Kaiser says Case IH is seeing a need for “row-crop” Steigers to pull the bigger planters and strip-till rigs. He says, instead of having two or three smaller tractors, a farmer can have one bigger 4-wd and reduce the number of experienced operators required.
Rawly Hicks, marketing manager for AGCO Challenger tractors, reports an increase in demand for 4-wd tractors in the 300- to 400-PTO-hp range. He says this size offers growers an economical choice to the standard row-crop tractors.
“Growers are increasingly conscious of the cost of horsepower,” Hicks says. “As the cost of fixed-frame MFWD technology increases, the power, performance, and maneuverability provided by fully articulated 4-wd machines is available as a more cost-effective choice.”