Valtra S returns to Suolahti with 420hp

The new, “sixth” generation Valtra S Series is to hit market next year and this new 280hp to 420hp range will be made in Finland once again.

There was a distinct undertone at the official unveil ahead of the Agritechnica public launch that the Finns wanted to be back in control. The common platform S4 series has been made by Massey Ferguson at Beauvais and was largely an 8700S in different clothes.

In order to achieve this goal of bringing the S back alongside the A, N, T and Q Series there has been substantial investment in Valtra’s Euopean plant in Suolahti in order to increase capacity and a new paint line that can handle the bigger chassis of what will become a global tractor range. How much has actually been invested is not something the Valtra senior management would disclose – gone are the days of the more open chat and the corporate Agco attitude has come to the fore.

Back to the S6 line up, and as with the outgoing range there are six models with a good proportion of the hardware carried over from the S4 (the Finns are leap frogging the S5 designation) but with some distinct differences such as the cab, reworked engine and transmission and much improved hydraulic performance.

The 8.4-litre Agco Power 84LXTN motor has been trimmed off its EGR and slips back to a single turbo. By fettling the combustion process and reducing the engine speed by 8%, fuel consumption has been improved by 3%, while doing away with EGR allows the engine to run slightly cooler, but the cooling pack performance has also been uprated. But removing the EGR has put more of an onus on the rest of the exhaust after treatment (DOC, DPF and SCR) with a slight increase in AdBlue use, however, overall fluid use is still down says Kelvin Bennet Agco Power’s SVP of engineering.

The S6 models we will see in Europe will comply with Stage V, but this range will also be offered in other markets such as South America where it will have a Tier III compliant setup. As a side note, around 70% of S4 tractors sold in Brazil are supplied with a Valtra badged air seeder.

MODEL	STANDARD POWER AND TORQUE	BOOSTED POWER AND TORQUE
S286	280hp, 1,250Nm	310hp, 1,400Nm
S316	310hp, 1,350Nm	340hp, 1,500Nm
S346	340hp, 1,500Nm	370hp, 1,550Nm
S376	370hp, 1,550Nm	400hp, 1,700Nm
S396	400hp, 1,700Nm	420hp, 1,750Nm
S416	420hp, 1,750Nm	420hp, 1,750Nm

The first four models have a 30hp power boost, the S396 has 20hp for transport over 18km/hr or when there is sufficient demand on the hydraulics or pto. The top boss, the S416 kicks out a max 420hp all day long.

The power flows through an Agco Vario box, an ML260, a well proven, two range manual change CVT with a top speed of 53km/hr.

Compared to the version used in the 2-305hp Q, this has been given some extra beef around the half axles and the pto. Speaking of this you have to choose from just two speeds from 540E, 1,000 or 1,000E.

The braking performance has been tightened up but there is no change to the max payload of 16,000kg. An S6 with a full tank of fuel, on decent tyres will tip the scales at 12,000kg. Add up to 2,300kg of front ballast and up to 1,500kg of wheel ring weights and you don’t have a lot of room to attach an implement and stay legal. Although it is worth noting that this is not just a flaw with the big Valtra in this power bracket.

One area that cannot be faulted is the hydraulic system overhaul. The base setup has a 200l/min load-sensing pump with up to six rear spools. There is also an Eco function which provides max pump output at 1,650rpm instead of 1,950rpm by engaging an 80l/min gear pump. The standard spools here have a flow rate of 120l/min but 140l/min units are optional.

If you have some particularly power hungry kit then you can add a second 200l/min pump. This also adds on spool which is capable of having 170l/min pass through it while the other couplers are 140l/min.

Lift capacities are 5.4t on the front and 12.5t on the rear links with Cat IV hook ends. The pickup hitch is sourced from Dromone.

The most noticeable difference though is the cab, this is shared with the Q and in the flesh, the S416 doesn’t look like a tractor packing over 400hp. It is around 5cm lower than the S4 but there is still decent roof space and a good level of storage but it is not as roomy as some of the North American bred big horsepower tractors. Suspension can be either mechanical or pneumatic.

Even though the accommodation is shared with the Q, the S6 has some advances. An even better lighting package with two-colour LED work lights for better illumination in the snow for instance. A camera view package can be added to aid pulling out at a junction or gateway. And of course there is the Unlimited Studio extensive list of bespoke options.

Over 4,000 of the tractors produced in Finland will go through this added extra process with the uptake on UK/Irish Q tractors being as much as 80%. This will be the first time the S has the option of Unlimited add-ons. The French built tractor couldn’t have this.

The S6 was unveiled to dealers this week and the order book is now open with the first units expected in the UK in April and an S416 will be on show at LAMMA in January.

The new range is coming to Ireland as well, no brand new S4 tractors made it across the Irish Sea but some second hand units have done. As to the UK market, the S series has accounted from 15-25 tractors per year, so not a major seller but this is expected to change now that it is more Valtra.

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