Headliner of the fields

Last autumn, AgroCentreLiski arranged a competition on fields of the Russkoye Pole LLC, Voronezh oblast, between the Fendt 933 (320 hp) tractor and its wheeled counterpart of a different model. Aleksandr Lynov, the servicing engineer of the enterprise, told us about the competition results and why the Fendt tractor became the headliner on the farm.

Exclusiveness does it all

“The tractors operated in equal conditions, trailing the plough across the maize stubble and over the sunflowers after disc treatment of the soil. From the first hours of operation, it became clear which of those tractors did its job better. Owing to the exclusive Vario stepless transmission, the Fendt tractor outperforms its rivals. It moves across the field smoothly and evenly. If the thrust load increases, the Vario transmission automatically raises the engine rpm. Once a difficult stretch of the field is negotiated, Vario independently reduces engine speed, bringing the engine load back to normal. The tractors were tested on damp ground. The cross-country ability of Fendt compares to that of a tank. And its manoeuvrability is superb, too. Independent front suspension retains the traction balance, preventing sagging and jamming in operation.”

Obvious economy

“At the rate of 9 km/h, Fendt consumes on average 21 l/ha while its counterpart of a different model takes 25. The savings is obvious. For a greater load, we mounted another body onto the plough. Fendt did fine in the loaded configuration. At the same rate, the fuel consumption was 19 l/ha. To our surprise, the rival tractor didn’t even move off the place.”

 Ideal comfort

“We have assured ourselves that Fendt provides ideal comfort among the tractors. The spring-supported cabin, the largest among this class of tractors, absorbs the shocks and precludes the machine wobbling in heavy duty conditions. The all-round field of observation is excellent, and the noise reduction, air conditioning, and automatic seat adjustability ease the operator’s functions. This is critical at the height of the season when the operator works 12 hour days. The tractor control system is very convenient. By using the joystick and the armrest where all the control levers and buttons are, the operator can, at any time, easily correct the operations of subsystems and mechanisms. A big advantage is the Auto-GuidePro automatic steering system with GPS navigation which ensures the operating precision. Clearly, the tractor is made for people in the best sense of the word. It’s like the Mercedes among the cars.”

The right choice 

“Based on the test results, we didn’t hesitate to keep the tractor. Thus far, it has run 500 hours without a hitch. It handles 30 hectares in a 12-hour shift. I can safely say that the Fendt tractor is a headliner on our farm. For the new season we bought another nine such tractors from AgroCentre. We believe we’ve made the right choice.”