The New Holland TJ series is a line of articulated four-wheel-drive tractors — the largest class of farm tractor, built for immense arable farms and for pulling implements that would stop an ordinary machine. The film below shows a TJ425 which has got itself stuck. The sources used for this page describe the company, not the series.
New Holland TJ series at a glance
| Maker | New Holland |
|---|---|
| Class | articulated four-wheel-drive tractor |
| Model in the film | TJ425 |
| Use | heavy tillage on very large arable farms |
| Class in the range today | the T9 line, 390 to 670 hp |
| T9 markets | countries with very large fields, such as the USA, Ukraine and Russia |
| Group | CNH Industrial, after the 1999 Case merger |
| Versatile plant | divested after the merger on antitrust grounds |
| Technical data | not given in the sources used here |
| Example filmed | a TJ425 stuck and being recovered |
The sources describe the company and the tractor classes, not the TJ series; its technical data is left out because it is not in them.
History of the New Holland TJ series
The largest class of farm tractor
Articulated four-wheel-drive tractors are the giants of arable farming: two rigid sections joined by a hinge, enormous tyres and engines sized to pull cultivation equipment across fields measured in square kilometres. New Holland’s TJ series belongs to that class, and the TJ425 is one of its larger models. These machines are bought where fields are vast and labour is scarce, and in some markets they also earn their keep in earthworks and transport.
The business behind the range
The class grew around a small number of specialist makers. When New Holland merged with Case in 1999, the new group had to give up the Versatile tractor plant in Winnipeg, Manitoba, to satisfy competition rules, and New Holland had earlier bought Versatile itself, in 1987, while it was still under Ford. The group’s big tractors now carry the T9 name, with models from the T9.390 to the T9.670, sold mostly in the United States, Ukraine and Russia.
The tractor in the film
The film below shows a TJ425 in difficulties, stuck in soft ground and being recovered. It is a useful reminder of what these tractors are: machines heavy enough to need another of their kind to pull them out. The sources used here do not give the series’ engine, power or weight, and this page does not invent them.
Design and features
- Articulated chassis: two sections joined by a hinge, the classic layout for the largest tractors.
- Four-wheel drive: all four wheels driven, with huge tyres for flotation and grip.
- Flagship scale: the TJ425 is among the largest models of the series.
- T9 successor: the name the class carries today, up to the T9.670.
New Holland TJ series versions
- New Holland TJ425: the model shown in the film.
- Other TJ models: the smaller and larger tractors of the series.
- New Holland T9: the articulated range sold today.
The modern range is described on the New Holland T series page, and the TG tractors on the New Holland TG page. More machines are in the New Holland section.
Video: new holland tj425 stuck
Video by wilko fendt on YouTube.
Sources
- New Holland Agriculture, English Wikipedia: Versatile, 1999 merger, divestment
- New Holland, Dutch Wikipedia: T9 class and its markets, Versatile sale
