Vairāk nekā 500 Versu traktoru smagi strādā visā Pasulē

12.10.2009

The Valtra T162 Versu tractor owned by contractors Veijo and Valto Hyrkäs from the town of Kuusamo in Finland has been in heavy use. Their tractor has been driven for over 1000 hours during its first month and a half.

“We have used our new Versu to erect marker poles across Northern Finland ready for the coming snowploughing season. We have literally worked around the clock,” says Veijo Hyrkäs.

The tractor is driven by a team of six drivers who work two at a time, one driving while the other operates the implement attached to the rear linkage. The implement punches a hole in the ground and then inserts the marker into the hole. The marker poles are erected beside the road every 70 metres or so.

“The work is quite heavy on the transmission and brakes, as it involves a lot of stopping, accelerating up to 40 km/h and then braking again. This same routine is repeated around the clock over a period of two months.”

The Valtra T130 that the contractors used for the past four years for the same job racked up 12,000 hours.

“Our new Versu consumes just one-third the amount of fuel as our last tractor. The 160-litre hydraulics are much more efficient than the old gear pump. Before we had to run the engine at over 2000 rpm, whereas now 1200 rpm is sufficient. Of course, engine noise has also been reduced by the same amount, so now it is possible to talk on the phone while sitting in the cab, and your ears don’t ring after work.”

Erecting the marker poles takes around two months altogether, after which the tractors will be used for snowploughing. They will also be used to transport loads, mow the roadsides and maintain gravel roads. For example, the tractors will mow roadsides all the way from Hyvinkää in Southern Finland to Nuorgam in the North.

In addition to the Versu tractors that they have already driven for 1000 hours, Veijo and Valto Hyrkäs have another even newer Versu and two Valtra T130 tractors, one a 6600 model and the other a 6400. The contractors also have two trucks and four excavators. The company employs 21 workers during peak seasons and 11 throughout the year. The two brothers purchased the contracting company from their father in 1999, when the fleet already included two Valmet tractors.

“We intend to drive our Versu tractors for around 4000 hours a year, compared to an average of 3000 hours a year with our old T130.”

According to the brothers, the new Versu tractors have stood up well to the hard work. Erecting markers is usually very tough on brake discs, but the new model has shown no signs of weakness. The drivers also like the new Versu. The company had already a Valtra T Series Advance model at the start of the autumn, but when the drivers had begun using the Versu models they convinced the brothers to change the order from an Advance model to a Versu.

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