Fendt 942 Vario boosts pulling power
Fendt has added more muscle to its revamped 900 Series with the 942 Vario.
WHEN Fendt unveiled its 1000 Vario Series at Agritechnica in 2015, the German giant’s most powerful tractor stole the headlines.
The 517hp 1050 Vario set a new benchmark for high-horsepower wheeled tractors with its sophisticated, yet powerful package and it quickly found its way on to Australian paddocks after it finally arrived in 2017.
The technology available in the 1000 Series that so impressed operators here has now been added to the upgraded 900 Vario Series, which has been given a makeover from the ground up with more horsepower.
Having been rumoured for some time, the 900s finally broke cover in Europe in early July.
The first model arrived Down Under just two weeks later, with Crop Gear given an exclusive look at the new flagship 415hp 942 Vario, the first of the 900 Series to step into the 400hp range.
Agco Australia’s Fendt product manager Donny Cloney says the increased horsepower is a response to customer demand.
“It has been demanded by the user. A lot of tractors on the market from many competitors were getting close to 400hp, but this (942) is your true front-wheel-assist 400hp and over tractor,” Mr Cloney says.
“The tractor has been completely redesigned to achieve this horsepower. It’s not boosted power, it is honest power that you can actually get to the wheels, and the farmer can see in the field.
“A lot of tractors on the market will come with 370hp on the bonnet and you’ll see in small writing it can boost to 400hp, but that’s only through the PTO or at high transport speed. With this 942, the farmer can see when he’s seeding, or at any speed, that it’s using the 400hp-plus.”
There are five models (930, 933, 936, 939 and 942) ranging from 296hp to 415hp to sit in the compact high-power tractor class. The 264hp 927 Vario has been parked to make way for the 942.
Fendt says it had to ditch the 7.8-litre Deutz engine used in the old range in favour of an all-new six-cylinder MAN powerhouse to achieve 400hp.
This also adds to the increase in servicing intervals, with the 900s now able to hold out for 1000 hours.
A further reduction to the cost of ownership is that hydraulic and transmission oil changes are at 2000-hour intervals.
Agco claims the range has opened it to a wide market with its all-round versatility courtesy of the technology it has taken from the 1000s. The ag machinery giant says the new technology really suits the Australian farmer — “it kind of takes a mix of the European and North American-spec tractor”.
The Fendt iD stepless transmission distributes torque to the front and rear axles depending on the ground conditions.
The front axle’s drive comes from the transmission, but has a decoupling clutch to avoid any damage when at speed on the road or on corners. Put simply, it means the tractor is permanently in four-wheel drive for anything under 25km/h.
“It’s very quiet as well because you’re getting maximum torque at 1150rpm,” Mr Cloney says. “So a lot of the time the machine’s quite comfortable sitting at that engine speed in the fields.
“When it’s working, the transmission will pull it back to that speed so it’s very fuel efficient and a nice environment to work in.”
Another hit with the 1000 Series, he says, has been the VarioGrip on the bar axle. “We now have that option on the new 900 series.”
VarioGrip is a regulation system that adapts the tyre pressure even while driving. Air is supplied via a water-cooled double-compressor as well as the vehicle’s own valve equipment.
Having the right inner tyre pressure delivers more force to the ground and therefore more pulling power and effectively reduces slip and rolling resistance.
“So if you can’t run dual wheels because of the area you’re located in the tractor is too wide, it’s very good to run that system because you can get maximum performance when you get to the field.”
After transport, which now has a top speed of 60km/h, operators can lower the tyre pressure to get a lot more footprint for better performance, more traction which means work can be done quicker.
“And you’re not wearing your tyres or burning more fuel — that’s been quite popular in the construction sector for earthmoving work and earth work,” Mr Cloney says.
With compaction such a huge issue for broadacre farmers, he says that it’s much kinder on paddocks.
“Broadacre farmers can benefit from the VarioGrip system in the winter if you’re out spraying on a single tyre you can lower your pressure so you’re not leaving big imprints in the field and you’re able to get traction,” he says.
Fendt has also put the largest wheel possible on the front of the 942 so you can get more traction on the running VF tyres. They can be run at a lower tyre pressure than your standard wheels in the field, and a heavier sidewall.
Fendt Grip Assist is a feature that can be added on to the tractor, with or without VarioGrip. It’s built into the terminal so operators can specify which tyres they have on the tractor, if it is dual-wheeled, what weight pack it has, the soil type — whether it’s light, heavy or medium — and the tractor will recommend a tyre pressure and ballast.
“There is a lot of appeal with the horticulture growers because a lot of their vegetables are grown in beds so they need narrow bed widths to 60 inches (152cm) which can be provided on this new tractor,” Mr Cloney says.
There’s a new hydraulic option, with a twin-pump system and total flow of 430 litres per minute, which Agco says will benefit Australian farmers running two circuits on an implement.
Operators can also have separate outlets to adjust implements or have the other hydraulic feeds on the machine, which Mr Cloney says saves costs and offers a huge increase in the performance of the hydraulics.
“You can option a front PTO on this tractor, which is impressive for the size of it,” he says. “There’s no other tractor on the market with 400hp that you can have front PTO.
“You can put pressure-relief front linkage on it. So that works very well with a front-mounted mower. We can do the suspension for the mower and take the weight off the front of the mower for use in rough conditions and put the weight back on the tractor so you’re not damaging the mower.”
Agco says the 942 has been “heavily tested” in North America as Fendt tried to step up the products in that market. There have been some tweaks which came from North America, such as the airconditioning, which has really improved after it was tested in 45C heat in Arizona.
Inside the cabin, there are now eight microphones for crystal-clear conversations and an improved sound system with Bluetooth streaming.
The Tractor Implement Management system has been added to the 900s so Isobus implements can be connected. Fendt Connect can also send machine data, such as fuel consumption, speed, routes and working time, to a central hub to be viewed on a tablet or computer.
Agco Australia will be taking the new top-spec 942 Vario to the major machinery field days over the next few months where orders can be placed.
FENDT 942 VARIO
Manufactured: Germany
Engine: 9-litre MAN six-cylinder
Rated power: 415hp
Max. Power: 415hp
Max Torque: 1970 Nm at 1100 RPM
Tier: 5
Transmission: VarioDrive CVT, TA 300
Max. hydraulic flow (L): 430 l/min
LxWxH (mm): 5575x2750x3417 on 710/75R42 tyres
Wheelbase (mm): 3150
Linkage capacity: 12,500kg
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