VIDEOS & PICTURES: Testing the New Holland T6080

With up to 180hp on tap and a weight of under 6t, New Holland's T6080 fits the high-power/low-weight bill perfectly. Nick Fone takes a look at how it handles

There aren't many tractors left that can claim to be British. In fact you're down to a choice of just two colour-schemes - Uttoxeter yellow (JCB) or Basildon blue (New Holland).

If you opt for the latter, almost everything between 100hp and 220hp is built in Essex and for once, no one can complain that UK engineering is lagging behind in the technology race.

In fact New Holland's latest offerings are bristling with as many sophisticated gizmos as Lewis Hamilton's F1 car.

Three new models top out the firm's T6000 range. The 125hp T6050, 140hp T6070 and 155hp T6080 replace the ubiquitous, short-wheelbase New Holland TM.

We got our hands on a flagship T6080 equipped with full-powershift Power Command gearbox.

The bubble-car cab is a radical departure from what operators of similar-sized TMs will be used to. Billed as the Horizon cabin, it's been around for about five years, its rounded frame first appearing on New Holland's TS-A tractors in 2003.

It's a four-pillar design with wide-swinging one-piece glass doors, so there is no danger of access problems here, even for the most amply-proportioned operators. But it does mean no side-windows - and yes, the debate about those rages on.

Those of us that like to feel the wind in our hair (or what's left of it in my case) and listen to the gravelly grumble of the 6080's Iveco six-pot, can flick open the roof-hatch.

The interior of the cabin is one of the most pleasant places you could choose to spend your time - as far as tractors go. Unlike the old TM, it's incredibly light and airy and it's not badly screwed together either.

Up in the roof-lining there are two radio-shaped slots, a simple worklight display and a stubby joystick to adjust the big wing mirrors.

On full spec Power Command tractors the company's colour screen computer, IntelliView II, can be specified. This allows tractor settings to be stored and recalled as you swap between implements. It handles anything from linkage settings and engine speeds to auto shift points to headland turn recordings.

Enough of the frilly bits. We hooked up to a seven-leg McConnel Shakaerator to set about loosening up some heavily trampled veg ground.

New Holland T6080 Power Command Rated power 155hp @ 2200rpm (178hp @ max boost) Engine 6.7-litre NH/Iveco EAA 6-cyl common-rail turbo Transmission 19F x 6R full powershift, 40kph 'Eco' Hydraulics 113-litres/min max, load-sensing Linkage lift 8.3t Turning circle 5.5m Working weight 6.3t Service intervals 600 hours Price £65,906 (inc front linkage, front suspension, electronic spool-valves)

Not too much of a test for the 6.7-litre power-plant on the flat, but the tractor begins to realise what's on the back when it hits the slopes. This is where T6080 drivers may wish New Holland hadn't limited power-boost to just pto and transport work.

As you might expect for a tractor of this size, there is auto-engagement of diff-locks and 4wd, depending on speed, front-wheel angle and linkage position.

Linkage raise and lower can also be set to trigger the pto to kick in and out. It's simply set up by pressing and holding the relevant rocker-switch, then it's just a case of manually tweaking the linkage slider to set the pto in/out points, It's then confirmed on the dash.

With this and the option to preselect two engine speeds for work and the headland, there's not too much for the driver to worry about.

There's also the option to dip into New Holland's pre-programmable headland turn sequencer which records and replays various operations at the touch of a button.

It sounds complex, but is probably the most straightforward and easy-to-use set-ups available. Even premiership footballers could master this one.

The driver sets a rocker on the right-hand console to the record position and steams off down the field in the normal manner. Before reaching the headland he flicks a [turnaround symbol] button on the gearlever which set the computer recording.

He then completes his regular headland turnaround procedure eg, drops engine revs, slips down a couple of gears, works a spool-valve or two and lifts the linkage (no need to knock out the pto, as that is already timed to work with the linkage).

What's changed     NH T6000 (2008) v NH TM (1999-2007)

Engine 6.75-litre CNH/Iveco common-rail (previously 7.5-litre mechanically-governed Powerstar) Servicing 600hours (300hours for TMs) Cooling 2.5 x bigger radiator package than before Transmission Choice of 19F x 6R semi- or full-powershift (18F x 6R previously) Cab Four-poster, 75% quieter than before at 71dBa Pto Auto-switching linked to 3-point hitch Hydraulics Optional electronic spool-valves programmable for timing and flow Linkage No internal lift-rams - two external cylinders Brakes Forced lubrication on rear discs increases heat dissipation Fuel tank 300 litres (previously 285 litres)

Flicking the same rocker once more stores the sequence - little icons show up on the digital gear display to show what has been recorded.

Playback's equally straightforward. Hitting the same gearlever-mounted button sets the tractor to perform its tasks. There is a choice of following the exact timing that the operator inputted the sequence at, or else each individual function can be prompted by a flick of the same button.

In practice, it's the second option that you will opt for almost every time because it is hardly any more effort, but means everything happens at the right pace regardless of how much caffeine is in your bloodstream and how quickly your mind's working.

To reduce driveline losses and drag, New Holland's engineers have developed a system that bypasses the transmission once the tractor gets up to top speed. Dubbed Direct Drive, it's a setup that is claimed to lower fuel use by up to 10% for transport work.

Likes Compact, powerful tractor Top spec includes big, electric and heated mirrors, climate control and uprated stereo Cavernous cabin with unbeatable visibility Gripes Complex multi-button work-rate/tractor settings computer Obtrusive indicator-stalk a pain for lanky-legged operators

Generally running idle when the tractor is on the road, the engineers have hijacked the pto shaft to transfer power directly to the rear axle.

So, as the operator works up through the gears and makes the final change up to 19th, the main gearbox drops into neutral and power is transferred directly from the flywheel along the pto shaft. The pto clutch-pack in the back-end remains disengaged - so the stub-shaft never spins - while a separate transfer box transmits drive directly to the rear differential.

The Rivals

Model:     JD 6930             MF 6480          Valtra T161     Claas Arion 640 Power:       167hp                157hp                 170hp                 160hp Price:        £68,976             £58,227             £63,550              £63,240

40kph tractors run at engine speeds as low as 1750rpm in 19th gear while 50kph versions run flat-out using the same ratios to generate that extra forward speed.

In operation the PowerCommand gearbox is a different beast to its predecessor. Heart-stopping jumps are a thing of the past and you won't have to wait until that tractor has slowed to a standstill before it shifts up a gear. This is a slick shifter.

THE FW VERDICT   So how does it measure up against the competition? Well, if the past decade or two has eroded you faith in British engineering, there is no need to be downbeat any longer.   The T6000 is as good - if not better - than anything out there, whether from France, Italy or Germany.   The cab is the best thought-out you'll find and you don't need a doctorate in quantum physics to make the most of all the tractor's clever features.