Lars Ole Lillebudal and Kåre Malum share their Fendt 516 Vario, which they purchased for their joint venture, Lima Maskin DA. The two Norwegians have merged their businesses and, together with two other partners, are carrying out the work on four farms around the Norwegian town of Budal in Sør-Trøndelag, an hour south of Trondheim. “We kept working together over the years and then decided to merge our farming businesses. Now we can use our investments much more efficiently because we both get use out of the machines, explains Lars Ole Lillebudal. It's how they cover the 84 hectare plot of grassland and arable farming, as well as 60 dairy cows and 140 cattle in their mixed holdings.

In spring 2016, the two Norwegians bought a Fendt 516 Vario from their sales partner Eiksenteret in Støren. They never looked back. With the new investment they wanted to increase their efficiency and also use a lane guidance system, so they decided to use a 500-series with VarioGuide RTK. With it, they ensured the highest precision in the field, because with RTK VarioGuide uses an additional correction signal via the mobile network to work down to the very centimetre. “We agreed that it should be a Fendt because we wanted to have a machine with track guidance and stepless gearbox, meaning the Vario transmission was the obvious choice,” explains Lars Ole Lillebudal. “The Fendt makes our working day much easier thanks to the easy controls. We can program the settings for speed, PTO, rpm and hydraulic valves for the different attachments, like the drill, the muck spreader and the snow blower. This makes the work so much faster even if you're changing attachments,” say the two farmers, in complete agreement.

The small turning circle of the compact Fendt 516 Vario is another advantage on the field and on the road. “The machine is well positioned on the road and runs quietly and comfortably even at higher speeds. I may not have driven every make of tractor out there, but getting into the Fendt is like getting into a car. Except you also have all these technical aids to help you,” emphasizes Lillebudal. They have an eye on everything they need on the terminal. They can always see their progress on the fields and can respond appropriately to any changes in the weather. And another plus point – the Fendt tractor requires significantly less fuel than its predecessor.