Four models, three versions: Fendt’s new 500 Vario range will replace the current 400 series. Technology marches on even in smaller tractors, as we discover aboard assorted members of the 500 family.
Spanning the 81kW-110kW range — that’s 110PS-150PS or 108hp-148hp — Fendt’s new 500 series is the first tractor family to be made entirely in a brand new facility at the company’s Marktoberdorf base.
Fendt is well aware that the ‘500’ tag harks back to a previous range. In reality the only thing the two have in common is the need to comply with emission standards. The last 500-series exited a decade ago when its engines could no longer meet the regulations of the day. The new 500s arrive with powerplants fully compliant with Stage IIIB standards and will oust existing 400-series tractors — but not just yet, as engine stocks suggest that 400s will be offered until the end of 2013. In fact the longer wheelbase, heavier newcomers move the game on significantly, bringing technology that distances them from the models they replace and taking them closer to the 700-series.
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