s gauge showed 53 km/h and the GPS 49 km/h. This might cause you to lag behind some competitors 😀. But it’s probably easily fixable with a computer.
Work
It was extremely important to me how the tractor handles the sprayer. During the test period, the tractor pulled a Horsch Leeb 5LT. Since I spend most of my working hours with the sprayer, any purchase plan would be ruined if I wasn’t satisfied with how the tractor handles plant protection tasks.
Number 1 criterion is comfort. Despite having to pump the rear 650/65/R42 tires to 2 BAR (a 710 wide tire would only need 1 BAR for the same load) to have the correct pressure for driving at top speed on the road with a fully loaded sprayer, the tractor remained quite comfortable. Naturally, lower pressure would significantly improve things, but I was satisfied with the driving comfort. I just wish I knew how it would handle with larger tires and a stub cultivator and how comfortable it would be with the sprayer then?!
Additionally, the 200 L/min hydraulic pump ensured that I could drive at the most optimal rpm without running out of oil for quickly lifting the sprayer boom and turning the sprayer axle. Occasionally, with my own tractor, if I don’t keep the engine at around 1500 rpm, the boom tip tends to drop during turns, or the axle steering becomes sluggish.
I idled almost at a standstill, and thanks to that, fuel consumption was also lower, 25-30% less than with my own tractor for the same area. However, I am slightly concerned that Valtra’s 430 L fuel tank might be too small for a whole day of hard work. Competitors offer 600+ L tanks, and with my scattered fields, it would be nice not to have to refuel in between. But at least for this simpler work, it seemed to be economical.
The engine and continuously variable transmission worked smoothly, and overall the interaction felt very natural. Based on my experience, there were no abrupt slowdowns or pauses. The engine braking, which could be adjusted in five stages, seemed particularly good. With a bit of practice, you hardly need to use the foot brake anymore.
However, I have to complain about the five-post cabin, as the sprayer boom tip ends up right behind the door post, so you have to lean around the post to see it. You might call me a snowflake, but people get as comfortable as they’re used to being. Having spent a lot of time with CNH four-post cabins, this extra post felt unnecessary.
And the seat cushion is a bit too stiff for my taste, the sound system in this price range is rather poor, and there is too little light from the work lights. Fortunately, I imagine the Valtra Unlimited Studio is ready to fix all these issues?!
Conclusion
Am I going to start buying Valtras right away? Honestly, the five-year warranty and price are quite tempting, but if only the cabin were bigger/more modern. This may purely be my personal issue and doesn’t mean you shouldn’t check it out for yourself, but in other respects, I have no complaints! If durability and service are up to par, then today, with a very reasonable warranty and a perfectly decent tractor, it is definitely worth considering.
