FORTERRA HD – strong and resilient
We talked with a Czech farmer about his experience with the FORTERRA HD. How does he rate ZETOR tractors, what does he appreciate about them and what jobs does he use the tractor for? Mirek shared with us his experience with the FORTERRA.
Mirek K. works on a farm in Central Bohemia. The cooperative farm he is employed with manages 1,400 hectares of own land and leases another 120 hectares of meadows. As for crop production, they grow wheat, rye, barley, radish, mustard, corn, alfalfa and other grass species. They keep 300 head of cows and 100 head of bulls on the farm. The cooperative farm has a large fleet comprising machines of different brands and power ranges to manage such a large area of land.
“As regards the older ZETOR models, we have ZETOR CRYSTAL 8011, 12145 and 12111, and the Unified Range I, namely 7011, 7745 or the old 3011. As for the new ZETORs, we use two FORTERRAs HD 150,” explains Mirek.
And for what kind of jobs are these most powerful FORTERRA machines (up to 150 Hp) and the most sophisticated 4-cylinder tractors in the ZETOR portfolio used?
“We use them for nearly everything, from transporting bales of straw or hay, ploughing stubble, through sowing with a three-meter long sowing machine, hauling a container chassis, removing silage and haylage, spreading both industry fertilizers and manure, to compacting silage and haylage, etc. The tractors are also able to handle a lot of work mowing meadows or working at the composting plant,” says Mirek.
With such a large volume of work, the two robust machines complete 1,500–2,000 engine hours per year on average.
“What I appreciate most about the FORTERRA HD is the suspended front axle and hydraulic control which is really cool,” says Mirek. He refers to the fact that the FORTERRA HD is equipped with Hitchtronic, a system for automatic control of the rear three-point hitch. The tractor can therefore adapt to the terrain, facilitating operator control and saving up to 6% of the operating costs for the owner.
FORTERRA HD
The heart of the FORTERRA HD is an efficient four-cylinder ZETOR engine with a 16-valve head with a volume of 4,156 cm3, which was developed in-house by ZETOR TRACTORS a.s. The drive unit meets the STAGE IV emission standard using a proven mechanical injection pump. ZETOR is one of the few engine manufacturers in the global tractor industry that meets the strictest emission standards without using the common rail system, and is now ready to meet the next, stricter STAGE V emission standard. It is able to fulfil the standard thanks to the special shape of the combustion chamber, where more efficient fuel combustion occurs thanks to a DPF filter and the SCR system. The customer thus benefits from a powerful and resilient engine that reduces operational costs and is easy to maintain. In addition, ZETOR engines are recognized for performance features such as high torque and easy starting even at low temperatures. Independent testing at Mendel University in Brno found that engines with STAGE IV emission solutions have 15–20% lower fuel consumption compared to engines of the previous generation, depending, of course on the task performed.