CLASSIC DRIVING IMPRESSION: At Agritechnica in 1991, Fendt unveiled the intriguing, radical-looking Xylon as a concept project for the first time. Can this concept replace the proven Trac tractor, or is the new Xylon more of an open-view tool carrier, like the GTA, albeit with a mid-mounted cab? profi drove the Xylon 320.
Technically, the Xylon is indeed “only” an open-view type tractor but with a (newly developed) mid- mounted cab. A totally different design wouldn’t have been cost effective or a runner, because the development and manufacturing of special Trac models is too expensive, as the Trac experiences of both Mercedes-Benz and Deutz-Fahr have shown. Visually, however, the Xylon 320 that was unveiled at Agritechnica 1991, was almost a “real” Trac tractor: it has the cab located in the middle and four attachment points, with only identically sized wheels missing.
As Technology Managing Director, Detlef Prietz, says: “We are able to create a version with identically sized wheels, however the manoeuvrability is better with wheels of different sizes — 18.4 R38 at the rear and 16.9 R34 at the front.” The more crucial question for farmers, however, is: What are the practical advantages of a Xylon concept? What work can I do on my farm with the Xylon that could not also be done by a standard tractor or the GTA? We therefore operated the Xylon 320 with various implements to discover its main advantages … and its disadvantages.
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