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History of Fendt forage harvesters
The history of Fendt self-propelled forage harvesters is considerably shorter than that of many other European manufacturers. For decades, the company was best known for its tractors, and the decision to develop its own self-propelled forage harvester was not made until the beginning of the 21st century. The project that would later become known as the Katana began in 2006.
Over the next several years, a number of prototypes were built and extensively tested across Europe and North America. Fendt chose to develop the machine as an in-house design while drawing on the wider engineering expertise of the AGCO Group. The new forage harvester made its official debut in 2010 at the Fendt Field Day in Wadenbrunn. The name Katana was inspired by the Japanese sword, reflecting the emphasis placed on precise and efficient crop cutting.
In 2011, the first Fendt Katana 65 machines began working with customers, while the model was officially launched on the market in 2012. Production was based at the Hohenmölsen plant in Germany. The first production Katana was powered by a Mercedes-Benz V8 engine producing around 650 hp and was aimed primarily at large farms and agricultural contractors from the outset.
One of the distinctive features of the Katana 65 was its high-capacity crop-flow system, which used six feed rollers and a large cutterhead. Fendt also introduced a two-speed engine management concept. When full power was not required, the operator could use Eco mode, while Power mode made the engine’s full output available for more demanding harvesting conditions.
As early as 2013, Fendt unveiled the larger Fendt Katana 85 at Agritechnica. The machine was fitted with a 21-litre, 12-cylinder MTU engine producing around 850 hp. This moved Fendt into the highest-output segment of the self-propelled forage harvester market and allowed it to compete directly with the largest machines from manufacturers such as CLAAS, Krone and New Holland.
In the years that followed, the design was continuously refined. Among other updates, the Katana 65 received a new 15.6-litre, six-cylinder MTU engine. Fendt also continued to develop automatic steering, chop-length adjustment systems, kernel processors and technologies designed to reduce fuel consumption.
Another major step came towards the end of the 2010s with the introduction of the Fendt Katana 650. The machine retained its 650 hp output but received a substantially redesigned CropFlow 2.0 crop-flow system. The cutterhead, discharge system and kernel processors were all upgraded. According to the manufacturer, the new design increased throughput by more than 20 percent compared with the previous generation.
In 2022, ten years after series sales of the Katana began, Fendt introduced the new Katana 850. Unlike the earlier Katana 85 with its V12 engine, the new machine was powered by an 18-litre, six-cylinder Liebherr engine. It produced 847 hp, while the new generation also featured an improved crop-flow system, greater automation and more advanced machine monitoring and control systems.
The current Fendt self-propelled forage harvester range consists of the Katana 650 and Katana 850. The smaller model produces 650 hp, while the larger machine delivers around 850 hp. Both models continue to be manufactured at the Hohenmölsen plant in Germany.
Although Fendt entered the self-propelled forage harvester market much later than CLAAS, John Deere or New Holland, it has developed a distinctive and well-established family of machines in little more than a decade. From the original Katana 65 to today’s Katana 850, the range has remained firmly focused on farms and agricultural contractors requiring high harvesting capacity and a high level of automation.