Excluding the city states, the Saarland is the smallest state in the Federal Republic of Germany with a total area of 2570 square kilometres. It stretches over parts of the Hunsrück, the Lorraine Scarplands and the Saar-Nahe Uplands. This region is connected by an excellent highway and road network. It is maintained and repaired by the state-run business for road construction, the “Landesbetrieb für Straßenbau” (LfS). It uses eleven Fendt tractors.

The Landesbetrieb für Straßenbau is an institution in the Saarland. The enterprise turns over some 120 million euros annually for an efficient, safe and environmentally friendly highway and road network. More precisely, that amounts to 240 km of highways, 300 km of national roads, 1430 km of state roads, more than 490 km of cycling and walking paths and 1,900 buildings, which all need to be maintained and repaired. Some 560 employees at twelve subsidiaries throughout the entire state are working on that. “A very important prerequisite for a functional economy is unlimited mobility,” explains Hans the require Mosbach, highlighting the significance of the road construction business. The automobile mechanic has been with the company since 1980 and has been managing the central workshop of the LfS in Theley for 20 years. No wheel turns without him and his 18 employees. All machines and implements come here for inspection, maintenance or servicing in the ultramodern workshop: from the smallest power saw to big trucks. All repairs are carried out here. That is why Hans Mosbach also has a decisive word when new purchases are made.

Based on good experience with tractors for road work in other states, the Saarland thought about using tractors. “Honestly, I was very sceptical at the beginning. Tractors on the Autobahn? How is that supposed to work?” recalls Hans Mosbach. Before a decision was to be made, he had a suggestion: He wanted to test the tractors from all the well-known manufacturers. The Saarland started large-scale testing: five employees thoroughly tested tractors for five weeks. “Then we quickly agreed,” he admitted grinning: “Fendt was ahead of the pack!” The main reason was their profitability. “That plays a decisive role in a state-run business like the Landesbetrieb für Straßenbau, considering the tight budget,” said Mosbach. With increasing Europeanisation, the amount of traffic in high-tech countries like Germany is increasing steadily. Particularly because the Saarland is located in the geographical centre of Europe. With increased wear on the roads, not only ments for roadside maintenance are growing, but also those for the vehicles, machinery and implements used. That is why all the machinery and vehicles that belong to the LfS are managed, tested and compared in a performance directory. Mosbach’s employees document all the costs that accrue for the machine, starting with its purchase. “For Fendt those are primarily inspections and the replacement of normal wearing parts. Now they already have ten years of running time or 7,000 to 10,000 work hours behind them,” sums up the workshop manager. In the meantime, there are now 15 Fendt tractors, including a 714 Vario and a 200 Vario, at work on the roads and pavements in the Saarland to keep them safe for traffic. In the summer, these services primarily consist of mowing work, in the spring and autumn, cutting brush.