134 horsepower arrives in Canada
For the first time in Fendt history, a tractor series was launched on the North American market first and only thereafter on the German market. That is why there are already customers in North America and even a medal for the tractor with Tier 4 final emissions. At the National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, Kentucky, the Fendt 500 Vario received the AE 50 Award from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE).
A 500er for Dad and a 900er for the son
Lavon Jantzi could not have been any more excited as he watched his new tractor with front loader arrive in May. It was exactly the shiny Fendt 939 Vario that he had been dreaming of for months, and here it was, finally, tethered on a flatbed trailer from the Maple Lane Farm Service dealership. Lavon, however, is only four years old and the flatbed trailer not only transported his pedal tractor, but also the new Fendt 513 Vario for his father Jason.
“He has wanted a Fendt pedal tractor for a long time already and saved his allowance, hoping that he could buy one soon,” explains Jason Jantzi, who owns 120 hectares of land and a farm with 40 cows in Milverton, Canada. “He came with me each time I visited my dealer, just to see if he had already saved up enough money for it. That is why I ordered a small tractor for Lavon when I bought the Fendt 513 Vario,” reports the farmer.
“I took over our farm from my father in 2003 and the entire family helps, so we do not have to depend on employees.”
Everybody is standing proudly in front of the new Fendt tractor, only Lavon does not want to part with his tractor.
It is Lavon’s first own Fendt tractor, Jason and his wife Rochelle, on the other hand, already own several. The family with three sons, Jarrell, Kerwin and Lavon, and two daughters, Alyssa and Marcia, already has three Fendt tractors. All are used on the farm as well as in their own contracting business Jama Custom Farming, which specialises in forage harvesting. They have a Fendt 822 Vario, 817 Vario and a 714 Vario with front loader.
The 822 Vario works in front of a large Hesston 7433 baler, while the 817 Vario pulls a threeunit mower combination. A neighbour, who Jantzi frequently helps in his contracting business, pulls his Hesston 2150 baler with his own Fendt 824 Vario. The 714 Vario, on the other hand, is used for transport and loading bales or driving a bale wrapper, which can wrap individual bales or a complete row of bales. The 513 Vario is primarily used for the hay rake and can also do loader work, if necessary. In the spring, says Jantzi, he will sow alfalfa with an AGCO seed drill.
“The 513 has enough hydraulic power to load large square bales weighing up to 450 kg. I only have to mount a weight at the rear to balance the tractor. What I like the best, however, is its manoeuvrability,” he says, highlighting the advantages of the tractor. He owned a Fendt 411 Vario before buying the Fendt 513 Vario. He was very excited to find out that the new one has the same manoeuvrability that he is already used to and offers higher performance to boot. Over 200 work hours in only three months speak for themselves.
Alfalfa and maize for the dairy cattle
“We mow a total of more than 1000 hectares of grassland and bale 25,000 bales per year including hay that is delivered to us,” says the farmer. “However, we only wrap half of these bales at the most,” he adds and mentions that the contractors do a lot of work for the local Amish farmers, who are not allowed to use high-tech. “We store the entire alfalfa harvest that we feed to our cows as wrapped silage bales, and any extra bales are sold as dry hay.” In addition to nearly 30 hectares of maize, which are mainly fed to dairy cattle as maize silage, Jantzi also plants 16 hectares of wheat, which is sold. The rest of the arable land is used primarily for the cultivation of alfalfa. An exception was a 16 hectare soy field last spring with installed drainage system to improve drainage of the field.
Reliability when baling
Naturally, the variety of seeds and the different implements for them, make the farmer appreciate his Fendt tractor even more. The biggest advantage is the transmission, which simplifies speed adjustment of the tractor to the baler and swath conditions. “I like the reliability of Fendt tractors. When baling, we cannot afford downtimes, especially if the forecast calls for rain. Luckily we have very few problems with our machines and if something should happen, our dealership, Maple Lane, helps us immediately, although they have to drive almost 45 minutes to get here,” says Jantzi emphasising their excellent collaboration with their dealer. Through the well-organised service, technicians already know before arriving, where the problem lies, and can bring the proper spare parts with them to the appointment.
“The ease of operation is a great benefit for all of us. My 14-year-old son, Jarrell, often helps during forage harvesting and the Fendt tractors are ideal for drivers with little experience, since the operating interface in all the models works nearly the same way and changing between the machines therefore poses no problems,” he explains. Little Lavon likes to drive with his father in the big Fendt tractors, but not in every one of them “The 822 does not have a comfortable, cushioned passenger seat like the other tractors, only a hard plastic seat,” explains Jantzi. “That is why he always asks which tractor I will be driving, before he decides. Otherwise his usual answer is: I think I will just stay here and play.” Playing means that Lavon pushes forage to the dairy cattle with his front loader. Naturally, that also means more work hours for his Fendt 939 pedal tractor.
More customer voices
Verena Dünnebacke, owner of a Christmas tree plantation, Sauerland, Germany - Fendt 415, 820 Vario
Damiano und Paolo Cazzola, owner of an agricultural company, Salizzole, Italy - Katana 65/85; 30 Fendt tractors
Henning Hagemann, farmer from Groß Salitz, Germany - 1050 Vario
René Messer, farmer and contractor, Kanton Argau, Switzerland - 211, 716, 939 Vario
Stefan Fünfschilling, fruit- and wine-grower, Germany - 200 Vario V/F/P, 500 Vario
Johnny Boggs, contractor, England - 720 Vario Black Beauty
isn´t likely to be the last Fendt I own.
Nikolai Utne Helminsen, young entrepreneur & Fendt operator, Norway - 516 Vario
Dominique Marcelli, entrepreneur on Corsica, France - 210, 939 Vario
Mark Baker, farm manager & Fendt operator Woodsford Farms in Dorchester, England - 939 Vario
Matt Hoff, dairy farmer from Maryland, USA - 927, 930, 933 Vario
Fendt 828 Vario vs Porsche 911 GT3 & Anthony Beltoise, renowned race car driver, France
Stéphane Laurosch-Ciosi & Jean-Baptiste Alberti, Petroni Company, France - 939 Vario
Phillip Vroegh, farmer with 575 Holstein cattle Nova Scotia, Canada - 714, 718, 826 Vario
Equipment, USA - Fendt dealer
Robb Vanderloop, managing director of Vanderloop
Equipment, USA - Fendt dealer
Equipment, USA - Fendt dealer
by the time you add all the
features that Fendt includes as
standard equipment
Bill Holmes, buyer of livestock rights & cattle farmer from Alberta, Canada - 714, 718 Vario
Jeff Hoekstra, contract farmer from Wisconsin, USA - 824, 930 Vario
