The Fendt Slicer TLX disc mower range was unveiled to the public for the first time at Agritechnica 2017.
The machine comes from the Fella factory. Back in 2011 Fendt’s parent company – AGCO – acquired the remaining 50% stake in Laverda from the Italian ARGO Group (which owns Landini and McCormick, among other brands).
AGCO had already purchased 50% of Laverda – Italy’s biggest harvesting equipment manufacturer – back in 2007.
The overall deal included 100% ownership of Fella-Werke GmbH (Fella) – a Germany-based manufacturer of grass and hay machinery.
Fella equipment was previously imported into Ireland by Meath-based Farmec.
Back to the mower; the Fendt-badged machine comes with a new, ‘diagonal’ transport position. This, says Fendt, leaves it very compact.
Due to the curved shape of the arm, the mower unit has a swing range of +28° to -20°, to enable it to better follow uneven ground when working. Hydro-pneumatic suspension is standard.
The mowers come in two operating widths – 3.1m and 3.6m. Three models are available in each operating width, with a tine conditioner, a roller conditioner or without any conditioner.
The tine conditioner is the obvious option for Irish conditions.
A SafetySwing impact guard is claimed to “ensure optimal safety in the field – offering some protection to the implement against damage caused by obstacles”. The mower unit moves back and up to avoid an obstacle; it then returns naturally to its original position, once the obstacle has passed.
Forager with reversible fan
In other Fendt news, the German manufacturer has announced that the Katana 85 self-propelled forager now comes with a reversible fan.
According to Fendt, this machine is finding buyers not just amongst those chopping forage for livestock farmers but also for biofuel facilities.
The reversible fan enables air flow direction to be reversed – by turning the fan blades. This, says the company, results in cleaner radiator grills.
The cooling capacity is automatically adjusted to the engine’s needs, by changing the angle of the fan blades.
