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0... No Clutches... No Shifting Gears...
With stepless variable speed, Challenger's TechStar CVT provides access to the power ranges and speed choices normally hidden in the areas between powershift gears. That means you can select the perfect speed for every application, no matter how fast or how slow.
Consider just a few of the benefits the efficiency of a CVT has to offer:
Increased Work Rate
The ability to operate outside traditional gear limits allows you to optimize forward speed and engine RPM. That means you can cover more ground in a day than is possible with a powershift tractor limited by gears. Plus, TechStar automatically adjusts ground speed in response to engine load to compensate for heavy soil, incline, crop density, etc.
No matter the load, the electronic engine supervisor automatically adjusts the transmission ratio anytime engine speed is reduced by a preselected amount, up to 40 percent. Once the engine has recovered due to lighter soil, reduced PTO load or a downward slope, the gear ratio and tractor speed returns to the initial setting.
The ability to match the desired speed to the job can easily account for a 10% increase in work rate and productivity. Say, for example, you choose to pull a 24’ chisel for fall tillage and you have a powershift tractor that offers speeds of 7 mph and 8.5 mph at rated engine speed. Now, suppose that, due to soil conditions, the tractor can’t achieve the 8.5 mph of the next gear. As a result, you’re forced to use the lower gear and stick to the 7-mph limit.
You can calculate the work rate for a 12-hour day using the following formulas:
24 feet x 5280 feet x 7 mph x 12 hours = 244 acres/day at 7 mph
43560
Now, suppose that with the infinite speed selection offered by the TechStar CVT you could travel at 8.0 mph, knowing that the tractor will automatically downshift if necessary.
24 feet x 5280 feet x 8 mph x 12 hours = 279 acres/day at 8 mph
43560
1 yard = 3 feet
1 square yard = 9 square feet
1 mile = 5280 feet
1 acre = 4840 square yards or 43560 square feet
This means that by traveling at 8 mph, or 1 mph faster, the operator can cover an extra 35 acres (279 - 244) per 12-hour day versus the powershift tractor. In reality, that comes out to a 13.9% increase in acreage covered and, that's great productivity.
Reduced Fuel Consumption
Another way to look at the savings is to figure that the 20% possible improvement in efficiency offered by the CVT versus a powershift means you’re also burning less fuel per day. That translates into lower input costs per acre and more profitable.
Suppose, for example, you have a tractor that consumes 14 gallons of fuel per hour. In a 12-hour day, that amounts to 168 gallons total (14 x 12). If you were to realize a 20% savings by utilizing a CVT, the savings would add up to $100 per day, with diesel price at $3.00 per gallon (168 x 20% = 16.8 gallons X $3.00 per gallon).
Over a year’s time, where the tractor might do 1,500 hours of work, you could expect to save approximately $12,600 (1,500 hours x 14 gallons/hr x 20% savings x $3.00/gallon).
Consequently, any additional cost associated with purchasing a CVT is more than offset by the savings on fuel in a year. Stated another way, the savings on fuel alone will make a marked improvement to the bottom line in profitability per acre. And that doesn’t include any efficiency gained from a newer, more technologically advanced engine.
Improved Operator Performance
They say that time is money; and no truer words have been said… especially if you’re paying an employees to operate the tractor. With that in mind, perhaps you’d rather use the efficiency of the TechStar CVT to reduce work time, instead of just covering more acres.
It’s already been established that the performance of a CVT, i.e. work rate, is up to 20% better than with a powershift tractor. So instead of the operator using the tractor for 1,500 hours in a year, he can do the same work in only 1,350 hrs (1,500 hrs x 80%), leaving nearly 4 working weeks per year for other farm activities.
This means that savings in labor per year on tractor driving alone can be calculated as: 1,500 hrs x 25% x $20/hour = $6,000. Again, this translates into lower input costs per acre are more profitability.
Increased Resale Value
Quality equipment demands a premium price, particularly when there’s little competition. Fortunately, a new Challenger tractor equipped with a TechStar CVT is extremely cost competitive.
However, as the industry moves to CVT transmission as standard equipment, you can expect the volumes of new powershift sales to drop versus CVT sales. In three year’s time, the used tractor buyer will be looking to buy a CVT tractor in order to reap the benefits mentioned earlier. Demand will outstrip supply.
As a result, the new owner of a CVT tractor can expect a ready market for his used machine when he trades, further reducing the cost of ownership and making him more profitable.
