According to test reports from the USA, a John Deere 8430 tractor has set the record as the most fuel-efficient row crop tractor ever tested at the Nebraska Tractor Test Lab. The 8030 Series tractors’ ability to use less fuel to generate power allows farmers and contractors to work more efficiently; and with fuel prices on the rise, provides greater customer value.
Results on the 305hp 8430, which was equipped with an Automatic PowerShift transmission, were achieved with the new Tier 3 compliant 9-litre PowerTech Plus engine tested at a 100 per cent pto load and at rated engine speed. The tractor consumed only 228g/kWh, 8.8 per cent less than 8430’s comparable predecessor, the John Deere 8520.
Additionally impressive were the test results of the 8430 equipped with an AutoPowr transmission, which achieved an efficient 237g/kWh. Compared to the 8520 with PowerShift transmission, the 8430 AutoPowr tractor showed a 5.2 per cent improvement in fuel economy (see diagram).
The 8430 tractor is the second largest of the 8030 Series models, which range from 225 to 330hp (97/68 EC rated). These new tractors were also awarded the Agritechnica gold medal for improved fuel efficiency in 2005. New Tier 3 engine technology is designed to produce higher torque at lower engine speeds, leading to better fuel economy and higher productivity in the field.
John Deere PowerTech Plus engines develop a 40 per cent torque rise and a 10 per cent power bulge, which both provide extra lugging power. These state-of-the-art engines feature exhaust gas recirculation, a variable geometry turbocharger and four valves per cylinder design, which make the engines more responsive to changing loads while at the same time satisfying future exhaust gas specifications and reducing noise emissions. This ultimately helps users to work longer at peak efficiency and therefore achieve greater productivity.
The Nebraska Tractor Test Lab is the officially designated tractor testing station for the United States, and tests tractors according to the codes of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Twenty-eight countries participate in the tractor test codes, with active tractor test stations in 25 of these.
