The Valtra T series is the six-cylinder range of the Finnish tractor maker Valtra, sitting between the four-cylinder N series and the high-horsepower S series. Its models have been sold with four different transmissions, from the mechanical HiTech to the stepless Direct, and the range was renewed in 2014 with a patented hydraulics assistant.
Valtra T series at a glance
| Maker | Valtra, Suolahti, Finland |
|---|---|
| Range | six-cylinder tractors |
| Models in 2015 | T144, T154, T174e, T194, T214, T234 |
| Power | 170–250 hp |
| Torque | 680–1,000 Nm |
| Transmissions | HiTech, Active, Versu, Direct |
| Fourth generation | 2014: hydraulics assistant, automatic powershift |
| Award | Machine of the Year at SIMA, 2014 |
| Speed record | 130.165 km/h with a T234 (Juha Kankkunen) |
| Company | Valtra, part of AGCO since 2004 |
The T series has no Wikipedia article of its own; the model list, transmissions and innovations come from the English and Finnish articles on Valtra.
History of the Valtra T series
A six-cylinder range under a new name
The T series is the six-cylinder step in the Valtra range, which runs from the compact A series through the four-cylinder N series to the T series and the high-horsepower S series. Tractors from the Suolahti works had been sold as Valmets since 1951; in 2001 the name was changed to Valtra, and since 2004 the company has belonged to the American AGCO Corporation. Tractor production was moved to Suolahti in central Finland in 1969, and the T models are still built there.
Fourth generation, 2014
The fourth generation of the T series was introduced in 2014. It was the first Valtra to have the patented hydraulics assistant, which raises engine speed automatically when the hydraulics are heavily loaded, together with an automatic powershift that drops to a lower gear range at a speed set by the driver. The T series was named Machine of the Year at SIMA, the Paris agricultural show, in 2014. In 2015 and 2016 the fourth-generation N and T tractors collected several further awards, among them Machine of the Year, Golden Tractor for Design, the A Design Award and the Red Dot design award.
Four transmissions
Buyers could choose between four transmissions. HiTech has mechanically controlled hydraulics and delivers up to 73 litres a minute. Versu adds load-sensing hydraulics with separate hydraulic oil and up to 115 litres a minute, Active is a five-step powershift with automated changes of the main gears, and Direct, introduced in 2008, is Valtra’s own stepless transmission. The 2015 range ran from the 170 hp T144 to the 250 hp T234; the T234 was offered with HiTech, Active and Versu only.
Built to order, and a speed record
Valtra has built its tractors only to individual orders since the early 1990s, and in 2013 it opened the Unlimited Studio for special requests at the end of the assembly line. The same range also produced a different kind of record: driving a Valtra T234, four-time world rally champion Juha Kankkunen set a tractor speed record of 130.165 km/h.
Design and features
- Hydraulics assistant: patented system that raises engine speed automatically under heavy hydraulic load, introduced on the fourth generation in 2014.
- Automatic powershift: changes to a lower gear range at a preset speed.
- Four transmissions: HiTech, Active, Versu and the stepless Direct.
- Built to order: every Suolahti tractor is made for a specific order, with the Unlimited Studio for special requests.
Valtra T series versions
- T144: 170 hp, 680 Nm.
- T154: 180 hp, 740 Nm.
- T174e: 190 hp, 900 Nm.
- T194: 210 hp, 870 Nm.
- T214: 230 hp, 910 Nm.
- T234: 250 hp, 1,000 Nm; HiTech, Active and Versu.
Smaller Valtra ranges are described in the A series page, and the transmissions are compared in Valtra HiTech. The six-cylinder tractors of the 1990s are covered by the Valtra 8350; more are in the Valtra collection.
Sources
- Valtra, English Wikipedia: model list, innovations, awards
- Valtra, Finnish Wikipedia: transmissions, speed record, range order
