The tractor fleet at Woodsford Farms, near Dorchester in Dorset has, until recently, developed along the same lines as most large, progressive arable units by using higher powered machines to pull wider implements to increase workrates. Woodsford Farms’ total farmed area is 1876ha, of which 1507ha is cropped, and is made up of five blocks of land, 1017ha owned, with a further 490ha contract farmed. The whole farming operation is run under a management agreement between Velcourt and Woodsford Farm Partners. This means while the farm owns some equipment, including the combines, loaders and sprayer, it can also take advantage of Velcourt’s contract hire arrangement with Case IH. Indeed, the farm has taken this route for a number of years, contract hiring eight Case IH Magnums in succession, the most recent being a 340 model. These were delivering the power and traction required for high outputs with the farm’s large cultivation equipment and 6m Väderstad Rapid drill.

The Magnum 340 was just what was needed for the wide cultivator fleet, which includes a Watkins five-leg subsoiler, 5m Simba SL, 6.6m Simba UniPress, 7f Kverneland plough and 6.5m Väderstad Carrier, says its operator and farm foreman, Mark Baker. “But with the changes to the cropping, which is going to include more maize and grassland, as well as the need to use other, lighter implements, we required a tractor that delivered more than just outright pulling power,” he explains. So with the two-year Magnum’s contract hire period coming to a close last year, they began looking at the options. “One of the reasons the Magnum is so good at pulling these implements is because it’s quite heavy,” says Mark Baker. “But that’s also a disadvantage when we’re looking to use the tractor for other, more varied applications. We were concerned that while the Magnum is a very good cultivation and drilling tractor, it was getting to a stage where there was danger that was all it was doing; and then it was stood up for too long.”

It weighs just 11t, but can be ballasted up with a 2500kg block on the front linkage and 1000kg of weights on each of the wheels.

“It also delivers a maximum power of 390hp, without any boost. So it’s actual power to weight ratio is very good. We could see that, with the ease of adding and removing ballast, plus the VarioGrip tyre inflation option, the lighter, powerful Fendt offered the flexibility we needed,” he explains.

The farm’s partners agreed to purchase the tractor and in the ten months it has been at work on the farm it has already clocked up 2400hrs on a range of work. This figure is about 500hr – 700hr more than the Magnum covered in the same period, which also shows the Fendt is already living up to its promise to deliver more flexibility, explains Mark Baker.

“The field pressure varies depending on the work. We’ll run across field and then visibly check the wheelings and, sometimes, use a spade to check for compaction. But, in general, I’ll use about 1.1 bar for the Simba SL, or 0.9 to 0.8bar on the sandier soils. While on trailers it could be at 1.9 bar on the back and 1.6 bar on the front."

“I usually have two pre-set pressures for each task, but I feel it could do with more. I would also really like the pressures to be stored in the machine settings, which are saved in the memory for the set-up and headland management for the individual implements,” he comments.

Changing the ballast to suit the job is now also an easy task that, he says, takes just ten minutes. The front weight block is quickly and easily dropped on or off the front linkage, while the farm has made its own carrier/adaptor for the wheel weights. This makes it much easier to fit these with a loader, although they did have to slightly modify the VarioGrip guard to facilitate fitting the wheel weights – which is an unusual omission from Fendt.

The dealer suggested fitting Trelleborg TM 900 tyres, which is another first for Mark Baker, who has always preferred Michelins. The taller, 710/75 R 42s on the rear he notices put three treads on the ground, which he adds improves traction and he feels is another benefit of being able to set the right pressure for the job. And with the right pressure on the road as well, he thinks the tyres are lasting longer, too.

"it would make a considerable difference,” he remarks.

"The Vario transmission also plays it part in improving efficiency", he adds. "By setting the speed independently of the engine revs and with TMS, the tractor works at the optimum setting for the load".

“I hadn’t used a continuously variable transmission before, but it’s part of the package with the Fendt, and admit at first I found the Vario took some getting used to! But now I’m becoming more familiar with its operation, I think it works really well. I particularly like the two cruise-control settings, how easy it is to shuttle direction changes and how it provides a choice of four settings so I adjust how quickly it reacts.

“I always use the joystick in the field and pedal on the road – I think it’s safer. If you take your foot off the pedal it slows down– just as you expect it to,” he says. The tractor was supplied ready with auto-steer, using a roaming sim card RTK signal through the Varioterminal. This 10.4in touch-screen controller is used to set up all the main tractor functions, including the settings for the electronically operated spool valves and the headland management system. “I set the spools on timed operations and these are also linked to the joystick. I can actually assign any button on the joystick to any spool,” he explains.