 | |
| Industry | Agricultural machinery |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1986 |
| Headquarters | Jackson, Minnesota, United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Tractors |
| Parent | AGCO |
| Website | Official website |
Challenger is an American brand of agricultural tractors. Created in 1986 by Caterpillar Inc., the brand was sold to AGCO in 2002. Since then, Challenger tractors have been manufactured at the company's Jackson, Minnesota facility.
The original model was the Challenger 65 featuring the Mobile-Trac System (MTS) consisting of rubber tracks and a suspension system. [1] Although marketed as the world's first rubber-tracked agricultural tractor, a company using surplus equipment inspired by the design of military tanks 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 tractive performance compared to traditional four wheel drive tractors equipped with tires. The Challenger 65 began as a 270 gross hp (200 kW) [2] machine used primarily for heavy tillage.
In 1995 Caterpillar introduced the first "row crop" tracked machines with the Challenger 35, 45 and 55. [3] These machines ranged in power from 130 KW PTO 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 Dekalb, Illinois location until the Challenger name and all of its associated agricultural assets were sold to AGCO. [4] During the late 1990s, the Challenger 65B was introduced. This was an upgraded version of the 65 model. It retained the bulk of the original’s specifications except for the system improvements that increased reliability. [1]
Since 2002, when the brand was purchased by AGCO, Challenger tractors have been manufactured at the company's Jackson, Minnesota facility. At the time AGCO purchased the Challenger brand most Challenger 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 still manufactures specially configured machines for use with pull-type earth moving equipment. [5]
The Caterpillar Challenger MT875B was the most powerful production tractor available during its span with 430 kW gross (580 hp) engine power. [6] In 2007, the MT875B broke the world record for most land tilled in 24 hours with a custom-made, 14 metres (46 ft) disc harrow fabricated by Grégoire Besson. [7] It tilled 644 hectares (1,590 acres). The tractor consumed 4.42 litres per hectare (0.393 imp gal/acre) diesel fuel. [8]
The production of Challenger tractors expanded for a time to include both tracked and wheeled type tractors, which were available in either row-crop or flotation type configurations depending upon the preference of the customer. [9] 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, AGCO began implementing the use of AGCO Power branded engines that are Tier 4i/Stage 3B emission compliant by using e3, a Selective Catalytic Reduction system which injects urea in engine's exhaust gas stream to reduce nitrogen oxides and particulate matter emitted to the atmosphere. [10] [11] [12] [13]
As of 2023 [update] , only tracked tractors in the 700 Series (MT738, MT740, and MT743 models) and 800 Series (MT851, MT856, MT862, and MT865 models) are in production. [14] [15] AGCO began phasing out the Challenger brand in 2020. [16] [17] Additionally, the Rogator application machine is now produced and sold under AGCO's Fendt brand name. [18]
Continuous track or tracked treads are a system of vehicle propulsion used in tracked vehicles, running on a continuous band of treads or track plates driven by two or more wheels. The large surface area of the tracks distributes the weight of the vehicle better than steel or rubber tyres on an equivalent vehicle, enabling continuous tracked vehicles to traverse soft ground with less likelihood of becoming stuck due to sinking.
A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or construction. Most commonly, the term is used to describe a farm vehicle that provides the power and traction to mechanize agricultural tasks, especially tillage, and now many more. Agricultural implements may be towed behind or mounted on the tractor, and the tractor may also provide a source of power if the implement is mechanised.
A bulldozer or dozer is a large, motorized machine equipped with a metal blade to the front for pushing material: soil, sand, snow, rubble, or rock during construction work. It travels most commonly on continuous tracks, though specialized models riding on large off-road tires are also produced. Its most popular accessory is a ripper, a large hook-like device mounted singly or in multiples in the rear to loosen dense materials.
Massey Ferguson Limited is a Canadian-British agricultural machinery manufacturer. The company was established in 1953 through the merger of farm equipment makers Massey-Harris of Canada and the Ferguson Company of the United Kingdom. It was based in Toronto, then Brantford, Ontario, Canada, until 1988. The company transferred its headquarters in 1991 to Buffalo, New York, U.S. before it was acquired by AGCO, the new owner of its former competitor Allis-Chalmers.
Fendt is a German agricultural machinery manufacturer founded in 1930 by Xaver Fendt in Marktoberdorf, Allgäu region, Germany. Fendt manufactures tractors, combine harvesters, balers, telescopic handlers and row crop planters. It was purchased by AGCO Corporation in 1997.
Caterpillar Inc., also known simply as CAT, is an American construction, mining and other engineering equipment manufacturer. The company is the world's largest manufacturer of construction equipment. In 2018, Caterpillar was ranked number 73 on the Fortune 500 list and number 265 on the Global Fortune 500 list. Caterpillar stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
AGCO Corporation is an American agricultural machinery manufacturer headquartered in Duluth, Georgia, United States. It was founded in 1990. AGCO designs, produces and sells tractors, combines, foragers, hay tools, self-propelled sprayers, smart farming technologies, seeding equipment, and tillage equipment.
Allis-Chalmers was a U.S. manufacturer of machinery for various industries. Its business lines included agricultural equipment, construction equipment, power generation and power transmission equipment, and machinery for use in industrial settings such as factories, flour mills, sawmills, textile mills, steel mills, refineries, mines, and ore mills.
Varity was a Canadian multinational manufacturing company, created in 1986 from the remains of Massey Ferguson (MF) of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Varity also owned Perkins Engines, headquartered in Peterborough, England, and Kelsey-Hayes, headquartered in Romulus, Michigan, as well as subsidiaries in many countries. After a period of corporate losses left MF insolvent, Varity was formed to detach the ownership of insolvent Massey Ferguson from its liabilities, including pension plans, and enable the Massey Ferguson brand and several subsidiaries to continue as working entities. By the year 2000, Varity itself was defunct, having successfully sold off its divisions.
White Farm Equipment is a manufacturer of agricultural machinery, now discontinued and owned by AGCO.
Valtra is an agricultural machinery manufacturer based in Äänekoski, Finland. Valtra's products include tractors, combine harvesters, sugar cane harvesters, self-propelled sprayers and seed drills. Valtra has been part of the American AGCO Corporation since 2004.
Tractors in India are a major industry and significant contributor to its agriculture output gains.
Laverda is a manufacturer of combine harvesters and hay equipment, based in Breganze, Italy. It was founded in 1873 by Pietro Laverda to produce farming implements in the Province of Vicenza. 1956 was the year the first self-propelled Laverda combine, the M 60, was manufactured. Laverda formed a partnership with Fiat in 1981, and would be a part of that company for some 20 years.
Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited (TAFE) is an Indian agricultural machinery manufacturer based in Chennai, India. TAFE is the third-largest tractor manufacturer in the world and the second largest in India by volume.
The Oliver Farm Equipment Company was an American farm equipment manufacturer from the 20th century. It was formed as a result of a 1929 merger of four companies: the American Seeding Machine Company of Richmond, Indiana; Oliver Chilled Plow Works of South Bend, Indiana; Hart-Parr Tractor Company of Charles City, Iowa; and Nichols and Shepard Company of Battle Creek, Michigan.
The Gleaner Manufacturing Company is an American manufacturer of combine harvesters. Gleaner has been a popular brand of combine harvester particularly in the Midwestern United States for many decades, first as an independent firm, and later as a division of Allis-Chalmers. The Gleaner brand continues today under the ownership of AGCO.
Agricultural machinery relates to the mechanical structures and devices used in farming or other agriculture. There are many types of such equipment, from hand tools and power tools to tractors and the countless kinds of farm implements that they tow or operate. Diverse arrays of equipment are used in both organic and nonorganic farming. Especially since the advent of mechanised agriculture, agricultural machinery is an indispensable part of how the world is fed. Agricultural machinery can be regarded as part of wider agricultural automation technologies, which includes the more advanced digital equipment and robotics. While agricultural robots have the potential to automate the three key steps involved in any agricultural operation, conventional motorized machinery is used principally to automate only the performing step where diagnosis and decision-making are conducted by humans based on observations and experience.
AAg-Chem Equipment Company was a manufacturer of nutrient and pesticide application equipment that was founded in Jackson, Minnesota USA. It was sold to AGCO Corporation in 2001.
A driverless tractor is an autonomous farm vehicle that delivers a high tractive effort at slow speeds for the purposes of tillage and other agricultural tasks. It is considered driverless because it operates without the presence of a human inside the tractor itself. Like other unmanned ground vehicles, they are programmed to independently observe their position, decide speed, and avoid obstacles such as people, animals, or objects in the field while performing their task. The various driverless tractors are split into full autonomous technology and supervised autonomy. The idea of the driverless tractor appears as early as 1940, but the concept has significantly evolved in the last few years. The tractors use GPS and other wireless technologies to farm land without requiring a driver. They operate simply with the aid of a supervisor monitoring the progress at a control station or with a manned tractor in lead.
