This year has been a bumper one for noteworthy tractor launches with the up-and-comers going head-to-head with the biggest brands in the game. 

Here is Farmers Weekly’s pick of the five most important new tractors of 2014:

Kubota M7

Kubota has built up a loyal following among farmers hankering after a no-frills loader tractor. But the arrival of the all-singing, all-dancing M7 in September showed that the Japanese maker is keen to rub shoulders with the top four brands. More info: Kubota builds its biggest tractor yet 

Fendt 1000-series

Farmers wanting 500hp under the hood have traditionally had to turn monstrous articulated or tracked tractors. But when Fendt unveiled its towering 1000-series tractor in July that kind of power became available in a conventional tractor layout. More info: Fendt builds 500hp monster tractor 

JCB Fastrac 4000

JCB has spent years trying to shake the Fastrac’s reputation as a haulage machine that shouldn’t stray too far from the asphalt. It’s a battle it’s been struggling to win, but the launch of the new 4000-series with Fendt CVT gearbox has attracted plenty of attention from punters with fieldwork in mind. More info: JCB Fastrac 4000 gets first test

Versatile Delta Track

For years Case-IH had the tracked articulated tractor market sewn up. But when Lincolnshire dealer JPM agriculture announced it would be importing the Canadian-built Versatile Delta-Track the competition started hotting up. John Deere is also likely to join the bandwagon with its 9RX tracked machine.

More info: Delta-Track giant will be coming to the UK 

Valtra T-series

Valtra’s six-cylinder tractors have been crying out for an update for years and in November they got it. The redesigned T-series got a brand new cab that replaced a 25-year-old version, a chassis with better weight distribution as well as a more powerful engine. More info: First impressions of Valtra’s redesigned T-series