Fendt 1100 Vario MT vs. its Challenger sibling in our Tractor Review

The Fendt 1100 MT used to be a Challenger tracked tractor with a bit of European paint stuck to it. Now, though, the Bavarians have transplaned a new heart into the American. It becomes the shiftless Fendt 1100 Vario MT series. We had the top model, the 1167 Vario MT, run against its yellow sibling to see which works faster and better.

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For that, Fendt send their components to the Challenger production site in Jackson, Minnesota. As a first, even the largest tracked tractors of the series get a total makeover to adapt to the Fendt brand.
The 1100 Vario MT series now starts with the now starts with the 11 51 at 511 horse power. At the top end, the 1167 Vario MT delivers 673 horse power. As the only model of the series, the big guy can draw an additional 55 horse power for hydraulics and the P.T.O.
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The result is the strongest Fendt Vario ever built.
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Fendt now go a step further in adapting the Challenger template. To replace the AGCO power engine, they ship a 15.2 litre M A N diesel to Jackson. As for the top model 1167 Vario MT, it is even a 16.2 litre M A N engine.
More relevant than any enginde detail, though, is how power is delivered to the tracks. And in that regard, the Fendt engineers have used a sledgehammer on the yellow original.
The powershift gearbox on board the Challenger is made by Caterpillar, known as reliable and was easy to handle during our test day. And yet, the engineers replaced the American’s heart. The combination of a Vario drivetrain and the M A N engine meets the electronic tractor management system, which controls engine and transmission automatically.
This dramatically changes the operator’s job as compared to the powershift models. There is no more need to spare a thought for the proper combination of engine revs, gear and speed. Instead, you can now fully concentrate on the implement and the quality of its work.
Delivering the power to the topsoil, but not getting any jerks and jolts back is a challenge, which the Fendt takes up more determined than the Challenger.
It starts with the tracked drive system and its suspension. Its central carrier is attached to the Chassis via coil springs, shock absorbers and silent blocks. It can swing up to 96 millimeters up and down. This comes with an added feature, besides more comfort: You can tilt the Chassis up to 11° against the tracks and thus choose the best angle of attack for different implements. Furthermore, you can use the system as an alternative to ballasting.

This field test wasn’t exactly hard work for us. While some high tech startups are still tinkering with the autonomous field robot, the Fendt crawler already drives itself. Upon request, you can combine the Variotronich headland management and the Varotronic turn assistant to receive the system Fendt T I headland. As a result, the Vario will work the entire field on its own, as long as there are no mishaps like a clogged up implement.
The only drawback regarding the electronics: Fendt do not offer their new state-of-the-art operating concept Fendt One for the 1100 series.

Our conclusion: It’s quite impressive to see how the Variodrive impacts and improves day-to-day work with the machine as compared to the powershift versions.

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