For a high-horsepower tractor with such a radical new design, Massey Ferguson’s 8S came into being with surprisingly little fanfare.

Launched in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic in August 2020, this 205-265hp range had to quietly take over from where the largest four 7700 models had left off.

See also: Driver’s view: Robert Cross rates his New Holland T7.315

But there was nothing low-key about the new design, with bold retro styling harking back to the MFs of the 1970s (think 590 or 2680), an angular cab isolated from the engine and a brace of new transmissions.

There were yet more updates a year later, with two new higher-horsepower models topping out at 305hp and the option of speccing Agco’s Dyna-VT continuously variable transmission.

To find out how these tractors have settled in, we paid a visit to Welsh contractor and staunch Massey Ferguson loyalist Charlie Beckett.

He was one of the first in his area to take delivery of an 8S.265 fitted with the new, and slightly ill-fated, Dyna-E Power transmission.

The ex-demonstrator arrived in December 2021 and has since clocked 2,066 largely trouble-free hours at the hands of operator Edwin Williams.

Edwin Williams © James Andrews

What made you choose an 8S E-Power?

Charlie I’ve always been keen on Massey Ferguson tractors and I get on well with my local dealer, RVW Pugh, so when the time came to upgrade one of our 7200-series, I didn’t consider looking anywhere else.

We have had a few New Hollands over the years, mainly because one of the lads likes driving them, but I’m definitely not a fan.

At the time, the 8S had just come out and Pughs had a demonstrator 265hp model with E-Power transmission that we could try.

We had it out in August 2021 and were really impressed, particularly with the big, quiet cab.

Come the December, I was offered the same tractor for about £160,000 when it was on 500 hours.

It seemed like a good deal considering the hours and the fact that it was such a high-spec model with everything on it, so I went for it.

© James Andrews

What is the transmission like?

Edwin In a previous job, I spent a lot of time driving an MF 7718 with a Dyna-6 semi-powershift transmission, and the E-Power is a nice upgrade.

It has some similarities, in that there are four ranges with seven speeds in each, but the dual clutch unit makes the shifts fast and smooth with little break in power.

You really notice this on the road as you can nudge through all 28 gears when it’s under load, and there is hardly any delay.

The auto mode is also decent, so I can just step on the throttle and let it get on with it, and I sometimes engage the cruise control for longer stints on straight roads.

In the field, I use it in different ways depending on the job I’m doing.

On the dribble bar, I tend to set a few revs on the hand throttle and use the joystick to control my speed. But for other jobs I might use the cruise settings or the foot pedal.

On the whole, I’d say it’s a nice halfway house between the Dyna-6 and the Dyna-VT but, if money was no object, I would go for the stepless one – it’s just great the way you can adjust the speed in such fine increments.

I know a lot of people have had trouble with the E-Power gearbox, but ours hasn’t skipped a beat yet and it’s done some hard work pulling 18t silage trailers over long distances. Fingers crossed it stays that way.

What’s the new cab like?

It is a significant step up from the old one as it’s spacious and incredibly quiet, which must be something to do with the air gap between the cab and the bonnet.

The only thing that spoils it slightly is the loud engine cooling fan, which bumps the noise level up a bit when it kicks in.

© James Andrews

The fact that you sit high up and there is so much glass means visibility is good.

However, because the cab is mounted quite far forward, it’s impossible to see the pick-up hitch.

There is a rear camera that is supposed to help, but for some reason this is angled so that the hydraulic top link blocks the view, making it of no use whatsoever.

© James Andrews

As for the controls, these are nicely arranged on the armrest, with most of the frequently used stuff mounted on the joystick.

The screen is also much easier to use than the old ones and I like the Novatel guidance system that came with it, particularly as I don’t have to be moving to set an A-B line.

© James Andrews

It’s also worth mentioning the ride, which is really smooth compared with our older Masseys and our New Holland.

If I’m being picky, I would like a few more speakers as the two pointing at me don’t give the best sound quality.

How has it performed?

We’ve used it on all sorts of jobs, from pulling a six-furrow Kuhn Varimaster plough and running a set of Kuhn 9530 triple mowers, to pulling our 18t silage trailers.

With 265hp on offer – 285hp with boost – it doesn’t struggle with any of these and fuel use is surprisingly good.

Last year, we were hauling silage with it alongside our New Holland T7.270 and it used 100 litres less diesel in a day.

Another job where we really notice the fuel consumption is cultivating with the 6m power harrow.

Because it can run it easily in the 1,000 eco pto speed, a full tank of fuel will last about a day and a half, where most of our other tractors are on fumes at the end of the first day.

When people look at the 8S they think it’s a big lump of a tractor, but it’s actually smaller than it looks.

Also, the steering lock is surprisingly tight, so it’ll slot into spaces that our 7720 and New Holland struggle with.

As for reliability, it has worked just over 2,000 hours and the only problem has been some faulty AdBlue sensors, which threw up an error code.

RVW Pugh came out and replaced them and it has been fine ever since.

The only other niggles were the gas strut bracket snapping off the door, which Pughs welded up, and the plastics under the exhaust fading as a result of the heat.

I think some replacements might be coming for these, though.

Some of the plastics under the exhaust have faded © James Andrews

Would you have another?

Charlie I would, because I’ve just bought one. Pughs had a new 8S.265 in stock with the Dyna-7 transmission and I was offered it for £140,000, which I thought was a good deal.

It has a lower spec than the other tractor and is on 600mm tyres rather than 710s, but it has everything we need.

I think Massey has done a good job with these tractors and it is offering them at decent prices with good warranty and backup from our dealer.

I know about the transmission troubles, but luckily it hasn’t affected us.