At a recent press conference the Bavarian manufacturer also revealed that it has chosen its Vario 820 model as the guinea pig for a special factory modification that will enable its Deutz engine to run on raw vegetable oil (see FW 12th Oct ‘07). 

A twin tank system dubbed ‘greentec’, it runs on standard mineral diesel when cold and then switches over to more viscous vegetable oil when up to temperature. 

300-series Varios – which run from 95hp up to 125hp – gain the Transmission Management System (TMS) found on bigger Fendts.    

TMS automatically controls the engine and stepless gearbox with the aim of minimising fuel consumption. The operator selects the desired travel speed and the system the increases or decreases engine rpm and alters transmission ratios depending on load.

For example, as the going gets tougher climbing a hill, engine revs increase to maintain forward speed. As the terrain levels out the system automatically throttles back to maintain fuel economy.

In addition, it enables a shuttle- and brake pedal-activated ‘Stop-and-Go’ transmission dump function, claimed to be particularly useful for round-baling and loader work.

And, at last the company has added automatic modes for diff-lock and 4wd engage/disengage – a criticism we levelled at the 312 when we drove it last year. 

Vario 900s are claimed to be the first tractors to be equipped with an automotive-style immobiliser and can now be ordered with a choice of paint-jobs, stainless-steel exhausts and chrome trim. Soggy sandwiches will also be a thing of the past as operators can now benefit from an in-cab cool-box.  

The latest range of Fendt loaders are still built by Czech company, TracLift, but follow a completely new layout. 

The awkward parallel-lift linkage has been swapped for an altogether sleeker design with narrower boom channels, concealed hydraulics and a single cross-member – factors which all work to significantly improve visibility.