Milestones in the history of combine harvesters include the world’s first harvester equipped with a hydrostatic drive transmission, the Köla Hydromat, whose production began in 1966. Each driving wheel was powered by a hydraulic motor. There were two speed ranges: 0…10 and 0…20 km/h. The Hydromat’s engine was a 6-cylinder Perkins, whose 106 hp power was rather low compared to the rest of the harvester’s design. The threshing mechanism width was 127.5 cm. The length of the threshing drum was as much as 380 cm. Header widths were available in sizes ranging from 300 to 600 cm. The cutting height adjustment was automatic. The saddle-shaped grain tank had a volume of 2,800 liters. The Hydromat was available in the traditional red or white.

In 1969, Ködel & Böhm came under the ownership of Deutz. Slightly earlier, they had already acquired Fahr, which specialized in smaller combine harvesters. Thus, the Köla Hydromat became Fahr’s flagship model M1250. The most important change was the 140-horsepower Deutz engine. Production continued at Köla’s factory in Lauingen, where eventually the rest of Deutz-Fahr’s production was also concentrated.

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