The 425 horsepower tractor had been one of Versatile’s best sellers for years. But when Cummins discontinued the engine, that story came to an end.
“It forced us to develop new tractors from scratch, specifically for the new QSM11 (305 to 400 h.p.) engines,” said Eric Allison, director of sales at Versatile.
But that’s fine, in his opinion.
Farmers buying mid-range tractors had already started asking for features that the larger lines have, including a heavier tractor and a bigger cab.
Allsion said Versatile wanted to shift its new tractors into the same family as the high-horsepower tractors, with upgrades like the cab, a bigger cooling package, more fuel capacity, larger hydraulic capacity and the electronics packages required by producers.
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However, the company needed a wider frame to meet those demands. So a wider, heavier frame with a longer wheelbase became the basis for the new mid-range lineup.
The base weight on the new tractor is 25,000 pounds for all engine sizes. Maximum operating weight on the 400 h.p. tractor is 40,000 lb. All Versatiles now come with the big cab as standard. It has an optional training seat and is eight inches wider than the cab on the 2000 model tractors.
Allison said Versatile makes it a priority to gather industry input.
“We always work closely with drill manufacturers. There’s really no choice. Every other tractor manufacturer is part of a company with a seeding group. Versatile has never had a seeding group.”
It’s a symbiotic relationship. Regardless of the paint colour on the seeding implement, every drill manufacturer knows that many of their machines will be pulled by Versatile tractors. And Versatile knows that none of its tractors will pull Versatile seeders. So they have to get along.
“It’s important for us and the drill people to keep in touch with each other. They keep us abreast of their developments. They tell us exactly what they need in terms of bigger, wider, faster, heavier. And we keep them informed on what we can deliver,” said Allison.
“For example, looking at our high h.p. line, we already know that our biggest tractor is marginal when it’s hooked to the latest big drill from Bourgault. It won’t do the job.
“So now we have to think about 600 h.p. for our big tractor.”
Allison said it’s not really a problem because Versatile designed the big tractor for 600 h.p. from the start.
But in the field where dust, vibration and hard knocks are standard, electronics don’t always hold to Versatile’s philosophy of simplicity, reliability and ease of maintenance.
There are more than a few farmers whose blood pressure rises when they hear the words computer and farm equipment in the same sentence.
Can Versatile maintain its traditional reputation for quality while building the kind of modern, complex electronic systems the market now demands?
Allison said the company wants to keep it simple.
“But now we have electronics packages on all our tractors, and electronics are never simple by any stretch of the imagination.
“We may not have the electronic sophistication of some of the competition, but that’s the tradeoff. We have better reliability. Our electronics packages are not as complex or fragile as those on other tractors. But they do the job.”
Allison said the diagnostic tools available today make electronic troubleshooting easier. It’s usually a matter of plugging in the tool, running through the fault codes and getting an answer.
To further simplify the process, he said Versatile tries to maintain some commonality from model to model. While upgrading the electronics, it doesn’t like major radical changes.
“If we do find we need to change suppliers, we go through intensive testing procedures for any new electronic component.”
He said that although nobody’s electronics are indestructible, they have become more durable in recent years.
“Twenty years ago, we’d buy a component from China. We’d get the samples and they tested out great. But the first container would arrive and it was all garbage.
“Today, we can buy components from all over the word and they work. It’s a result of our global market.”
He said the ISO criteria for manufactured goods, including ag electronics, has helped standardize components to a certain extent, but it has not levelled the playing field the way it was intended.
ISO should improve manufacturers’ efficiency by promoting interchangeability and preventing proprietary component systems.
“We work to ISO and our competition works to ISO. But they veer off because they still want their own proprietary systems.
“We buy a widget from China with a certain specification. Our competitors buy what looks like the same widget from the same supplier, but theirs is just a little bit different inside. Just enough to make it non-compatible with all the other brands.”
Most agricultural engineers agree that if every manufacturer followed the ISO guidelines, it would allow for global standardization of all electronic and hydraulic components. This would reduce costs by streamlining the parts flow down the entire line. In essence, if an electronic sensor on a John Deere drill went bad, the farmer could go to the nearest Case or Agco dealer and buy the exact part needed.
Why has this kind of heads up, level playing field competition become so important to a tractor company that thrives and introduces new models 42 years after the first 4 X 4?
“Our previous owner used to think we were just a niche player. But if you produce four-wheel drive tractors and sell them globally and take market share away from the big guys, then you’re no longer a niche player.
“Well, we’re big guys now. We’re a major player. Our new owners have a goal to turn us into a billion dollar company. We’ll probably reach that goal this year.
“And that’s why our competitors are taking aim at us. They want to hurt us. That’s OK. That’s fair competition. We know we can compete successfully against any tractor manufacturer.”
Versatile tractors: what’s new and improved
- Based on the new QSM11 11-litre, tier 3 engine from Cummins.
Power ranges from 305 to 400 horsepower, with seven percent power
bulge and 35 percent torque rise. The engines are approved for B20 diesel.
- The standard transmission is the Quadshift 12 x 4, with an optional 12 x 2 powershift that has single-lever control and clutchless shifting.
- The standard hydraulic package uses a true load sensing piston pump with 50 gallons per minute capacity. The optional hydraulic system is 75 gpm.
- Four hydraulic remotes are standard, with six available as an option.
- The grill area is 17 percent larger than the series 2000 models and fuel capacity has been increased to 250 gallons.
For more information, visit www.buhler.com.
