China CVT tractor acceleration is in line with international standards

CVT, a term that is not unfamiliar, is a technological gap that once stood in front of domestic tractors. From an international perspective, CVT technology has already been mature and applied in developed agricultural countries such as Europe and America. Although it started relatively late in China, it has gradually made practical progress in recent years.

Looking at the development history of international CVT tractors, since the mid-1990s when Fendt Company produced the first CVT tractor product, CVT technology has been developed for more than 20 years. During this period, this technology has not stopped researching and developing products in the world tractor field. Mainstream European and American brands have launched CVT products, and currently have a market share of over 60% in the European and American market with over 200 horsepower, and are constantly expanding their products. In order to further understand the development of CVT technology in major foreign tractor companies, the editor will briefly introduce the technological development of CVT tractors produced by major tractor companies in the world today.
Fendt Company is the first company in the world to produce CVT tractors. As early as the mid-1990s, Fendt Company launched the first tractor equipped with a continuously variable transmission to the market. Currently, all tractor series produced by Fendt Company (200Vario, 300Vario, 400Vario, 700Vario, 800Vario, 900Vario, 1000Vario, 1100Vario series) adopt this Vario type continuously variable transmission system, with tractor power ranging from 69kW to 495kW, It is the company with the widest power range (large, medium, and small) of CVT products in the world today.
When Deere developed and designed CVT tractors, it used ZF's continuously variable transmission, but only assembled it on the 6M/6R series tractors produced in Mannheim, Germany. In addition, the continuously variable transmission independently developed by Deere Company adopts two planetary gear mechanisms for use on 7R/8R series tractors. Although the structures of these two types of continuously variable transmissions are different, their usage functions and driving control methods are the same.
CNH Group has its own continuously variable transmission technology, and in 2007, CaseIH Company applied CVT to its PUMA series of new tractors. NewHolland, on the other hand, installed the CVT on T7000 series tractors, with a transmission system called the Auto Command transmission. The mechanical structure of this transmission is the same as that of the continuously variable transmission installed on PUMA series tractors, but its control and management systems are slightly different. Currently, NEW Holland is widely applying CVT technology to its T5 series and above tractors, with a power range of 88-451kW.
Claas, a German company, adopts a continuously variable transmission system on its Arion, Axion, and Xerion series tractors, with a power range of 114-389kw. Its supporting CMATIC continuously variable transmission mainly comes from ZF Company.
The tractors produced by MF's tractor factory in Beauvais, France are equipped with a continuously variable transmission with a structure similar to Fendt's. However, the trademark name of the continuously variable transmission installed by MF Company is Dyna-vt type, which is applied to its 6S and above series tractors with a power of 103-295kw.

Sam Deutz Fahr's tractor products are currently equipped with continuously variable transmissions on multiple series of tractors. The continuously variable transmissions installed by the company are all Eccom and Smatic continuously variable transmission systems produced by ZF company.

Although domestic CVT tractors started relatively late, their progress rate is very fast, taking two top domestic tractor enterprises as examples. Dongfang Hong, relying on the National Science and Technology Support Plan of the 12th Five Year Plan, began developing CVT tractors in 2011. The LW4004 CVT tractor developed by Dongfang Hong appeared at the National Science and Technology Innovation Achievement Exhibition of the 12th Five Year Plan in 2016. Afterwards, the LW3204 CVT tractor was expanded and developed to participate in the 2021 China International Agricultural Machinery Exhibition.

Weichai Lovol Smart Agriculture launched China's first commercial CVT tractor with 240 horsepower at the 2021 China International Agricultural Machinery Exhibition, and began mass market launch. At present, multiple CVT tractor products such as 280 horsepower and 340 horsepower have been expanded and developed. As the first commercial CVT intelligent tractor in China, the release of the Lovol P7000CVT intelligent tractor breaks the long-term monopoly of international brands in this field and leads domestic tractor brands into the era of continuously variable transmission

Comparing the current situation and future development trends of domestic and global markets, as well as the large-scale operation of domestic land and the demand for high-end equipment, CVT tractors have full growth potential in the future. The large number of top enterprises entering also means the potential of this field.