Download - Valtra

As far as we know, there is only one trac-
tor in service in the vast frozen expanses
of the Antarctic: a 1988 model-year Volvo
BM Valmet 505 that was brought to the
Antarctic by the Finnish Finnarp expedi-
tion. It goes without saying that the oper-
ating environment in the Antarctic can
be rather harsh. A blizzard, for example,
once blew away the tractor’s front loader,
and another time the oil sump broke dur-
ing heavy use.
– We have used the tractor around the
research station mainly for snow work and
moving supplies. The front loader is particularly
useful for the daily task of moving fuel contain-
ers. The tractor was also a huge help when the
research station was renovated and expanded,
says Henrik Sandler, who leads the Finnarp
expedition.
The Antarctic station is manned during the
summer season only. Summer in the Antarctic
means temperature of around minus-fi ve cen-
tigrade, and the sun shines around the clock. In
the winter the temperature can easily drop to
minus-fi fty degrees.
A Finnish tractor
in the Antarctic
– Conditions in the summer are quite com-
fortable here, compared to the centre of the
18
continent, where temperatures can be as low as
minus-70 or 80 degrees. There is absolutely no
moisture or humidity here because of the freez-
ing temperatures, so the machinery does not
rust, says Sandler.
The Finnish research station sits atop a
rock shelf that measures around fi ve kilometres
by two kilometres in size. A Swedish research
station is situated nearby. The distance to the
coast is around 180 kilometres during the sum-
mer, and there is an airstrip near the station for
transportation by air. The Valmet tractor is only
used around the research station, as further
away there is the risk of cracks in the ice, sud-
den storms and soft snow.
Stormy environment
Antarctic storms are particularly dangerous.
Strong winds can pick up in just a few hours
and last for an entire week. In the midst of one
of these blizzards visibility can be less than
one metre. There are stories of explorers who
have perished in these storms when they have
become lost crawling from one tent to another
just a few metres away.
– There is plenty of snowploughing to be
done around the research station after one of
these blizzards. The snow here is very hard,
Physician Arttu Lahdenperä and geologist
Saku Vuori changed the oil sump of the
Volvo BM Valmet 505 with basic tools and
without any training.