Case recently revealed its latest and most powerful Quadtrac to date, the Steiger 785 which has a peak output of 853hp.
This latest iteration of the Quadtrac has, at its heart, the same 16L, six cylinder FPT Curser engine asthe previous top end model, but in a greater state of tune with all the extra cooling and other elements that will be required.
The transmission also remains the same Case IH 16-speed PowerDrive powershift transmission as fitted to the Quadtrac 715.
That machine, the Quadtrac 715, was, at the time of its launch, hailed as a new level of Quadtrac, with it having tracks that are 305mm longer than the lower powered models and new drive wheels that engage five rather than four lugs on the track.
Room to improve
At the time, these improvements were confined to just the largest machine in the range, leaving spare capacity for bigger models to come, and the 785 is the first of the bigger brothers to arrive.
Case has taken two years to add just under 10% to the 715. A similar increase in 2027 will result in a tractor of 935hp, while in 2029 the world may be presented with its first mass produced tractor of over 1,000hp.
This is a highly speculative forecast, but the demand for power never eases as the large plains of the US and central Europe are well suited to big cultivators of ever-increasing width.
Engine choice
However, the Cursor 16 engine used in these two Quadtracs is currently maxed out at 860hp, according to the FPT catalogue, so bigger models are likely to need a different engine altogether.
At this point, it is worth noting that the recent sale of FPT to TATA of India severs all connections between Case New Holland and FPT, freeing the company to go shopping for engines wherever it likes, although that may not have been any great restraint anyway.
While Case may be able to produce a 1,000hp Quadtrac tomorrow if so minded, the implement manufacturers will need time to keep up with the draught that would be available from such large machines.
The Steiger connection
Case publicly showcased the 785hp Quadtrac for the first time at The Farm Progress Show held in Illinois in late August.
There was a palpable shift in the marketing, with this latest tractor being sold as the Steiger 785 rather than Case Quadtrac 785.
The Steiger name has long been associated with the Quadtrac, sometimes appearing on the machines, sometimes not. But with the new 785 it is boldly applied to the bonnet side panels as the primary model designation.
One reason for this move could be that Case may well be attempting to differentiate between the smaller models that are available on either wheels or tracks, from the two larger models which are tracked only.
This will add a further family to the stable of Case model ranges and establishes the Steiger models as being the premium offerings in the company’s portfolio of large tractors.
Why Steiger?
The connection between Case IH and the Steiger name stretches back nearly forty years to 1986 when Tenneco, then the parent company of Case, purchased Steiger after it had sought protection through Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
The mid-1980s had been a tough time for tractor manufacturers and, just as we have seen in more recent times, it is the big tractors that suffer the greatest fall in the US market when farmers stop buying.
Steiger’s sales were down to 25% of what they had been. In 1986, the company introduced its ground-breaking Puma 1000, an articulated tractor with front axle steering, enabling tighter headland turns in row crops.
Whether the development costs had contributed to the dire financial situation is not recorded, but it certainly would not have helped.
Farming family
As a company, Steiger itself dates back to the late 1950s when John Steiger and his two sons, Douglas and Maurice, built their own articulated tractor to cover the 2,000ac the family farmed between them.
It was a mix of bits from various machines, but underneath the bonnet lay a 238hp Detroit two stroke diesel and 1958 saw the tractor working for the first time.
One detail that was well ahead of its time was the steering, with a lever for the driver to operate instead of a wheel, predating current joystick steering by several decades.
This first model, known as Steiger Number 1, has been fully restored and is currently on display in West Fargo, North Dakota.
Two years later, a smaller tractor for harrowing was designed and built, also for the family’s own use. This was known as the 105.
It was a half-size machine, being powered by a Detroit three cylinder diesel of 118hp powering the wheels through a five speed Spicer transmission and Steiger’s own two speed transfer box.
Production commences
It was the 105 that kicked off the manufacturing of tractors, for it was this model that their neighbours wanted on their own farms, and so the company began to grow..
By the mid-1960s, the company had expanded to such an extent that new premises were required and so the move to North Dakota took place, with the company now being half owned by a group of outside investors.
The tractor business continued to grow, with many major components being purchased from well known suppliers such as Caterpillar, Cummins, Dana, and Spicer.
This added to the ease of maintenance, as parts were readily available from sources other than Steiger dealers, ensuring that the tractors could be kept operational in areas remote from a company agency.
The early to mid-1970s was a golden era for the company, sales increased from $2 million per year to over $104 million, with machines being built for other companies such as Ford, Allis Chalmers, and International Harvester.
The green livery of Steiger had been adopted at the start and it did not disappear until three years after the takeover by Teneco.
However the factory still produces the Case/Steiger Quadtrac machines at Fargo, North Dakota.
