Step up into the…stepless John Deere flagship, the 129kW/175hp 7810 AutoPowr. Subject of this month’s tractor test, the bulk of this model is far from new, John Deere’s 7000-series having been around for about a decade and changing little during the years in between. Yet this AP test incarnation, despite its ageing look, contains some of the latest tractor technology on offer – anywhere. Read our test to find out more.
Time and modern technology are catching up with the long-serving 7000/7010 series. Out on the market
with minor variations on its core theme for ten years, the tractor has been squeezed into an ever tighter JD line sandwich. The 6010/6020 horsepowers have crept up to leave less of a gap before tractor buyers
start investigating the bottom end 8010/8020s, and this is even truer today now that the 118kW/160hp 6920S is on the scene.
That’s not to say, however, that the 7010 doesn’t have its place; past sales certainly prove otherwise. It’s just that this particular Deere hp bracket has missed out on the 20-series updating process so far. And
this neglect is inevitably starting to show. Of course, it’s currently widely rumoured that this situation will soon be rectified – Agritechnica in November is the likely date – but until then, what does the current
7010 have to offer?
The 7810’s engine certainly doesn’t fall into the dated category, Deere fitting its latest six-cylinder 8.1-litre PowerTech motor complete with common rail injection. Proving the point, unit performance at the DLG
test station was equally ‘modern’: Torque rose by 45% and output was kept at a constant level through 30% of the engine speed range; there’s also a handy 11kW of extra power that merits consideration.
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