Fendt 9442 Vario: Tractor of the Year 2020

The Fendt 942 Vario is the Tractor of the Year 2020. The prestigious prize was awarded at Agritechnica by an international jury composed of journalists specialized in the agricultural machinery sector. The balance was tipped in favour of the Vario 942 - a tractor with more than 400 horsepower - by the machine’s high level of connectivity (many functions can be managed remotely by the operator) and, above all, by the optimization of the 9 litre Man engine. Thanks to the Fendt ID technology, the engine is able to supply all the necessary power working at low speed. It does so by exploiting an optimal torque that helps lower the consumption levels. Full marks also went to the hydraulic system, equipped with two independent high-flow circuits, and the Vario Drive transmission that distributes torque to the two axles in such a way as to optimize traction, in the field and on the road. Also competing in the “final” for the Tractor of the Year 2020 title, the Case IH Magnum 380 CVX Drive, the Claas Axion 960 Terra Trac, the McCormick X7.624 VT Drive and the Valtra N 154e Versu. Another Fendt tractor, the 314 Profi + model, came at the top of the Best of Utility category by surpassing a flock of highly qualified competitors, consisting of the Kubota M4072, the New Holland T 5.140 Dynamic Command, the Steyr 4130 Expert CVT and the Valtra A 114 HiTech 4. In this case, the jurors of the international press awarded the Dynamic Performance technology which provides the tractor with additional power regardless of the type of processing in which the machine is engaged (therefore also for operations at the PTO with the machine at a standstill). Another plus of the Fendt 314 Profi + is the driving position, with the FendtOne cabin that sees the introduction of new terminals and more options for customizing the control systems. The goal, in this case, is to synchronize the management and sharing of data, as well as operational planning, between the single tractor, the fleet and the farm’s headquarters. The winner of the Best of Specialized category speaks Italian. It was the New Holland T4.110 model which, thanks to the suspended “TerraGlide” axle (available with or without braking system), beat the competition of the Carraro V 75 Compact, the Massey Ferguson 3709 Alpine and the Same Frutteto 100 ActiveSteer. The “TerraGlide” technology, as stated in the Tractor of the Year information notes, represents a turning point in terms of comfort and agility of the tractor, because it allows you to work on the road or in the field at higher speeds and always with maximum safety. The operator can change the height and stiffness of the suspension according to the specific conditions of whatever terrain it’s operating on. Meanwhile, the Anti-Dive function (standard) has the task of reducing pitching during braking or acceleration with heavy equipment. The sustainability award, a real innovation for the Tractor of the Year 2019 edition, went to another tractor branded New Holland, even though it is still at the prototype stage. It is a model with a natural gas engine that delivers the same power and torque as a diesel engine. The New Holland prototype is equipped with precision farming technologies, including an automatic ground obstacle detection system. Some operations, such as unlocking the machine, can be performed directly from a smartphone.