The New Holland T7 is a machine pitched squarely at the hard-working agricultural contractors of Aotearoa
While the rest of the world is moving towards engines that essentially require a chemistry degree to keep running, the New Holland T7 LWB Tier 3 is a breath of fresh – albeit slightly less scrubbed – air.
Being the LWB (long wheelbase) model, it has that extra bit of stability. New Holland has clearly spec’d this for the New Zealand market. We don’t just farm on flat paddocks, we farm on ‘sidling’s’ that would make a European engineer faint.
Engine
Right: The one-piece high lift bonnet makes daily servicing easy
Under that distinctive sloping blue bonnet sits the beating heart – the reliable 6.7 litre FPT 6-cylinder engine. Delivering between 225 and 260 (max boosted) horsepower depending on which variant you pick. There are three choices: T7.230, T7.245 or the T7.260.
This thing is a masterpiece of simplicity. These horses are not the pampered sort that pull carts at Ellerslie – they boast a torque curve that’s flatter than the Canterbury Plains and with enough grunt to pull a plough, a trailer, or perhaps your neighbour’s ego (into line) after a season with a perfect balance of favourable weather and commodity prices.
Fuel use has been tidied up too, with small efficiency gains (up to about 3.6%), so you’re getting more work done without burning quite as much diesel (topical), and a bigger fuel tank (up to 458L), so you can stay out in the paddock longer.
Better still, service intervals are stretched out as well – from 600 up to 750 hours on the engine, so there’s less time in the shed and more time getting the job done. Low engine idle speed management (reduced idle speed) is also a nice touch and handy on the fuel saving front. RPM is dropped if no driver is on the seat, perfect for when you pull up to a job and you’re having a yack to old mate who hasn’t had much people interaction of late.
Transmission
Right: Terraglide front suspension
Being tried and tested in New Zealand conditions is another key theme and offering so much choice is a beautiful thing. You’ve got Power Command options; 18×6 40km/hr; 19×6 40km/hr ECO; 50km/hr; or the all-singing, all-dancing Auto Command 50km/hr CVT. Whichever option you choose comes with the handy electronic park brake for those ‘safe as houses’ feels.
For the contractor doing big transport miles or precision seeding, the Auto Command is hard to beat for smoothness. However, for the ‘get in and go’ style, the Power Command is a bulletproof choice.
There are a few handy upgrades too, like memory shuttle (remembers your last reverse gear) and adjustable shuttle aggression (so you can fine-tune how quickly it switches direction depending on the job). On the road, the Power Command models get a bit of extra boost at higher revs, which helps when hauling gear between jobs.
With the trailer in tow, there is also another nifty feature to keep you safe. The ‘Intelligent Trailer Braking System’ senses the reduction in the tractor’s speed and calculates the deceleration force using a torque sensor within the transmission. An electronically controlled trailer brake valve then automatically applies the trailer brakes to reduce the trailer’s speed at the same rate as the tractor – nice.
The driveline extended service interval now sitting at 1500 hours also allows you to keep hauling all season without the need for the oil pan.
Hydraulics
Hydraulics are strong where it counts too, with up to five rear- and three mid-mount valves and a punchy 150L/min CCLS pump (170L/min CCLS pump on Auto Command model). This also provides the muscle for the nigh on class-leading rear lift capacity of 10,463 kg, so it’ll comfortably handle the big gear. ISOBUS compatibility means less mucking around in the cab with separate monitors and better control of modern implements. ISOBUS III is available on the Auto Command.
Cab
Right: The light and bright instrument cluster
The Horizon cab is still one of the best in the business. The four-pillar design is the same, but there have been some renos people. It’s a lot more modern, with better layout, nicer materials, auto climate a/c – a way more comfortable place for spending long days in the seat.
Speaking of seats, there’s a new Dynamic Comfort seat option. We were blessed with this in our test machine and the extra support for my ailing back was a nice touch. Think low frequency suspension, automatic weight and height adjustment, electric lumbar support and heating – tick, tick, tick – it’s all good stuff folks.
The renos don’t stop there either. Visibility has been upgraded thanks to a larger wiper area coverage, the full LED light option, plus variable rate steering. Tech-wise, you’ve got a big touchscreen (10.4-inch) mounted on the end of SideWinder II armrest giving auto guidance, and telematics if you want to keep track of everything remotely. Thanks to PLMi that means field records are significantly easier to keep up with than your last fishing story.
Verdict
The New Holland T7 LWB Tier 3 is essentially the ‘Goldilocks’ tractor for New Zealand. It’s got enough tech to be efficient, and comfortable thanks to the ‘Terraglide’ front suspension and the automatic two-stage cab suspension. It’s got two proven transmission options that are yoked to one of – if not the best – agricultural engines on the market. If you want a machine that spends more time pulling discs rather than pulling codes, the Tier 3 T7 is the blue-chip type of investment your accountant will thank you for.
