Product history
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2020 Tractors operated in tests without a driver
By 2020, autonomous tractors had been developed to the point that they could be easily operated without a driver in various tests and demonstrations.
2020 G Series introduces advanced equipment on small tractors
The new G Series opened new doors and overturned old perceptions.
2019 Automated steering and precision farming become mainstream
Automated steering has been a Valtra factory-fitted accessory since the early 2000s, but it did not achieve a real breakthrough until the late 2010s.
2017 SmartTouch armrest sets new standards for ergonomics
Valtra introduced its innovative SmartTouch armrest in February 2017 at the SIMA exhibition in Paris. SmartTouch was initially available only on the 4th generation S Series, and not much noise was made about it. The real surprise was still to come...
2017 Series 4 tractors designed from a clean sheet of paper
When our 4th generation A, N, T and S Series tractors were unveiled between 2014 and 2017, they immediately stood out from the competition. The N and T Series tractors in particular were designed from an absolutely clean sheet of paper. Only the steering wheel and shuttle lever were carried over due to the excellence of their designs.
2015 ASR optimises wheelspin
One would think that less wheelslip means better traction. When it comes to tractors, however, somewhere between 20 and 30 percent wheelslip when working on fields achieves the best combination of pulling power and fuel consumption. If fuel consumption is not an issue, then the optimal pulling power is achieved with up to 50 percent wheelslip.
2011 Limited serial production of biogas tractors
Valtra introduced its T133 biogas model in 2011. A couple of years later, Valtra began limited serial production of the N101 biogas model.
2010 Fourth generation models win numerous awards
Valtra began introducing new fourth generation models in the early 2010s, beginning with the S Series and continuing with the T and N Series
2008 Versu and Direct
The most significant new developments in Versu and Direct were the new-generation transmission solutions developed entirely by Valtra to cater precisely for the expectations and needs of Valtra users.
2007 CV of the CVT
While the first 50 years of tractors focused on developing engines, the following 50 years has focussed on developing transmissions. The result of all this development work is the stepless or “continuously variable transmission”, CVT for short. CVT transmissions solve many issues related to usability, efficiency and optimum ratios.
2005 Self-guided tractors with remote monitoring
Tractor technology took a giant leap forward with the introduction of autosteer and remote monitoring systems. Back in the 1990s the idea that a tractor could steer itself would have sounded like science fiction, yet just a decade later this option became widely available on Valtra tractors.
2005 N Series
The N Series is Valtra's answer to modern day challenges. When the N Series was launched it was the world's only tractor with a 4.9 litre engine able to produce up to 160 hp.
2001 S Series
Once Valtra had made a sufficient breakthrough in the biggest tractor markets, the pressure was on to introduce a model with over 200 horsepower.
1999 Valtra EcoPower
EcoPower was launched in 1999 with the 8350 model. The basic idea behind the development of EcoPower was to utilise the strong construction of SisuDiesel engines.
1998 HiTech
Valtra developed its own electronically managed transmission and multiport powershift. In doing so it studied the temperatures of key components in order to direct the drive via a proportional valve.
1997 Name changes
The original name Valmet was an abbreviation of the words VALtion METallitehtaat, State Metal Works. The name was adopted in 1951, at the same time when the first tractor was produced.
1996 X Series – Articulated Valtra
In the early 1960s, the forest industry in the Nordic countries was seeking solutions for mechanical harvesting. Valmet decided to develop an articulated all-terrain tractor using the components from an agricultural tractor.
1996 Sigma Power milestones
Sigma Power was introduced in the Mega Series at a major launch in Paris in 1996. The invention was awarded the Gold Medal at the Agritechnica Exhibition in Germany in 1997.
1992 Customer order system
The Suolahti tractor plant has hosted a large number of visitors over the years. The acquisition of Volvo BM’s tractor operations first attracted mainly visitors from other Nordic countries.
1991 Mezzo and Mega – The new generation of the 90s
The agreement with Volvo concerning the supply of transmissions and powertrains ended in 1990. Well before this time, however, Valmet had designed an entirely new generation of tractors. Its four-cylinder version was given the name Mezzo or 6000 Series, while the six-cylinder version was known as the Mega or 8000 Series.
1988 Autocontrol
Autocontrol, the electronic control of the power lift, became optional equipment in the spring of 1988, when an improved version of the medium-size models 505-905 was brought into the market.
1988 Valmet colour range
The colour of a tractor has traditionally been regarded as one of the most important factors to create its identity. During its history, Valmet had changed the colour twice. Noe Valmet made a decision to send the medium-size models 505-905 to the market in five different colours.
1985 Last of the Volvo BM Mohicans
The Volvo BM Valmet 2005 and 2105 were unveiled in February 1985. The new tractor models were only available with four-wheel-drive and an APL Series front axle by ZF, which reduced the turning circle to 5.4 metres. Altogether 455 units of the 2005-4 model and 545 units of the 2105 model were produced, satisfying the main markets up to the end of the 1980s.
1985 Volvo BM Valmet 305 and 405
The new models were launched in June 1985 in Suolahti. The reception was very positive. The products were presented under the Volvo BM Valmet brand, as Volvo BM continued to supply certain parts for the rear axle, for example. The 305 and 405 would be the last models with the twin designation, as the following year the name of all models was simplified to Valmet.
1983 Four-wheel drive tractors became commonplace in the 1980s
Although four-wheel drive technology existed a hundred years ago, it was introduced on tractors only in the 1950s and did not become commonplace until the 1980s.
1983 Veteran when it comes to researching alternative fuels
Valtra has carried out a lot of research and testing with alternative fuels in both Europe and Brazil for several decades.
1982 Volvo BM Valmet 05 Series
When the 05 Series came to the market in January 1983, it represented the absolute height tractor technology. The new models were easily distinguished from other tractors. A unique, modern look and a spacious cab attracted the customers.
1980 Valmet 602 – Turbothree
In the field of turbo-charging, Valmet brought forth two world novelties: the first turbocharged three-cylinder engine meant for use in tractors, in the model 602 Turbo, and the first Comprex pressure wave supercharger in the model 1203.
1980 Valmet 1203 – Supercharger
The Comprex charger that came into the series in model 1203 represented a totally new kind of thinking.
1976 Volvo BM T 650 – The original BM Volvo cab
Boxer and its successor T 600 needed a replacement. Not only were there stricter noise regulations for the cab, but there was also a demand for shift-on-the-go and more cylinders.
1975 Valmet 1502 – Bogie tractor
The aim was both to further develop ergonomics and to bring a tractor range in the power class 120-150 hp to the market. The model 1502, then, was only one way of combining the modules developed in the project. The big sensations was that the big rear wheels had been replaced by four bogie driven wheels.
1972 Valtra is a pioneer in the use of turbo engines
Turbocharged engines began to appear on European tractors in the 1980s. Initially they were offered only by a few tractor manufacturers and on selected models only and Valtra was very much a pioneer in this trend.
1971 Valmet 502 – World record in quietness
The experiences made with the big Valmet models were applied to a new mid-range model. Brave technical solutions raised the Valmet 502 into a classic in the tractor world.
1969 Valmet 1100 – The first turbo model
In the spring of 1969 Valmet was again to make history, when the model 1100, "Stronger than strong", was introduced. As far as was known, the 1100 was the first tractor in the world with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine.
1967 Valmet 900 – Safety cab standard
The Valmet 900 started the era of ergonomics in tractor technology. The most important from a historical point of view was the safety cab, which was an integral part of the tractor.
1967 Hundred Series offered customers more choice
The development of truly modern tractors can be said to have begun with the launch of the Valmet 565 in 1965. Whereas previously tractors had been designed above all to be sturdy and reliable workhorses, by the mid-1960s the time had come to take into consideration also driver comfort and possible other uses for tractors outside of agriculture. This recognition kicked off a busy and very successful era for the designers and engineers at Valmet.
1966 First BM-Volvo tractors made in Finland
This was the headline on page 12 of the second issue of Volvo Viesti magazine in 1966 and it marked Volvo’s response to Valmet and Rosenlew, which had established the sales company Maskinköp AB in Uppsala, Sweden, in 1964.
1964 Valmet 565 – "Drive your tractor like your car"
A true novelty of 1964 was the Valmet 565, nicknamed The Synchro Tractor. The greatest innovation was the synchronized gearbox, for which Valmet scored points.
1959 BM Volvo T 350 Boxer – The Classic
The BM Volvo T 350 Boxer was unveiled on March 18, 1959. It became perhaps the brightest star of the Swedish tractor family.
1959 Valmet 359D – The improved diesel model
The 33D was the first diesel-powered Valmet tractor. Unveiled in 195, it entered production in 1957. Altogether 1537 units were manufactured until its replacement, the 359D, was introduced in 1959. The new model featured a wide range of improvements.
1956 Valmet 309 D engine and Valmet 33 D tractor
In the spring of 1955 the Valmet Linnavuori factory began to investigate the possibilities of manufacturing a diesel engine. The decision made by Valmet was based on practical conditions and needs. This resulted in the three-cylinder Valmet 309 D engine.
1955 Diesel’s first steps
VIn the mid-1950s the Valmet 20 tractor was a common sight on Finnish fields. At the same time Valmet was designing bigger tractors powered by diesel engines. When this design work began at the Linnavuori engine plant, engineers were faced by many alternatives: air or water cooling, direct injection or prechamber engine, number of cylinders? The engineers at Valmet ultimately decided on a three-cylinder, liquid-cooled direct injection engine.
1951 Valmet 15 and Valmet 20
The first small tractor was designed without major investments by using existing components. The product itself, the Valmet 15A, was introduced at a time when there was a great demand for small tractors, which were replacing horses as the principal means of power on the farm.
1934 Bolinder-Munktell models BM 25 and BM 3
The first really new tractor model since 1921 was unveiled in 1934. The model BM 25 was powered by a Bolinder W5 engine.
1913 Munktell's first tractor
Munktells manufactured its first raw oil engine in 1905. Munktells was a specialist in portable steam engines, and that enabled the combination of an internal combustion engine and locomotive chassis, which was in fact a tractor.
