Blue wonder on the green island.

As true Kiwis, Philip Wareing and his team are intimately familiar with the rigours of the terrain on New Zealand's South Island. In addition to its incomparable beauty, the landscape is above all characterised by steep, unpaved tracks that few trucks can handle. One of the most prominent: the Mercedes-Benz Zetros, which, thanks to its outstanding off‑road capability, masters even extreme challenges. Philip Wareing has added four of the Special Trucks with the distinctive bonnet to the fleet of his contracting company, which specialises in fertiliser application and transport.

The Managing Director of Philip Wareing Ltd cares deeply about his land and its preservation. Interventions in nature should not exceed what is necessary. All tasks should therefore be carried out quickly and gently at the same time. For fertiliser application this means: as few trips as possible. No problem for the Zetros. Thanks to its large capacity, up to 6 tonnes of fertiliser can be applied per pass. That corresponds to roughly an area of up to 120 ha of land, depending on the fertiliser and the desired application rate.

To be economically viable, work in agriculture allows no compromises on efficiency and availability. Performance and quality are therefore further essential characteristics of vehicles used in agricultural operations. The four new Zetros from Philip Wareing Ltd, each rated at 240 kW (326 hp), score across the board. Equipped with permanent all-wheel drive and steel-sprung 13-t rear axles with drum brakes, the robust bonneted trucks are built tough. Even slopes of up to 35° are mastered by the Zetros in the hilly terrain of New Zealand's South Island without difficulty.

Jeff Gliddon, driver at Philip Wareing Ltd, has been operating high‑performance machines of this calibre on agricultural fields for his company for over 25 years. He can't stop raving about the Zetros:

Because contractors such as Philip Wareing cannot afford expensive downtime, reliable availability of spare parts is also a decisive factor when purchasing a vehicle. The Managing Director relies on Mercedes‑Benz’s extensive service network, which includes more than 5,000 certified workshops worldwide. In an emergency, parts can be obtained promptly through it.

'Network' is also an important keyword for Philip Wareing when it comes to equipping his vehicles. Countless body configuration options make the Zetros the ideal vehicle platform for versatile applications. For the contractor, bodybuilder Engineering Repairs Ltd from Ashburton has developed a suitable solution. The mounted fertiliser tanks can apply lime and granular fertiliser as well as urea. With this, Philip Wareing and his team want to ensure that the company's crop fields and livestock pastures remain as green as is typical for New Zealand.