The way we did it

Ville Viitasalo

head of the transmission team

The Versu and Direct transmissions originally began as a research project, which was then upgraded to an R&D project. Initially we set out to study CVT transmissions and whether they could be sourced from outside suppliers. We then began looking into the possibilities of manufacturing them ourselves. We eventually focused on developing a multistep powershift transmission alongside the CVT transmission. By 2003 we had an operating prototype, and in 2005 the basic concept was finalised.

I still remember one evening working together with Pekka Mailas and Timo Ruokola in the engineering centre. I attached the last wires, and then there in front of us stood Valtra’s first ever CVT tractor. It was in fact very late in the evening, but I couldn’t wait to try it immediately. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to sleep otherwise. It wasn’t a big test, just a few metres in the hall forwards and backwards, but I had to do it immediately!