TechAgro: Farmet adds 12.5m-wide Fantom

Founded in 1992, and preparing to celebrate its 25th anniversary next year, Czech manufacturer Farmet is making no secret of not only wanting to increase its distribution and become a global player, but also to develop high-capacity machines for the top end of the arable market. On display on the company’s TechAgro stand is just such a machine; the Fantom Pro 1250 (12.5m) tined cultivator. Unveiled as a prototype at Agritechnica 2015, the company has since developed four rear levelling/roller options to fit to the rear, and the machine on display at the Czech show is ready to go on sale. Comprising four rows of tines, and designed to work on stubbles at speeds of 8-12km/hr and depths down to 20cm, the 12.5m-wide unit is the widest of a range that also includes 6.0, 8.0 and 10m working widths. The nearly 14-tonne heavy Fantom Pro 1250 costs €50,000-€60,000 and needs a tractor of at least 450hp to pull it. The first 12.5m unit on the stand is heading across the Channel when the show closes; sold to a British customer. Farmet HQ is around 300km from Brno and close to the Polish border. Currently making around 1,000 machines a year, of which 85% are exported, the company currently sells its drills and cultivators in 23 different countries. The largest markets are in Germany, France, Russia and Poland.