Two partners, three combines, four countries: Courage, experience and a little bit of luck
The farm machinery bug often catches people at an early age. Take friends Reiner Auinger and Andreas Bach, for instance. In their Bavarian hometown of Theilenhofen, as youngsters they'd regularly visit a local contractor who operated up to 10 combines at the peak of harvest. Impressed by their enthusiasm, the owner trained the two on how to drive a harvester.
The friends soon became key figures in the contracting business. “Luckily, school holidays usually coincided with harvest,” grins Reiner. “Otherwise we would be picked up as soon as school finished and go sit on the combines.” Andreas adds: “The only time our age was a problem was when the combine had to travel to the next field, as we weren't old enough to have a licence. Most of the time the customers drove the combine to the next field."
From driver to company boss
Not only did the two friends gain experience using the New Holland TX combines,
