Setting A Trend With Fendt Tractors
This early adopter of the Fendt platform says its efficiency, reliability and adaptability are turning heads.
By Jamie Cole | Photos By Jamie Cole
Ryan Davidson isn’t new to AGCO equipment. His father and grandfather first brought a Challenger track tractor to Davidson Farm, near Tioga, North Dakota, in 1999. After Ryan took over the farm in 2004, he continued to work with Challengers and still runs them for some applications. He also plants with a White Planter 8816, stores grain in GSI bins, and sprays with a RoGator, new this year.
So when the Fendt platform was being introduced to North America, it fit Ryan’s ideal of an all-purpose tractor for his 8,500-acre operation. Five years ago, his AGCO dealer, Butler Machinery Company in Minot, “brought the Fendt 720 out and I immediately fell in love with it,” he says.
Ryan was a trendsetter. He was “one of the first in this corner of the state” to own a Fendt, he says, and now says there are seven others within 20 miles of his farm. His latest, purchased early in 2020, is the Fendt 724, and “it’s kind of a Swiss Army Knife for us,” Ryan says. “We use it about every aspect (of the farm) to help us get done as quickly as possible.”
That includes moving grain, picking rock, running the auger and pulling the White 8816, which Ryan says surprised some of his neighbors. “I’ve actually had many people ask me, ‘Are you going to pull that (planter) with this tractor?’ Well… yeah! And it pulls it with ease.”
Pulling the planter with the 724 has given Ryan solid insight into the differences Fendt offers. “You barely know (the planter) is back there,” he says. “And the thing sips fuel. I think I kinda forgot to fill the tank up this morning,” he laughs, but adds it’s not uncommon to go through a 15-hour day of work without refueling. “I’ve had multiple tractors in this size range over the last 20 years,” Ryan says. “The amount of fuel this tractor consumes is just a fraction of what any of the other manufacturers I’ve had out here consume.”
“The amount of fuel this tractor consumes is just a fraction of what any of the other manufacturers I’ve had out here consume.”Click To TweetRyan also credits Butler Machinery for further benefits in cost of ownership. “I’ve got other brand’s dealerships within 30 miles of me,” says Ryan, “and Butler is 80 miles away. And I have consistently gotten better service and support.”
The creature comforts don’t hurt, either. “Smooth, suspended front axle, suspended cab, really comfortable seat,” he says, “and there’s a great sound system. That’s a big thing for me.”
While Ryan says Fendt is “ahead of the pack” on technology, it doesn’t mean the tractor is complicated to run. “You can make it as complicated or as simple as it needs to be,” he says. “Once I set it up correctly, I can put anybody in here.”
That makes the Fendt 724 his go-to for any task. “We can adapt it to pretty much any operation on the farm,” he says.