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Nadine Lieker in front of her Fendt Vario with the Fendt Tigo XR 100.

I love new machines. I can sell my used machines for a good price and, ideally, not have any downtime for repairs during the harvest time.

Nadine Lieker, Contracting company, Trebel Niedersachsen, Germany - Fendt 724, 820, 939 Vario

I love new machines. I can sell my used machines for a good price and, ideally, not have any downtime for repairs during the harvest time.

CHILDHOOD DREAM COME TRUE

Most little girls dream of having their own horse. Anyone who knows contractor Nadine Lieker knows that this cliché applies to her only figuratively. She loves tractors, more precisely high-hp powered Dieselrosses. It's a passion that goes skin-deep.

Fendt Vario and Fendt Tigo XR 100 on the field.

"As child, I was incredibly proud of being able to do field work on my own."

Turn the clock back 28 years. Instead of meeting up with her classmates to play after school, the 8-year-old Nadine flings her school bag into the corner and purposefully marches to the neighbour's farm. It's a scene that still plays out on many farms today. After all, children are usually better tractor drivers than older folk, and it's no different here. The friendly farmer recognises the potential early on and lets Nadine Lieker carry out the field work alone at the tender age of 10. Ploughing, digging, mowing – no problem for the young fan of machinery. If she has to, she'll stay in the barn. Her love of machinery stays with her and even grows over the years. She always knew what she wanted to be when she grew up, a farmer. It's a shock to her parents, who try to get in the way of her dream. But this impressive woman gets what she wants. She completes her training and her subsequent college course by getting a part-time job with a contractor. She has helped out there before, even before she had a driver's licence. Quite normal for the village.

This is a woman who gets what she wants

The loading wagon is her favourite. It makes her stand taller than the tractors and forage harvesting machinery. Nadine spends long working days on 'her' hookup during the hot weeks of grassland harvest. She takes care of it and cherishes it as if it were her own. Then, at the end of the 2010 maize harvest comes the day that changes her life. Her boss tells her that a colleague will drive her hookup and she should get on with another job.

As if in a trance, she packs her bag, goes home and searches the internet. On one of the used-machine portals, the dynamic Nadine finds what she is looking for: she discovers a black Dieselross. The supplier wants €78,000 for an 820 Vario. She finances her first Dieselross half with the money she has saved since the age of eight, and the other half with a loan. It's her first step towards having her own contracting company, which she starts up a year later, in 2011. In her start-up year, she repeatedly carries out small orders under her own steam, but it's not quite enough for self-employment. At the same time, she's on a contractor's books.

In the meantime, Nadine is developing on a personal level. Her values are well received by customers: reliability, punctuality and a 100% work ethic. Word gets around and the jobs come in steadily, increasing in scope, so that after just one year she becomes her own boss and expands her business. Today, she can carry out orders with a respectable fleet of vehicles, four permanent members of staff and three seasonal workers. The stable now has five tractors and a rental tractor – all from Marktoberdorf. From the Fendt 724 Vario to the Fendt 939 Vario, from Nature Green to Fir Green to RAL 9005 – the "Black Beauties" – hardly any of them older than 3 years. It's her weak point, she openly admits: "I love new machines. I can sell my used machines for a good price and, ideally, not have any downtime for repairs during the harvest time." Her contracting business has worked with almost every series for varying periods.

Customer of Nadine Lieker in front of the Fendt Vario with the Fendt Tigo XR 100.

Her values are well received by customers: reliability, punctuality and 100% work ethic

Where she lives, in Trebel in north-eastern Lower Saxony, Nadine specialises in forage harvesting. When she learned that Fendt is getting into for - age harvesting solutions, she quickly realises she wants to replace one of her tridem wagons with a Tigo. It didn't take long for the factory rep - resentative's phone to ring. She likes the features of the loading and transport wagon; few sensors, simple technolo - gy and a huge transport capacity. She wants a Tigo XR combi - nation wagon, preferably the first Tigo in Fendt colours, because they don't come in her favourite colour, Black. And when the 36-year-old entrepreneur gets something in her head, she does it. In spring 2018, the first Tigo XR 100 sold by Fendt with a capacity of 54m³ is delivered to Wendland. The Fendt fan is thrilled with the combination wagon. After the 2018 season, another loading and transport wagon is replaced. So that she does not have two sheds with different equipment, she trades in the first Tigo and two new fully-equipped Tigo XR 100 models roll into the yard for the 2019 season. If the wag - ons are used as transport vehicles, their high-capacity makes them highly prized. The pivoting bulkhead, for quick and above all complete emptying, is another bonus. When the Tigo is on the road as a loading wagon, winning features include the hydrauli - cally driven pick-up, the short distance between pick-up and cutting rotor, electric forced steering and automatic loading with infinitely adjustable pre-compacting pressure.

Fendt Vario and Fendt Tigo XR 100, unloading.
Fendt Vario and Fendt Tigo XR 100 on the field.
Fendt Vario with the Fendt Former, raking.
Nadine Lieker in the cab of the Fendt 724 Vario.
Nadine can't resist sitting behind the wheel of one of the Fendt Vario hook-ups.

The station wagon convinces the Fendt fan

"There's no art to driving the Tigo with the 939. But if you want to coax the maximum performance out of the 724, you should use TIM," says the ambitious driver about the new feature. It leaves more time to focus on the loading process, accept the next order or think about the next tractor exchange. And there's one thing Nadine is sure of: it will definitely be an Allgäu Dieselross again. It's a 'species' that lets her live out her childhood dream, which is indelibly ingrained in her. Feature. In this case, she likes to take the reins. TIM (Tractor Implement Management) controls the speed of the Fendt 724 Vario, adjusted to the pick-up load. Depending on the swath strength, a sensor sends ongoing feedback on the torque at the pick-up. This channels the tractor's power perfectly and helps the driver.

The Fendt Tigo XR 100, unloading.

It leaves more time to focus on the loading process, accept the next order or think about the next tractor exchange. And there's one thing Nadine is sure of: it will definitely be an Allgäu Dieselross again. It's a 'species' that lets her live out her childhood dream, which is indelibly ingrained in her.