The first tracked tractor to use a continuously variable transmission is part of a wholesale upgrade of John Deere’s top-selling 200-300hp range that also sees drivers getting even more spacious work accommodation than before.

Out with the old, in with the new: that is John Deere’s latest approach to tackling the small, but significant market for rubber-tracked tractors.

Out goes the marginally successful 8030T range and in comes three 8RT models described as new from the ground up and featuring a stepless transmission for the first time in any tracked agricultural tractor.

CVT drive is increasingly popular on wheeled tractors for its precise speed control and driving comfort. Offering AutoPowr as an option in place of the existing 16×5 powershift, therefore, could be a helpful factor in improving the Deere tracklayer’s competitive strength versus the more popular Challenger MT700C.

Moreover, the newcomers also come with revamped suspension built into the undercarriage using air cushions, which together with a 254mm (10in) increase in track length, should improve driver comfort over rough surfaces. The longer ground contact area is also likely to improve weight distribution, reduce ground pressure and, in conjunction with new track belts, deliver better traction.

Needless to say, there is also more power available to do more work – 295hp, 320hp and 345hp at rated speed, with about 330hp, 355hp and 380hp available when the new electronic power boost system is activated for pto-driven implements. Fuel tank capacity is up by more than 50% to keep the machines working longer between fill-ups.

The same engine boost is available – for the first time on Deere’s big tractors – on equivalent wheeled models and also the two lower power machines that complete the wheeled line-up. The 8245R kicks off the range with 245hp for draft work and up to 280hp for pto operations and road haulage.

New model numbering aside, the biggest visual difference between old and new is provided by a second-generation CommandView cab. As if the original was not big enough, the latest incarnation has 10% more internal volume, 7% more glass and a whole lot more storage space for all the essentials needed for a day’s work in the field.

Contributing to the spacious feel of the cab is the complete lack of right-hand console – everything is now operated by buttons, dials and switches on the seat-mounted unit, with instrumentation shown on an integral display, or via a GreenStar terminal.