Fendt 900 Vario Marks 50,000 Units With Anniversary Edition
Fendt's 900 Vario was unveiled at Agritechnica 1995 and has since gone on to become a popular choice for farmers and contractors worldwide.
While telescopic handlers are increasingly popular on New Zealand farms, the arrival of German tractor maker Fendt in the sector takes things to a higher level – literally in the case of the operator.
Fendt had desired to be a ‘long-liner’, and the cargo designation had already been ‘pinned’ to the company’s frontloaders. Now a T-designation marks the arrival of its first telehandler.
Built in a co-operation with the German builder Sennebogen Machinefabrik – known for its port cranes and HD telescopic handlers – Fendt’s Cargo T955 has a maximum load capacity of 5.5 tonnes with a lift height of up to 8.5m.
Its standout feature is a unique lifting cabin that also has vibration damping.
It has the key advantages of a conventional telehandler – reach, overall lift height, low body height and high manoeuvrability.
And its cabin can rise in tandem with the telescopic arm to a maximum height of 4.25m, giving an exceptional view of the job at hand. It has no dashboard to obstruct the lower part of the front screen, so there’s floor to ceiling visibility -- particularly useful when placing loads at high levels or filling high-sided trailers or truck bodies.
Fendt says that even raising the cabin by 20 to 30 cms from its normal ‘parked’ position gives visibility only normally achieved by heavy duty, wheeled loading shovels.
It weighs a hefty 11.8 tonnes, is powered by a 4-cylinder 165hp engine, has a 200L/min hydraulic system, 40km/h road speed and 2.4 tonnes lift capacity at maximum reach.
Rural News has yet to learn on whether the Cargo T955 will be available on the New Zealand market.
New Zealand's pest problem has reached crisis point, according to Federated Farmers' second National Pests Survey, which shows farmers are spending more money and effort on control — yet pest numbers keep climbing faster than they were two years ago.
Testing confirms H5 bird flu in a single northern giant petrel, found dead on a remote Cape Palliser beach in the Wairarapa, says Dr Mary van Andel, the Ministry for Primary Industries' (MPI) Chief Veterinary Officer.
"What's for dinner?" may sound like a simple question, but for many Kiwi parents, answering it has become a job in itself.
Fifty Eight years ago, on the 16th of August 1968, August Claas, the founder of the harvesting company and father of Helmut Claas, personally presented a Claas Senator combine harvester to Scottish farmer John Steven.
New Zealand consumers are paying more for beef mince than ever before, with the average retail price now sitting above $24 per kilogram, according to Rabobank.
State farmer Pamu has delivered its strongest operating result on record.

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