news Prototype 150 on Agritechnica

Not many people have noticed, but there was something interesting on Zetors Agritechnica stand: a Forterra 150 with a 50kmh (40kmh eco) transmission.



In the cab, you can see that the 5 speed gearshift pattern is different, its like a car: that means it also has an overdrive, like a car. If they made the overdrive so that there is no overlap between 4th gear 3rd powershift, and 5th gear 1st powershift, it would mean 40kmh at 1800rpm without increasing the takeoff speed in high range. (5th gear low range is only used for fast headland speed, so the overlap between 4th gear low range and 1st gear high range is still enough)

The cab is also put up higher above the rear axle. For tje Forterra HD this is enough, but on the Crystal we might need a bit more to get a view over that big hood.

They havent adressed the door gas strut yet. But overall, the changes on this Forterra impress me better than the changes on pininfarina design... The changes on this Forterra are noticed after working with it, and the Pininfarina changes only count on exhibitions...

 

[diyfarmer]

Not many people have noticed, but there was something interesting on Zetors Agritechnica stand: a Forterra 150 with a 50kmh (40kmh eco) transmission.

A 50k on a Crystal or HD be great, But my new HSX says its doing 47/48K on a flat road, our Deutz says its doing 52K but it needs to be going downhill at the time. So I think a race is in order soon.

 

[diyfarmer]

They havent adressed the door gas strut yet. But overall, the changes on this Forterra impress me better than the changes on pininfarina design... The changes on this Forterra are noticed after working with it, and the Pininfarina changes only count on exhibitions...

What is the problem with the door gas struts?

 

[Renze]

What is the problem with the door gas struts?

It pushes the door open as soon as you unlock it. So you cant shut it from your seat but have to sit up. And it has happened that in windy weather, the door is ripped open by the wind and crash to pieces. A properly designed gas strut will have a dead point when the door is 10cm open, and pushes the door shut in the last 10cm. This way you only have to pull it close and it pushes itself into the lock. Also when opening it, you can unlatch it from the seat and then reposition your hand to open the door itself on your way out.

 

[diyfarmer]

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It pushes the door open as soon as you unlock it. So you cant shut it from your seat but have to sit up. And it has happened that in windy weather, the door is ripped open by the wind and crash to pieces. A properly designed gas strut will have a dead point when the door is 10cm open, and pushes the door shut in the last 10cm. This way you only have to pull it close and it pushes itself into the lock. Also when opening it, you can unlatch it from the seat and then reposition your hand to open the door itself on your way out.

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I have had two Forterra now and I can say I never have notice this to be a problem, it`s true ok that the opening handle is far from seat, it would be nicer like our Deutz where the opener is halfway along the handle

 

[diyfarmer]

A snag that annoys me is where the hand throttle lever is, on both my old 10641 and now on the HSX 140 I keep hitting it with my knee, which moves it up revving up the tractor.

 

[Renze]

The Crystal also has this loud annoying whine in the gearbox, most pronounced in the highest powershift step.

This most likely is because they put a 35kmh differential in it from the 10540, and changed the powershift layshaft gear ratio to make it an overdrive, so the powershift has an overdrive and an underdrive, where the standard Forterra has two underdrives. (Resulting in the same 40kmh but with 15% less torque and 15% more gearspeed: a very common method of stageing transmission friction versus power capacity)

The 40 eco gearbox, with the 5th gear as overdrive, gives the opportunity of achieving a similar power increase whilst choosing a gear ratio that doesnt resonate this annoying whine. It would make this gearbox capable of 190hp, which is i think the commercial peak for a basic gearbox like this: people looking for more than 190hp have no interest in a 3 stage powershift. Valtra also has 190hp as the highest hp offered on their HiTech line with 3 step powershift.

The 100, 110 and 120 models would become too sluggish with the overdrive: For these models they can -lower- the layshaft speed and use a differential with less reduction, to also create a 40kmh eco transmission. Then they can put this fast differential in the 6 ton rear axle, and put an 8.5 ton rear axle (with corresponding differential ratio) behind the overdrive transmission, of 130 to 190hp. More ideally would be an extra stage, like 7.5 ton rear axle for 130-150hp and a 10 ton axle for the 160-240hp models, but apparently the right gear combination resonates, causing this annoying whine like the Crystal ? Anyways, in theory an overdrive powershift step with a lower layshaft speed on the main gearbox, would provide 40kmh eco with a more favourable torque capacity to friction ratio for the 4 cylinder models...

Thinking on about the above, if a lower layshaft speed is used to save some internal friction on the HSX, it might very well be so, that the different layshaft speed changes the natural frequency of the gears is spread apart, so the powershift speeds of the crystal will not cause the resonance whine: in that case they can use the directdrive main gearbox together with the overdrive powershift for the HSX 100-140hp to get 50kmh without increasing drag loss, and use the overdrive main gearbox together with the direct drive powershift for 150-190hp...

Next to this added value of 40kmh eco gearbox, crossing the 200hp border with a semipowershift gearbox with powershifts from 5 to 12 kmh and then the next range from 10 to 24kmh with two speeds of overlap, is vital to the dealer network in order to stay an attractive franchise.

Also interesting is that Zetor created this prototype gearbox based on the 4 cylinder 150. The 140 and 150 have nearly the same max torque, the 150 just has a higher top end. Is this because the gearbox input torque maximum is reached, or because their engine bottom end is maxed out ?

Ideally, Zetors 6.2 liter engine should carry up to 240hp, so they can offer a rebadged Versatile above the Crystal, as Maxterra, from 260 to 360 hp, in the European market. The Versatile tractor is sized against the Fendt 900, Deere 8R and Magnum so Zetor would not offer a Fendt 800, Deere 7R or Optum sized tractor: the issue with the Fendt 828 is that the motor doesnt last in heavy use. 5000hr rebuild intervals are not uncommon, because they take these motors too far to be beaten down on a wood chipper at maximum power all day.

Anyway, Zetor cant have it all, (no mid sized chassis like 800 series or 7R) and being able to sell the Versatile tractor through their dealer network, in Europe (they have their network in North America, and Rostselmash sells them in Russia) would be a good business venture, especially in Eastern Europe where farms require a low cost tillage tractor.

 

[diyfarmer]

A snag that annoys me is where the hand throttle lever is, on both my old 10641 and now on the HSX 140 I keep hitting it with my knee, which moves it up revving up the tractor.

I see the HSX for 2018 have a different method for the hand throttle that mean that hitting the handle with your knee won`t be a problem any longer.

 

[diyfarmer]

What ever happen to the electronic pad for controlling the engine revs? I thought my new HSX would of had it.
My brother Deutz has it very handy for jobs like sucking slurry, press green up button to rev up the engine and one press of the red button and it goes back to tick over speed automatically.

 

[diyfarmer]

I think them pads were on 11741 or the 12441?