Fendt tractors have a long standing reputation as a premium tractor brand.

Excellent build quality, and a high specification with excellent levels of reliability commanded a high price tag for the German tractors, making them previously somewhat of a rarity in the farming landscape.

However, as the 21st century dawned, Fendt released a new tractor range with an all new transmission, which put the brand in the spotlight for high end farming applications.

The 700 Vario range was launched by Fendt in 1998, and was further complimented by the addition of the four cylinder 400 Vario series in 1999, with the 412 added in 2001.

Power comes from a 3.8 litre Deutz engine, turbocharged and intercooled to produce 120hp on the Fendt 412 and was later upgraded to a four litre version. 

The tractor has a hydraulic flow of 75l/min and can lift an impressive 6.5tons at the rear. 

However, it is the ‘Vario’ CVT (continuously variable transmission) that is the tractor’s trump card.

Initially appearing in the larger 926 tractors in 1995, Fendt quickly realised the potential of their Vario transmission.

While not pioneered by Fendt, Fendt were the first, and continue to be the only manufacture, to offer the a CVT gearbox as standard across all of its tractor ranges.

A seamless and stepless transmission, the Vario combines the benefits of powershift with variable speed control, moving gradually from full hydrostatic drive to mechanical drive as speed increases.

With two ranges, the tractor can be operated at any ground speed between 0-50kph, allowing the driver to find the optimum working speed for every task.

Inheriting the cab for the larger 700 range, the 412’s cab is a pleasant working space with bright grey panelling, while large windows and a sloping nose cone provide great levels of visibility, although it often receives criticism for being cramped as well as a lack of storage space.

The major difference lies with the control joystick which solely controls speed and direction changes.

On larger models it also had hydraulic, lift and PTO functions. Fendt addressed this when the 400 range was updated in 2006, along with TMS which allowed the ground speed to be controlled from the accelerator as well as the joystick.

A very high level of specification is standard on these tractors including front linkage and PTO, air brakes, three speed PTO, and 50kph road speed as well as front and cab suspension.

Powerful and sophisticated, the 412 also boasts a compact and manoeuvrable frame that packs a punch with clean second hand examples continuing to command high resale prices.

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