Fahr combine harvester production began in 1951 with the self-propelled model MD 1, which had a 30-horsepower gasoline engine and a cutting width of 210 cm. It was soon followed by more powerful models MD 2, 3, 4, and 5, equipped with a wider cutting table. In 1955, the MDL was introduced below these models. It initially had a cutting width of 150 cm and a gasoline-powered industrial engine based on the Porsche 356 engine. In 1958, the cutting width increased to 180 cm, and alongside the gasoline engine came a 34-horsepower MB diesel engine. In 1959, a 210 cm cutting table was also offered.

The engine was placed on the side of the cabin. Lifting the cutting table was done mechanically with a hand lever, and lowering with a foot pedal. With the 210 cm cutting table, the lifting was hydraulic. The reel speed could be switched between two options. The threshing drum speed could be adjusted between 1100 and 1550 rpm by adjusting the variator wheel. A total of over 8,000 Fahr MDL units were manufactured. A parallel model to the MDL, largely identical to it, was the pull-type combine MDT. Additionally, at the same time, large MDS, MDM, and MDG models were in production, but their production numbers remained low.

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