Driver’s view: Louth Park Farms’ New Holland T8.435

Buyers looking to harness some extra grip from their New Holland T8.435 can ditch the regular rear rubber and opt for a set of triangular track units instead.

But rather than simply bolting to the standard hubs, these units come with a custom backend that gives more efficient power transfer and faster road speeds than cheaper aftermarket options.

Only New Holland’s flagship 417hp T8.435 is available with this Smart Trax setup, which offers up to 325% more contact area than its wheeled cousin.

See also: Driver’s view: Robert Cross rates his New Holland T7.315

Ian Watson and Alec Newlove © James Andrews

As of 2019, all T8 tractors (including the Smart Trax) were treated to a significant revamp, which brought in a higher-spec cab, more sophisticated controls and a smarter screen.

These Genesis models started arriving with customers in early 2021, and Lincolnshire contract farming enterprise Louth Park Farms was one of the first to take delivery.

We caught up with farm manager Ian Watson and operator Alec Newlove to find out how it has settled in.

Why did you pick a T8 Smart Trax?

After years of using twin-track John Deeres to do our heavy cultivation work, we decided it was time to make a change.

In peak season we run our frontline tractor 24 hours a day, with the drivers working shifts, which means it clocks up about 1,500 hours a year.

Combined with regular jaunts of up to 20 miles on tarmac between fields, it has a hard life.

This started to take its toll on the 8370RT we were running.

Steering pipes were one of the weak points, but we also had a transmission failure, a viscous fan fell apart causing a small fire, and there were several serious oil leaks.

The tractor was contract hired with all repairs and maintenance included, so we didn’t have to foot any of the bills, but we did lose some valuable working time.

© James Andrews

Our local dealer looked after us well, but backup machines were sometimes hard to come by. You only get one chance on our soils in the autumn, so we can’t afford to be without a tractor for long.

We liked the look of the T8, as it offered many of the benefits of the twin track ­– larger footprint and good grip – with the practicality of a conventional tractor.

Added to that, we’ve got a good dealer, Lincolnshire Motors (part of the Burdens Group), right on our doorstep.

They gave us a demo of one of the first T8.435 Genesis Smart Trax models to come into the UK, and it outperformed the 8370RT.

But the deal was the clincher, as we were offered it for a reasonable price, along with the promise that there would always be a backup tractor available if we had any problems.

Did you look at other options?

Before signing off on the New Holland deal, we demoed a John Deere 8RX and a Claas Axion 900 Terra Trac.

We had few complaints – both are good tractors. But they were more expensive than the T8 at the time and, in our view, didn’t offer much more for the extra money.

© James Andrews

In the past, New Holland cabs and controls were a bit basic, so you had to compromise in that department if moving away from a John Deere or Fendt.

But the new Genesis version is a huge improvement, offering everything you get from the more expensive brands.

The armrest and the joystick are well designed, most controls are within easy reach and the screen is simple to use.

© James Andrews

How has it performed?

The T8 spends most of its time hooked to a 4.7m Gregoire Besson Discordon, which it pulls without breaking into much of a sweat.

In fairness, this isn’t a standard Discordon, as we’ve replaced the original legs with low-disturbance versions from JJ Metcalfe, but the tractor has sufficient power in reserve that it could handle it in its original setup.

The most impressive thing is how well it puts the power to the ground, particularly when the soil is greasy on top.

These conditions have always been a weakness for twin-track crawlers, as they usually start to spin.

© James Andrews

Having the smaller rear track and a set of tyres on the front seems to avoid this problem, and we’ve never had to stop because the T8 has lost traction.

The only time it’s showed any sign of becoming unsettled was on bone dry ground this year, when it would occasionally scrabble before it found grip.

We still plough before our spring break crops and vining peas, so the T8 also spends some of its time pulling our eight-furrow Gregoire Besson.

The two are well matched and you don’t get any of the bobbing you sometimes experience with a twin-track when it’s pulling hard.

It’s a bit more awkward on a headland as you can’t spin it around as sharply as the 8RTs. However, it makes less mess and we can still get round on an 18m headland without having to do any shunting.

Through the new display, we’re running Trimble guidance connected to a correction signal from RTK Farming.

This works well and it’s handy that you can set up custom runs screens to show the guidance and various other useful bits of information at the same time.

We don’t have many complaints other than the fact that it’s a bit noisier in the cab than some of its rivals and the fuel tank is far too small.

When we’re pushing it hard, we sometimes only get 10 hours out of it, which is tedious when it’s working 24 hours a day. On the plus side, fuel use is a good bit lower than it was with our 8RT.

Our T8 was one of the first sold in the UK and it arrived on the farm in March 2021. Since then, it has clocked up 2,200 hard hours without any serious complaints.

Like most new machines, we’ve had a few teething problems. Most of these have been minor electrical gremlins and AdBlue system faults, which seem to befall everything these days.

Lincolnshire Motors have been true to their word though, and we’ve always been kept going, either by a swift repair or a replacement tractor until we’ve got ours back.

One thing that irritates us daily is the fact that it’s so awkward to remove the GPS receiver from the roof.

We can’t risk leaving it, as it wouldn’t be there in the morning, so we have to clamber up the tractor and cart it down. It’s a big dome, so not the handiest.

Someone’s going to get hurt one day removing a GPS system from a tractor, so all receivers should be integrated into the roof, or be made safer to access.

New Holland isn’t alone in this – all brands have room for improvement.

© James Andrews

Does it give a comfortable ride?

The T8 is very smooth in the field and rides surprisingly well on the road, but it can’t compete with a wheeled tractor for comfort.

We wouldn’t expect it to though – the harsher ride and slower 40kph top speed are small compromises for the extra grip you get in the field.

That said, there’s less vibration than with a twin-track ­– they can be quite unpleasant when the tracks are worn – and it is streets ahead of bolt-on track units.

We used to run a set of Stocks half-tracks on a John Deere 8520 back in the mid 2000s. It was a fantastic concept, but the vibration on the road was so bad it would sometimes rattle the radio out of its socket.

For anyone who thinks the T8 Smart Trax is just a standard tractor with tracks bolted on the back, they’re very much mistaken – it’s a completely different beast.