Diverse Operation, Dynamic Fendt Tractors

Jonathan Raber describes himself as a “jack of all trades,” but he’s really at home in a farm shop. Ask him to pin down his job at Red Hill Farm, and the first word that comes to his mind is “mechanic.”

So it makes sense that a warranty and customer service were the first things that caught his eye about Fendt. Raber says a competing equipment’s dealerships were converting to new management, and “we had tinkered with the idea of looking at Fendt but never really pulled the trigger.” That changed last year, when Raber worked with Dave Colvin at Lowe and Young in Wooster, Ohio, to purchase a new Fendt 933 Vario.

“With me working in the shop, that warranty and them doing the repairs and maintenance was a big deciding factor,” says Raber. “The tractors come with a 3-year, 3,000 mile warranty, and it’s bumper-to-bumper,” he says. He uses the plural “tractors” because the family just took delivery this spring on a new Fendt 716, partly because the first season with the 933 was so successful.

Raber noticed a difference as soon as the manure tankers were hooked up. “We haul 6,000-gallon manure tankers, very big … The Fendt is clearly a lot better with braking power, more horsepower. You can make a lot better time, which is always a good thing.” Efficiency is key, and Raber says Fendt is a cost-efficient solution. “It is very conservative on fuel, which is a good thing for the amount of horsepower it has.”

The Raber family’s operation is very diverse, and the Fendt tractors will fit right in. Raber says they plan to use the 716 in both the row crop and hay operations this spring and summer. Meanwhile, the 933 has become essential. “The 933 seems well-equipped with plenty of horsepower for anything we’ve thrown at it yet,” he says.