Challenger

Challenger is an American brand of agricultural tractors. Created by Caterpillar Inc. in 1986, the brand was sold to AGCO in 2002. Since then, tractors have been manufactured at the company’s Jackson, Minnesota facility.

Origins of Challenger

The original model was the Challenger 65 featuring the Mobile-Trac System (MTS) consisting of rubber tracks and a suspension system. Although marketed as the world’s first rubber tracked agricultural tractor, a company using surplus equipment inspired by the design of military tanks. It had produced a considerable number of rubber-tracked tank tractors. The MTS combined the flotation and traction of steel tracks with the versatility of rubber tires. The use of tracks gave the machines increased traction performance. Compared to traditional four-wheel-drive tractors equipped with tires. The Challenger 65 began as a 270 gross HP machine used primarily for heavy tillage.

History Of Challenger

Late 20th century:

In 1995 Caterpillar introduced the first row-crop tracked machines with the Challenger 35, 45 and 55. These machines ranged in power from 130 KW to 168 KW. And were designed to be used for a variety of tasks the larger machines could not. The Challenger tracked tractor was produced by Caterpillar at their Illinois location until name and all of its associated agricultural assets were sold to AGCO.

Early 21st century:

Since 2002, when the brand was purchased by AGCO, tractors have been manufactured at the company’s Minnesota facility. At the time AGCO purchased the Challenger brand most dealers were also Caterpillar construction equipment dealers. Although AGCO has shifted focus of the Challenger tractor to the agricultural market, the construction market is still an important sector for the tractors as AGCO.

The Caterpillar Challenger MT875B was the most powerful production tractor available during its span with 430 KW gross engine power. In 2007, the MT875B broke the world record for most land tilled in 24 hours with a custom-made, 14 m disc harrow. It tilled 644 ha.

Current:

The current production of tractors has expanded to include both tracked and wheeled type tractors. Both types are available in either row crop or flotation type configurations depending upon the preference of the customer. Since their purchase in 2002, the Challenger brand has used a Caterpillar diesel engine in the majority of their models. However, with the introduction of the D series of each tractor model.