One of the biggest bits of news coming out of Agritechnica was the launch of the 8 Series from Deutz-Fahr. While a tractor manufacturer launching a tractor might not seem like a surprise, the choice to fit an FPT engine, rather than a Deutz AG unit, stirred conversation.
Deutz AG has taken a backseat in agricultural engine development, with its recent restructuring prioritising scalable green energy, as well as on-highway and defence power units.
While Deutz-Fahr and Deutz AG have not been part of the same company since the 1990s, when the tractor portfolio was sold to Same, the companies have remained linked up until this point, with Deutz-Fahr tractors continuing to be fitted with Deutz engines.
There appear to be several benefits for both companies. Deutz-Fahr can now look at the wider market for engines, finding units that suit the sector that each tractor is built for, while recent reports suggest that the restructuring at Deutz AG has significantly improved profitability.
According to David Jefferson, product specialist at SDF UK, the rest of the current range will continue to use Deutz AG engines. “We’re not swapping wholesale, and we still have a business relationship with the company. However, as they are not investing in agricultural engines, decisions will be made as we continue to develop the range.”
From the ground up
This isn’t just a case of fitting a new engine. Our visit to the German headquarters and factory in Lauingen started with an introduction from Mirco Romagnoli, marketing & communication director, who said that the 8 Series was the culmination of the biggest investment in company history, and that every component was brand new.
Take this with a pinch of salt, as smaller components like bearings, hydraulic cylinders, etc., haven’t been developed from the ground up, but overall, this is a genuinely new tractor. Interestingly, Mirco said that it was the first step in the company’s new high-horsepower range, with an expectation that there would be new products to show at this year’s EIMA event in Bologna, Italy.
But we weren’t there to speculate on what might be coming; instead, we were looking forward to the first drive of the 8 Series. Two models are available, the 340hp 8340 and the 313hp 8310, both powered by the FPT N67 engine that has a maximum torque rating of 1,398Nm. Power is put to the ground through a revamped TTV stepless transmission, developed alongside ZF, and both models can reach speeds of 60kph at 1,750rpm, or 50kph at 1,500rpm.
A new cooling system has been developed for the tractor, which can be easily opened for cleaning and includes a pre-cleaning system and aluminium parts to quickly dissipate heat.
The switch up to a 340hp maximum might not seem like the biggest difference for Deutz-Fahr, which has offered 336hp from its flagship 9 Series. David explains that the 8 Series stands out for its more compact design. “It has a wheelbase of 3,057mm, compared to the 9 Series, which is 3,135mm.”
This positions the slightly more compact 8 Series against other high-horsepower, manoeuvrable machines such as the Case IH Optum.
One of the biggest shifts for the company is the new SigmaVision cabin, which was fully designed and built in-house. It’s a big modernisation over what the company has had previously, reportedly 30% larger than the previous generation. It has a new Grammar seat, which can be specced up to full electric control. The armrest has been redesigned with more than 20 configurable buttons across the armrest, the updated iMotion joystick and the new CrossLever.
The iMotion can now be shifted left to shuttle and right to engage cruise control, while the CrossLever can be set up with three layers of controls, enabling more functions to be accessed. This also has a shuttle switch, so implements can be controlled while shifting from forward to reverse.
Deutz-Fahr has dropped the digital dash on the steering column in favour of a large A-pillar display – dubbed the iCluster – which is split into three sections. The top and bottom parts of the display show the key information you’d expect from a dashboard, while the middle section communicates with the 12.8in iMonitor5 and can be set to display functions such as precision maps, Isobus controls or another menu that the operator requires.
While we couldn’t see it on the day, users will also be able to set up triggers for this middle section, including the rear camera feed when the tractor is put into reverse.
The iMonitor5 has been built around smartphone-style functionality, with touchscreen, tap and swipe. Users can create their own homescreen by dragging and dropping different menus into place, as well as setting up triggers for certain screens to appear automatically.
The biggest change with the digital functions is within the architecture. David explains that the old generation displays were essentially individual computers, with processing units built into the terminal. Now, a full processing box has been integrated into the cab (under the left-hand console), and the displays are just displays. “This will significantly reduce the amount of lag and future-proof these displays for future software updates,” he says.
This change is for the Gen 4 and Gen 5 iMonitors fitted to the latest 8 Series tractors, but is expected to be rolled out across relevant ranges in the future.
There are three levels of suspension. The Dana front axle is suspended with an extended swing arm that stretches to the centre of the chassis, while the cabin has pneumatic suspension, and the seat is also suspended. Outside, there are outboard disc brakes for tractors rated for 60kph – all of the UK models will have this – and at the rear, there are five spools which are supplied with a load-sensing pump with an output of 220 litres/min as standard.
The rear linkage can carry 12t, while the front system has a capacity of 5.45t, and the front pto can run at 1,000rpm or 1,000eco. It has a base weight, with fuel, of 10.8t and a maximum gross vehicle weight of 17.5t, meaning there is ample capacity for large implements and ballast.
Putting it to the test
We had two opportunities to test the tractor. In the field, there were a variety of cultivators in easy conditions. It comes as no surprise, then, that the tractor handled everything easily. However, it was a good opportunity to test the control schemes.
There’s enough of the logic from previous Deutz-Fahr tractors here to provide a level of familiarity to existing customers, and it took us no time at all to get to grips with the new functions.
The left and right functionality on the iMotion makes quick shuttling and activating the cruise control simple, and you can make on-the-move adjustments to the cruise control speed using the thumbwheel on the joystick.
We drove primarily with the pedal in the field, and this is responsive, but not so responsive that you feel like you lose control when you accelerate too heavily. The response of the pedal also adjusts when you set a maximum speed, so you get a proportional level of acceleration depending on the task at hand.
The CrossLever is also easy to understand, and we were soon able to make the relevant adjustments while working in the field. Not only that, the large A-pillar display and iMonitor terminal meant that all machine functions are in sight while operating.
On the track, we had a little more trouble. This isn’t a problem with the tractor, just with how rough the old quarry roads we were driving on were. The three levels of suspension were all working while we drove, but the track was so rough that they often worked against each other. The bounce of the cab out of sync with the bounce of the seat, and all combined with the movement of the front axle.
This meant that we couldn’t really get to any speed during our run of the course. We likely would have got a better representation of this on Deutz-Fahr’s own track at the factory.
The first steps
Overall, we were very impressed with the 8 Series. It is a comfortable, high specification machine that suits what UK operators are looking for. The models we saw were lacking a touch of polish, and there are a lot of features that will be available that we couldn’t see on the day, including the option of central tyre inflation.
Not all of them were UK specification either, and David noted that every model that comes into our market will be pretty much at maximum specification.
As the only tractor manufacturer that appears to be growing its market share and registrations in the UK, Deutz-Fahr has momentum on its side, and the 8 Series feels like the right first step in a gradual overhaul of its mid- and high-horsepower ranges.
It’s also priced in line with the machines it will be competing against, with the larger 8340 having a retail list price of £357,700.