One of the most active tractor manufacturers of late is Valtra which has launched a Q Series and G Series of tractors over the last couple of years, which has filled gaps in its range, as well as adding a good deal more choice.
Last year it was the the turn of the Q Series to take to the fields, a range of machines which appeared to overlap the T Series below and the S Series above.
Not just about the horses
With five models spanning the 230hp to 305hp bracket, it would be the natural assumption that there has been some duplication in models, for these ratings are available in the two other ranges already mentioned.
Yet, it is a mistake to think that it is just a parts bin exercise, for the Q Series is designed as a separate line of machines altogether, one that places the emphasis on quality and ease of operation.
It is being promoted as a mid- to high-range six-cylinder tractor, occupying a market segment of growing importance and one where price is not always the final criterion for tractor purchase.
Usability, functionality and operator comfort are the three main features now in demand according to the company, but the Q Series has ready-to-go on-board digital technology which sets it apart from many of its rivals.
Quality on show
Valtra is unashamedly pitching it as the premium tractor in its class, which might give its colleagues over at Fendt something to chew over, although, out of politeness, no direct comparison is made.
Recently Valtra assembled examples from its whole range at Gurteen College, Co. Tipperary, to show them off to dealers and potential customers over a two-day event.
The Q series featured strongly in the demonstrations with the opportunity to take them for a short drive around the college fields, mainly to demonstrate the capabilities of the CVT (continuously variable transmission), which is the only transmission available in these machines.
The company has further exploited the potential of Fendt’s CVT transmission and makes the most of the ability to completely seperate ground speed from engine/PTO (power take-off) speed.
Plug and play
If quality is one half of the Q Series equation, then integration is the other theme running strongly through the design.
Every feature that is found elsewhere in the tractor world appears to be either already built into the Q Series or it may simply be plugged in.
From a mechanical point of view, this covers the usual items like front-end loaders and linkage, a third service on the Quicke-built loaders as standard, and the choice of bar or half shaft rear axle.
Electronically, the tractors will come with auto steering, submetre satellite guidance as standard, with the ability to instantly upgrade to real-time kinematic positioning (RTK) levels of accuracy while ISOBUS is ingrained into the control systems enabling full connectivity to implements.
Digital farming with the Q Series
They are, as Valtra points out, machines of their era, where capabilities are judged by digital functionality as much as they are by engine power or number of gears, which is just two in this case, a setting for fast work, and a setting for slower, high torque work.
Section control, variable rate spreading and auto guidance are all available out of the box, Valtra has taken the view that these are now standard features in this market segment.
Although much is made of the on-board electronics, there appears to be a declining enthusiasm for telematics and data management within the industry, and Valtra bows to that trend.
Yes, data on the tractor’s operational history can be sent back to the office, but quite what the farmer is to do with the tsunami of figures is still not settled, and until such time as the software and expertise is in place to help make sense of it, it is likely to remain that way.
Showing potential
Just what the on-board digital technology is capable of was being demonstrated in the college’s sand arena, a confined area surrounded by a fence that would easily fall to a clumsy tractor.
Within this box, Valtra had a T 235 into which had been installed two on-board software options that the company is particularly proud of.
The first is U-Pilot, a headland management system which automatically goes through the sequence of operations required to take an implement in and out of work when it crosses the headland line.
More recently, the company has introduced SmartTurn which automatically turns the tractor on the headland with no input from the driver.
Automation, not autonomy
With the two systems activated and working together, the driver could sit back while the computer took care of driving the tractor neatly across the arena, raising and lowering the power harrow at the headlands.
Great effort has been made with this latest software to make setting up a simple operation such as this, as easy as possible; it is indeed intuitive and, at first glance, it is not something that is necessarily reserved for a smartphone savvy youth.
While the operation may be automatic, it is still a long way from being autonomous. A driver is still required to set it up, set it going, bring it to a halt at the end of the field or steer it around obstructions such as trees or people.
G and Q Series carry Valtra forward
Valtra is justifiably proud of what it has achieved with the Q Series; it is a range which takes the company forward, putting a marker down as to where it sees the marriage of mechanical engineering and digital technology going.
The open day was not all about the Q Series, the company still has its other machines to sell and a good selection from across its portfolio was on display.
That other new arrival, the G Series, was also there and these, just like the Q Series, are unashamedly directed at a particular market segment rather than a power bracket.
Small but smart
That segment is the mixed or stock farm when power and compactness are often required in the same package, along with a robust frame and sufficient hydraulic capacity to run a front-end loader with ease and swiftness.
There are four tractors with rated outputs of between 100hp and 135hp in the series and there are three levels of technology available, from very little, to a full suite which includes all the company’s smart farm features.
Looking at Valtra’s whole range under one roof confirms just how far the company has come over the last few years.
No longer is it a rather weird make from somewhere very cold, it is a fully fledged competitor to the main brands and is now the sixth largest brand in Ireland, just three units behind Claas in 2022.