MSU-Northern Receives Continuously Variable Transmission from AGCO

On November 12, 2008 Montana State University – Northern http://www.msun.edu/received a state-of-the-art Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) and powertrain donated by AGCO Corporation http://www.agcocorp.com/ . The CVT represents cutting edge technology that is being utilized in agriculture equipment in order to optimize tractor performance and operation. The donated unit consists of the CVT transmission, the complete rear end housing and final drive components. The assembly, valued at $50,000, is a new Fendt 200+ horsepower tractor powertrain that will be set up as a training aid to be utilized in MSU-Northern’s Ag-Mechanics and Diesel programs.

“It is incredibly important for our programs because it allows us to infuse current powertrains, electronics and hydraulics into our curriculum,” said Wane Boysun, Associate Professor of Ag-Mechanics and Diesel. “It’s industry support like this that allows our programs to stay current.”

Grant Haman, Sales Manager for AGCO Corporation, said MSU-Northern rose as the cream of the crop when his company was looking for a site to donate the equipment to train technicians. “After evaluating the colleges in the Wyoming-Montana area, we came to the realization that (MSU-Northern) had about the best program going, “ Haman said, adding that a tour of Northern’s facilities Wednesday reinforced that. “They have a great program,” he said.

MSU-Northern plans on acquiring an engine so that the entire donated unit can be powered up and serve as a functional trainer. Adding to the value of the donation is the fact the powertrain is essentially the backbone of the tractor, but all of the components are in the open and accessible. “This allows our students to really see, and kind of get an x-ray vision, of what’s happening without having to tear the cab off,” Boysun said.

Greg Kegel, Dean of MSU-Northern’s College of Technical Sciences, said, ”Before we would have to teach this … conceptually, through bookwork. Now we can actually look at it, take it apart, and do adjustments on the mechanical, electronic and hydraulic interfaces. Our professors will be able to effectively teach the students proper diagnostic methods, which ultimately make our students more sought after and appealing to employers.”

“The Ag-Mechanics and Diesel Mechanics degrees offer our students a sought after skill-set that makes them very valuable to industries across our state and beyond. Our graduates are able to make great salaries in a variety of positions. We like to think that we are training our students to start life-long careers rather than just helping them find jobs,” Boysun said.

Haman said the donation process really started when Brian Hanson of Billings Farmhand and Mark Koltiska of C&K equipment started asking AGCO for some components that could be utilized in technical education. As the process moved forward, Hanson and Koltiska were able to make arrangements with Dennis Heinecke, AGCO Vice President of Operations, to locate and secure the CVT powertrain.

Grant Haman, Brian Hanson, Mark Koltiska, Tommy Tristan, AGCO region service manager, and Mike Tilleman, Owner of Tillman Motor Company, were all on hand to deliver the new training component to MSU Northern. Kegel said the donated equipment not only helps the programs, but it also starts a new relationship with a major business in the field, increasing the university’s private-public partnership which is a keystone of the technical programs there. “The university, and especially the faculty, are excited to implement this trainer into their coursework, and to start sharing it with the students,” Kegel said.

Kegel said that while the Northern programs in which the equipment will be used already have 100 percent placement, having the new equipment will help draw more students and help retain them once they are at Northern. “It definitely helps with retention and recruitment,” Kegel said.

Boysun said the benefit is two-fold. Northern will be able to better recruit and train its students, which will benefit the industry and the economy. “We benefit by having the technology, then the students graduate and go to work, hopefully in Montana,” he said. “It’s really its own kind of ecosystem. Industry support allows us to do that.”

AGCO was founded in 1990 and offers a full product line of tractors, combines, hay tools, sprayers, forage, tillage equipment, implements, and related replacement parts. AGCO agricultural products are sold under the core brands of Challenger®, Fendt®, Massey Ferguson® and Valtra®, and are distributed globally through more than 3,000 independent dealers and distributors, in more than 140 countries worldwide. AGCO provides retail financing through AGCO Finance. AGCO is headquartered in Duluth, Georgia, USA. In 2007, AGCO had net sales of $6.8 billion.

MSU-Northern offers one and two year degrees in Agriculture Mechanics and two and four year degrees in Diesel Technology. In addition, there are numerous other degree selections. For more information, call 1-800-662-6132 ext 3704.

Portions of this article were duplicated, with permission, from Havre Daily News.