IT would be logical to assume that New South Wales silage contractor Ben Underhill would purchase another Fendt tractor. After all he’s bought ten of these top-rating German thoroughbreds previously.
But the truth of the matter is they have to earn their keep and that means a heavy-duty 10-month working season with no room for unwanted downtime, or costly repairs.
I caught up with Ben a month or so after he had taken delivery of a new 822 Vario - one of Fendt’s increasingly popular 800 series machines.
With only “a couple of hundred hours” spent behind the wheel he concedes “it’s still early days” when it comes to assessing its operational performance.
But the portents are looking good which comes as no surprise to the busy Mountain Vale Ag contract operation which earns its keep around Bega district.
Bulk silage operations sees Ben and his team chopping between 30,000t to 35,000t of grass each year, also about 10,000t of corn, topped off by turning out 8,000 round bales last year.
The business currently sports five Fendt tractors, continuing a legacy that began way back in 1992.
“There was no such thing as a Vario model when we started running Fendts – I think it was in 1996 they became available in Australia,” Ben Underhill recalled.
The 226hp (max) newcomer already is in-the-groove, principally as a mainstay tractor and the one in which Ben spends most of his time overseeing his busy contract venture.
“The new 800 series is physically bigger than our other four 800s and appeals because it’s got a little bit more weight to drive our triple mowers on hilly country,” Ben said.
The point to make here is the 822 Vario must power three banks of mowers including a centre-mounted unit mounted on the front linkage, plus two other rear-linkage-mounted units.
“It allows us to cut 10m on each pass,” Ben said.
“On good country you’d cover 10 hectares or 25 acres an hour, travelling at speeds up to 16kph,” he added.
The new 822 Vario comes equipped with selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology designed to meet the latest European and North American exhaust emission regulations.
Essentially, a catalyst in the exhaust system treats the nitrous oxides contained in the exhaust gas with an odourless mixture of chemical urea and purified water known as AdBlue, turning them into harmless water and nitrogen.
“At the end of the day I’m sure it will pay off if we can achieve fuel savings,” Ben said. “It (fuel) is a big expense for us at the end of the year.”
Interestingly, Ben made the point he was keen “to go with the latest environmentally-friendly technology” which saw the 822 Vario receiving the nod of approval in this respect.
“Fendt’s SCR engine basically turns your fuel into power and what comes out the exhaust is like ‘rainbows and butterflies’ compared to earlier engine technologies,” he said.
When the Deutz-powered 822 Vario is working to its maximum capacity the reality is of consuming a 30L tank of Adblue to a full (500L plus) tank of diesel.
From a practical standpoint this means the 822 Vario’s attendant ute must carry a jerrycan of AdBlue for ‘top-ups,’ as and when needed.
Turning to the tractor’s Vario CVT (continuously variable transmission), Ben said this was another key feature that attracted Mountain Vale Ag to upgrade its range of Fendt tractors.
“You can perform any task at any speed you want with the new 822 able to range from zero to 65kph,” Ben said.
“Years ago when running a baler or a silage loader wagon ,and you got half-way up a hill, requiring you to down-shift two or three gears, you lost momentum.
“With the new Vario 822 it will automatically slow itself down and maintain pto speed,” Ben added.
As well, he described the tractor’s control systems as “fantastic,” talking up the machine’s VarioDoc job computer.
“Once you’ve done one pass in a paddock and you may want to turn off your 4WD or your diff-lock, even cut the engine revs back, plus lift the implement – all that can now be done with just one press of a button since it remembers the exact sequence,” Ben said.
Meanwhile, the colour touch screen permits up to four functions be displayed at the same time to provide, for instance, data on the hydraulics, fuel management, also the linkage, even, if required, a reversing camera.
The introduction of the new cab also is a top-of-mind feature and is described as having plenty of room, improving all-round vision, plus delivering controls to hand more easily.
“And I like the attention to detail like the electric mirrors that can be adjusted without having to get out of the seat,” Ben said.
Mountain Vale Ag’s business footprint covers a 150km radius around Bega with none of the Fendt tractor fleet trucked around the district, rather they are driven from contract-to-contract.
As to the way ahead, Ben says there is still a little bit of uncertainty on the part of dairy farmers but he is convinced that talk of global food shortages will underpin confidence levels down-the-track.
“The main thing for us, after the drought, is for farmers to get their confidence back,” Ben said.
This year the season started six weeks earlier than usual and is shaping up to be “a long and hard one,” prompting Ben to say he would never even consider “pricing-up” an alternative tractor brand.
“There is so much that comes on the Fendt as standard issue which would be ‘special’ on anything else,” he said.
“And, at the end of the day, It’s the small things that make the difference,” Ben added.
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