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Valtra Unlimited makes bespoke machines to suit individual customer’s exact requirements.
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.
Valtra Unlimited works closely with other companies to supply factory- fitted implements and systems. The origin of the Valtra brand-follows on from Valmet tractors being fitted with bespoke systems or accessories. The name Valtra stuck, so from 1997, Valmet was shelved and the new name applied to all new tractors onwards.
Part of the AGCO stable, at one time, the parent company toyed with the idea of merging its Valtra, Massey Ferguson, and Fendt brands to form the AGCO tractor brand. This idea met fierce opposition from the companies concerned, who still defend their independence with vigour, resulting in Fendt building a premium tractor, MF focused on improving the everyday machine and Valtra providing a tractor tailored to the individual.
As part of the Valtra Unlimited psyche, things started out with a myriad of colours, large arrays of extra lighting and off course an air horn, while also expanding the mechanical capabilities of the tractors. More recently, the installation of digital systems over and above standard spec has become an important part of its business.
As an example, the VIEW safety feature increases safety for people working within proximity of the tractor. Using front and rearmounted cameras and artificial intelligence to detect objects moving in front of the tractor, the operator can switch between camera views displayed on a high-resolution screen and alerted to potential hazards by warning lights and sounds.
In other news, while fire suppression systems are popular on forest machines, Valtra believes there might also be a market for such items on farm tractors.
Due to the enclosed nature of key components such as engines, hydraulics, fuel lines, electrical installations and exhaust after treatment system, tractor fires spread quickly but are also difficult to put out with a handheld extinguisher.
Claimed as a fast, compact, and efficient technique to extinguish a blaze, Valtra’s automatic fire suppression system comprises an agent storage tank linked to a network of hoses and nozzles located under the bonnet and cab.
Fitted at the Unlimited Studio at the Suolahti factory in Finland and available for fitting to the N5, T5 and Q5 ranges, operators release the extinguishing agent by pressing a button on the in-cab control box, while remote activation is also available to operate the system remotely.
Massey Ferguson has announced a strategic supply partnership with International Tractors Limited (ITL), a manufacturer of low-horsepower and compact tractors, with recognised brands such as Sonalika and Sollis, to expand its portfolio with a new tractor range.
With the biannual Italian EIMA machinery Expo less than a month away, Case IH has taken out a Technical Evolution award for the Advanced Vehicle Suspension system available on its Optum 360–440 series tractors.
The Advanced Vehicle Suspension system, available on Optum 360, 390, and 440 models, responds to changing conditions, automatically adjusting how the suspension reacts to absorbs shocks and controlling vehicle movement.
In operation, sensors monitor the vibrations transmitted from the tractor chassis to the operator cabin, allowing the system to adjust suspension damping in real time. The control system incorporates key priorities, such as comfort at lower speeds and stability as speed increases, while also reacting to factors such as lower tyre pressures, where the tyres absorb more of the initial shock.
Case IH said as suspension requirements change throughout the working day, as tractors move between the paddock and road transport, the system manages suspension response in the background as tasks, speeds and conditions change, leaving the operator without the need to make manual adjustments.
Richard Hollins, Optum series tractors global product manager, said: “Pioneering technology must earn its place in the working day. Farmers and contractors will judge an investment by what it delivers, including manageable ownership costs, dependable up-time and the versatility to tackle different jobs. With AVS, we are putting intelligent control to work for comfort and stability, without giving the operator another setting to manage.”
Organised by FederUnacoma, the Italian Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers Federation, the contest has been part of EIMA since 1986, with the Technical Evolution distinction awarded to products that introduce original improvements to solutions already manufactured or patented.
www.caseih.com
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