New Dyna-VT Transmission from AGCO’s Massey Ferguson Geared up to Impress
We ask Martin Wakeley, AGCO World-Wide Training Manager on the new Massey Ferguson 7400 Series to explain more about the benefits of Massey Ferguson’s Dyna-VT Transmission.
First - back to basics.
For every job you do with a tractor there is a correct forward speed which provides optimum quality of work.
So in its simplest terms, for example, if you plough too slowly, trash isn’t properly buried, and if you plough too fast, soil is thrown too far.
Of course, the correct speed can vary depending on conditions.
Within a single field on a given day, for example, there might be a wide range of ground conditions that dictate the best tractor forward speed.
At the same time as you require optimum quality of work, you also want the tractor to operate as efficiently as possible - providing all the power and torque needed to drive an implement but using the minimum amount of fuel and making the minimum amount of noise.
With Dyna-VT, there are no gears and therefore no gaps in the transmission.
Gear changes do not have to be made in incremental steps and tractor forward speed is infinitely adjustable from 0.03 to 50 km/h (depending on local road traffic regulations).
All you have to do is pull a single lever and you are in business.
Having been involved with agricultural machinery for more than 25 years, I am really impressed by the sheer simplicity of operation of the MF system.
Using Dyna-VT makes it really easy to access the tractor’s true potential.
Let’s look at some typical operations where Dyna-VT makes a difference:
Planting vegetables - for this task, extremely slow forward speeds are required but the planting equipment usually requires very low levels of power.
With Dyna-VT you can set the tractor to travel as slow as 30 ms/hr and maintain engine speed virtually at tick-over.
Power Harrowing - this job also needs to be carried out fairly slowly but the harrow consumes a great deal of power.
With Dyna-VT, you can finely adjust the tractor’s forward speed as ground conditions dictate whilst maintaining the correct PTO speed needed to drive the harrow at maximum efficiency.
Transport - this shows off the advantages of Dyna-VT very well.
With an empty trailer, there isn’t the need for high power, and therefore, high revs.
Dyna-VT permits 50km/h at lower revs, thus cutting down on noise and saving fuel.
Once loaded up of course, it’s the opposite story.
Moving a heavily-loaded trailer needs high revs for plenty of power.
With Dyna-VT, you can achieve this and attain the high speeds necessary to minimise travel times.
Baling - in most fields swath density can vary considerably.
Density dictates tractor forward speed - slow for a heavy patch, faster where the crop is thinner.
With Dyna-VT, you can have the engine running at the correct speed to drive the PTO but, at the same time, vary the forward speed depending on conditions and all by means of that simple single lever or pedal control.
25-Oct-2006