Unlike most New Holland tractors in Ireland that come from Basildon, Essex, this utility tractor – as New Holland is marketing it – comes from Italy. The first impression of this tractor is that it is a condensed size with a closely mounted New Holland 740 TL front loader.

Approaching the cab, we notice a neat feature for storing the drawbar.

It is held vertically to the right of the steps – within clear sight and out of the way.

Cab comforts

Climbing into the bright cab, one of the first things that catches our eye is the number of switches – there are lots of them. This tractor seems to have a switch for every function.

They are on the dash, B-pillars, side console and loader-lever. Granted, they are all clearly marked but banking them together in one area or on one side of the cab would be more logical.

It would also make it easier for the operator, especially if they haven’t driven the tractor before. Aside from this, the cab is clearly laid out with curving consoles and very easy-to-operate controls.

The tractor being tested has a factory-fitted front loader with a mechanical control lever.

The advertised lift capacity is 2,304kg. There is also a higher-specification arm-rest mounted electronic version available. For convenience during loader work, gear selection can be made from the loader-lever, which has a very useful de-clutch button. This is impressive as it saves having to hold down the clutch.

The gear-change buttons are duplicated on the right-hand console and on the main gear-lever, which is beneficial depending on the nature of the work.

Direction change

Direction change is made from a left-hand reverser within fingertip reach. For such a small cab, storage is surprisingly good with space on both sides of the seat and behind the neatly folding upholstered passenger seat.

The external toolbox located on the left of the tractor is sufficient for linkage balls and maybe a few small spanners.

This tractor is fitted with a 16x16 electro command transmission with a maximum speed of 40km/h.

The 16 gears are split into two ranges giving eight gears in each. Going from the low to high range can be made without clutching, by holding the third button on the main gear lever.

Within the eight gears, going from fourth to fifth requires either the clutch to be pressed or simultaneously holding a button on the rear of the gear lever. For those who need it, a creeper option is also available which is engaged via a rocker switch.

New Holland engineers have also installed a power shuttle aggressiveness switch. This has three settings which adjust the aggressiveness of the transmission changing from forwards to reverse. This is very useful while using the loader. More importantly, it is easy to adjust once you find the switch.

All the usual controls that you would expect to find in a tractor of this size are located on the right-hand console. Three hydraulic spool valves and one diverter are specified on the tractor, which can be locked to prevent inadvertently being pressed.

PTO engagement and speed selection is made from an electric switch and mechanical lever, respectively: 540, 540 ECO, 1000 and 1000 ECO PTO speeds should suffice for the most specific of tasks. During our dynamometer test, the tractor pumped out 110.4hp with 18.4% torque reserve. Linkage controls and finetuning are also clearly marked with rotary dials taking care of the rate of drop, draft control and lift height. On the B-pillar above these controls is a handy pocket for a mobile phone or a penknife.

Looking over the dash, the bonnet has been designed with visibility in mind. Whether a loader or front-linkage is fitted, the view to the front is respectable. It is only slightly interrupted by the windscreen crossbar and wiper motor. For loader work, a high-visibility roof hatch gives great vision upwards but is slightly hampered by the sun blind, which once pulled back towards the driver can actually get in the way.

Aside from this, view to the loader was also good with a maximum reach – as measured to the bottom of the loader quick-attach hitch – of 3.81m.

Walking around to the right-hand side of the tractor, cab access is good. The steps are narrower on this side, thanks to the large exhaust and emissions after-treatment system installed. In spite of this, the steps are still safe to use and angled outwards, which helps our ascent to the cab. Undoing a clip, these steps hinge upwards and give access to the battery, which is kept clean behind an easy-to-remove plastic panel.

At the back of the tractor, the linkage and PTO can be controlled on either side from the mudguard with clearly labelled switches. This is useful when it comes to attaching a mounted implement with good visibility to the hook ends. Lift capacity of this tractor is advertised as 5,420kg. The rear-length mudguards on this tractor do an adequate job of keeping the rear lights clean. Width wise, they are just right as they do not protrude beyond the wheels, so would not get caught in a gate or railing. Top marks have to be given to the Sauermann pickup hitch, which is easily lowered and pushed back hydraulically, making lining up with the trailer eye easy.

Rear-axle oil is filled via a small cap located left of the top-link bracket. The tractor is fitted with dual-line hydraulic brakes which work well on the fully loaded dump trailer. Air brakes are also available. Comfort ride cab suspension is available as an option, as is front-axle suspension. The former is fitted to the tractor on test, which we all agree is almost mandatory considering the short wheelbase and potential for bouncing at speed. The upshot of this is that the tractor is manoeuvrable around small yards with a steering angle of 55 degrees.

Under the bonnet

Moving to the outside of the tractor, we drop the loader to the ground and open the bonnet. It rises promptly to 45 degrees on two gas struts and undoing the restraining cord allows it to rise vertically, giving excellent engine access. Along with this, a further two side panels have to be removed to give full engine access. These are a bit of a fiddle to remove and equally difficult to reinstall afterwards. The loader brackets running along the side of the engine do not help nor do the two retaining clips that must be lined up together to hold each of the panels in place.

Radiator access

On either side of the radiator, two plastic shields reduce the amount of dirt sucked into the cooling pack. Held in place with two hand-tightened screws, these prove difficult to put back once removed, but serve their purpose well. Apart from that, blowing out the cooling pack is straightforward. The engine oil filter is located on the right-hand side, as is the dipstick. The engine air-filter is held in place in a plastic chamber on top of the engine. Overall, we find the New Holland engine bay difficult to access and servicing would be challenging.

Drive time

Driving around the yard, we get a good feel for the responsiveness and agility of this tractor.

The four-cylinder 3.4l FPT engine has plenty of poke and the 117hp can easily be heard with the side windows open.

The loader is supplied with oil from the tractor’s standard 84l/min Mega pump and optional services pump with 43l/min reacted quickly.

Even with the loader attached and towing a fully loaded 16.63t dump trailer, the New Holland responds well. If anything, the load is too large for the 5.64t tractor-loader combination and pushed it around a bit.

Conclusion

Initially, we were attracted to the New Holland for its styling, compactness and suitability as a loader tractor.

The loader has good reach but is a tidy fit on the tractor which will be especially useful during yard work.

Upon closer examination, the Italian-designed tractor has a few minor flaws that could be easily ironed out.

Better engine access to make it less frustrating to service and grouping together of the numerous, yet useful, switches in the cab would be a big help.

Despite all of this, the tractor is easy to use, has good power and descent loader and rear-linkage capacity.