Anyone looking for a small yard tractor will have a new model to add to their shortlist from January. It’s Zetor’s new Major tractor and it takes its name from a model that sold more than 1m copies between 1960 and 2006.

The new Major is an 80hp machine that is somewhat more compact than the Czech firm’s current base Proxima models. That makes it more suitable for tight farmyards and it will probably supersede the base Proximas in time (though not the higher-specced Proxima Plus and Proxima Power models.)

More than 70% of the tractors are likely to go out with front loaders, says the company, and a synchro shuttle is standard.

Engines are 4,156cc, four-cylinder, eight-valve units, with no electronics or need for AdBlue/EGR. Transmissions are pretty uncomplicated, with three ranges and four gears, but no splitters or powershifts.

Lift capacity is 2,600kg and hydraulic power comes in at 50 litres/min. The Major is on sale in January 2013, but prices haven’t been revealed yet.