With his new Valtra N135 Active, Dirk Lamers got the compact and manoeuvrable tractor he was looking for for his dairy farm. While working, he enjoys the overview and the space in the cabin. "And every intern drives away with it."
Close to Oeffelt, near Cuyck, Dirk Lamers and his brother Thijs have a dairy farm with 250 dairy cattle. Milking takes place in a spacious 28-stand rotary shed and the feed is extracted on 125 hectares of land, varying from sand to river clay. In addition to Dirk and his brother, the company employs a permanent employee, his father (part-time) and one or more trainees almost year round. With the exception of a maize chopper, VOF Lamers has all the mechanization under its own management.
Musical chairs
Valtra has a long track record in the business. The new N135 Active replaces a Valmet 6600 that had no less than 16.000 hours on the counter and stood in front of the feed mixer until old age. The trade-in led to a musical musical chairs in which the second Valtra (an N121 of approximately fourteen years old with 10.000 hours on the counter) was placed in front of the feed mixer. A successor was therefore sought for his old tasks. At the top of Dirk's wish list was that it had to be a compact and manoeuvrable tractor. "We have a lot of land in the Maasheggen area. These are small plots, sometimes barely a hectare, and with hedges in between. Ease of maneuver is important there, just like in the yard, by the way. So you quickly look at a 4-cylinder. And because we have a lot of trainees at our company, simple operation is also a must." And as it goes, there were also a few extra horsepower on the list. On the advice and in the company of his dealer, Dirk decided to buy a Valtra N135 Active from the stock of importer Mechan Groep. The tractor was also red, Dirk's Valtra favorite color. "Because the eye wants something too," he winks.
Great overview
After almost six months of shaking, raking, spreading fertilizer and cultivating the soil, Lamers concludes that he has made an excellent choice with the Valtra N135 Active. "It is exactly the compact and manoeuvrable tractor I was looking for. A real manus of everything. It has a nice small turning circle. And the cab is a real pleasure. That was also an important point in my decision. I don't like that much those cramped cubicles. The cabin of the N135 also gives you an excellent overview, both inside and out. Dirk has not yet had to fully deploy the 160 liter load sensing hydraulics and the large lifting capacity. "It was with the tractor", he laughs "But to be honest, I never worried about that either. I know from experience that those specifications at Valtra are always perfectly fine. And Freek, the current intern, will drive away in no time."
As far as Dirk is concerned, the new N135 has the reputation of Valtra again fully underlined. "The brand is still a bit undervalued. But there aren't many tractors better than a Valtra."