In a little over 20 years European tractor maker, Fendt has produced an astonishing 250,000 stepless Vario drive transmissions.
The German manufacturer said the Vario is considered a key design feature and since 2009, all Fendt tractors, from the narrow-gauge to the company’s heavy-duty Vario 1000, feature the transmission.
"The stepless Vario transmission is the only transmission solution for us,” Peter-Josef Paffen, CEO of Agco Fendt said about the decision to go with the Vario design some two decades ago.
"We opted for this innovative technology and started implementing it almost right away in every range and power level.
“We now offer the solution for every power band, from 50 to 500 horsepower (36 - 370 kilowatts).
“Whatever the operation, the customer can always carry out their work at the right speed,” he said.
The company is marking the milestone by offering 250, 500, 700, 800 and 900 Vario series models in the new nature green colour.
The introduction of the Vario in 1995 set a benchmark for tractor control offering a variable range of speeds suitable for any task from 20 metres to 60 kilometres an hour.
That leaves operators to concentrate on what is going on behind, in front or alongside the tractor according to the company.
The continuous drive is also fitted to the company’s heavy-duty standard configuration Fendt 1000 Vario which also runs a permanently variable all-wheel drive functionality.
All Fendt Varios are produced at the company’s transmission manufacturing plant in Marktoberdorf, Germany, where every six minutes a complete drive rolls off the production line – or about 100 every day
