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Chris Kenel with his Valtra tractors. Kenel says the only thing that has worn out is the seat (right).
When Chris Kenel bought his first Valtra tractor back in 2003, he told the dealer he thought it would last 20,000 hours and he expected the only thing that would wear out would be the seat.
The dealer told him, if that was the case, he would provide a new seat.
That Valtra 6750 has now clocked up 21,000 hours in 17 years of service, and as Chris predicted, the main thing that has worn out was the seat.
So, true to the handshake, on June 9, Valtra and AGCO New Zealand delivered him a new seat.
Over the time on Chris’s farm near Winton, the Valtra has worked every day, as the operation milks all year round. Over summer it feeds out silage in the paddock and does groundwork for the fodder beet crop, while in winter it powers a mixer wagon around the feed pad.
The 105hp Finn has a manual transmission, offering 32 gears forward and reverse, and is said to be easy to drive, so suits the dairy operation where it has multiple operators.
It has only had one bout of sick days, and that was to replace the turbo charger in 2017.
“It is not that it’s never had a problem. The fact is they were all minor and, considering the hours, it has worked out really well for me,” Chris says. “There aren’t too many fancy things to break down. It’s just a simple, basic tractor. The best thing about it, apart from its longevity, is the front axle suspension, especially with the front loader.”
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The seat in Chris’s Valtra 6750. |
Back in 2003, when the tractor arrived, Chris was milking on 84 ha, that has now expanded to 317 ha, where he milks 800 cows. The farm is self-contained, producing all its own silage, baleage, and fodder beet and holds the stock over winter.
Stoked with the performance and reliability of his first Valtra, Chris now owns two more of the same brand – a 165-hp T163 and a T174, the latter delivering 190 hp at 1900 rpm and 900 Nm torque at just 1100 rpm.
Two years ago, a telehandler arrived at the property, so the old 6750 was relieved of its loader duties, but still works every day and clocks up a still respectable 800 hours each year.
“I am happy with the tractor and it is a good brand. It is a shame more people don’t know about it. I will buy Valtra again any time,” Chris says.
Valtra has recently announced upgrades to the fifth generation A Series, offered to the New Zealand market in the four cylinder, A105 and A115 models, each delivering the maximum horsepower indicated on the side panels.
Manufactured at its Suolahti factory in Finland, Valtra has released the sixth-generation S-Series tractor range for Australia and New Zealand.
Global tractor manufacturer AGCO – the home of Massey Ferguson, Fendt and Valtra – has released a totally new engine design.
Valtra Unlimited, the specialist division of Finnish manufacturer Valtra, is celebrating its first decade, over which time around a third of all tractors produced have passed through its doors, taking customisation to a new level, so that bespoke machines are created to suit individual customer’s exact requirements.
A total of 108,800 tractors were registered across Europe in the first six months of 2022, with 31,900 tractors of 37kW (50 hp) and under and 76,900 of 38kW and above.
With the current situation in the European farm machinery market being described as difficult at best, it’s perhaps no surprise that the upcoming AgriSIMA 2026 agricultural machinery exhibition, scheduled for February 2026 at Paris-Nord Villepinte, has been cancelled.
The Meat Industry Association of New Zealand (MIA) has launched the first in-market activation of the refreshed Taste Pure Nature country-of-origin brand with an exclusive pop-up restaurant experience in Shanghai.
Jayna Wadsworth, daughter of the late New Zealand wicketkeeper Ken Wadsworth, has launched an auction of cricket memorabilia to raise funds for I Am Hope's youth mental health work.
As we move into the 2025/26 growing season, the Tractor and Machinery Association (TAMA) reports that the third quarter results for the year to date is showing that the stagnated tractor market of the last 18 months is showing signs of recovery.
DairyNZ chair Tracy Brown is urging dairy farmers to participate in the 2026 Levy vote, to be held early next year.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) is calling for nominations for director roles in the Eastern North Island and Southern South Island electoral districts.
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