These are notes that I am writing to help me learn our industrial history. They are my best understanding, but that does not mean they are a correct understanding.
Since I have a posting for Versatile Tractors, it is only fair that I have a posting for Steiger Tractors since they helped pioneer the modern articulated tractor.
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The Steiger family built their first tractor in their barn to provide a bigger tractor for their farming operation during the winter of 1957. In 1963 they became serious about designing and building tractors. They built about 125 tractors of five different designs in their barn. In 1969 they joined forces with some business men and built a factory in Fargo, ND with 26 employees. Growth continued and they moved to a second plant that currently houses the Case Engineering Test Center in Fargo.
In May 1974, ground was broken for the current production facility. The new 420,000 sq. ft.
manufacturing plant was finished in less than a year and had the capacity to produce a new STEIGER
tractor every 18 minutes. In the 1970’s, more than 1,100 people worked at the STEIGER facility.
During this time frame, STEIGER also produced more than 10,000 tractors for Allis-Chalmers, Ford,
CCIL's Canadian CO-OP Implement Limited and International Harvester.
In 1977, annual sales hit $104 million and in 1979 the plant built its 10,000th tractor.
In January 1986, another revolutionary tractor, the PUMA 1000, was introduced. It was the first
STEIGER tractor built with a steerable front axle and articulated steering, making maneuvering in row
crop applications with a larger tractor possible. In the same year, a 12-speed powershift transmission
was introduced on all STEIGER tractors.
The poor farm economy of the 80’s also took its toll on the STEIGER Tractor Co. With the worldwide
farm economy struggling, STEIGER sold fewer tractors. In 1986, with the plant operating at 25%
capacity, STEIGER filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Later that year, Tenneco Inc., then the
parent company of Case, bought the company.
With the purchase of STEIGER, Case continued producing the green STEIGER tractors and
simultaneously introduced the first red 9100 Series Case IH STEIGER tractors. Production of green
STEIGER tractors continued until June 1989.
In 1996, Case IH introduced the STEIGER QUADTRAC at 360 HP. In 1998, a 400-HP model was
released. The unique QUADTRAC featured four separate tracks (one on each corner) which worked
independently to provide a level of ground contact that cannot be matched by four-wheel drive or twotrack
systems. The new design reduced ground compaction and provided more traction and less
slippage. In addition to being an outstanding farming vehicle, it also proved itself to be one of the best
performing tractors ever produced to work in the tough scraper land-leveling market.
Peter Simpson posted Taken in 1999 at Bonanzaville, North Dakota, which is now home to the very first Steiger tractor built. Also housed at the museum is this Steiger 105 which is believed to be the only 105 equipped with a 540 PTO. The original owner was Henry Scala, this tractor was eventually purchased by Les Melroe and donated to the museum.
Fran Mougey: I was just [Jul 2024] driving past that Steiger plant a couple of days ago, tractors lined up as far as I could see, sales must be coming down with the depressed farm prices.
You can tell that quadtrac was a good invention because other tractor manufactures have now developed a comparable design for their articulated frame tractor. The quadtrac is also being added to the front axle of combines.
Screenshot from video of chiseling in granular fertilizer. I like this video because it starts with showing how they fill the fertilizer cart. When your equipment is so big, you don't want to be unloading sacks. I guess the fertilizer is blown through hoses to each chisel.
Screenshot of video of using a Steiger to "worm" its way through North Dakota snow to clear a path. It is a nice demonstration of how an articulated tractor articulates.
Big Tractor Powerposted
STEIGER will mark 60 years of tractor production in 2017. "Barney" was the first STEIGER tractor built on the Steiger Brothers farm in the winter of 1957.
Dan Kunde posted four photos with the comment: "First i ever saw one in person. Was really cool to get up close to one. For sale at a local dealer here in Iowa." The comments are interesting. A-C used the Stieger frame, but their own drive line and a Cummins engine. Both the IH and the Cummins engines seemed to have reliability problems. And there was a complaint about the IH drive line. Dalten StegnerWhite cab. Early model
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Tractor Fan Club posted
[Do they really think a tractor has to be pink before a woman would drive it?]
Sam CollierThis machine was scrapped many years ago, it was designed to throw John Deere designers off of their development of 4wd tractors.
Geoff MackenzieSteiger built the Steiger 2wd tractor in the early 1980's. This high horsepower 2wd tractor proto-type used the frame of a Panther 1000 and ran with rear triples to apply all of its power to the ground. Notice all of the tires on the trailer above.
The 2wd Steiger was a reported 300-350 hp, weighing in at 20,000 plus pounds. Steiger ran into development problems with its two 2wd test models. In order to make good use of the two prototypes Steiger rented farmland near the John Deere Waterloo works. John Deere was preparing to unveil its new 50 series 4wds and Steiger was completing its work on the 1000 series. In order to beat John Deere to market the 2wds were used as a diversionary tactic by Steiger. The 2wd Steigers were run out in the open for everyone to see in Waterloo Iowa. After viewing the Steiger 2wds John Deere engineers went back to the drawing board on the 50 series 4wds fearing if Steiger could build massive 2wds their 4wds would be even more impressive. While the 50 series under went design touch ups Steiger rolled the 1000 series 4wds out. After several years of development Steiger planned to release the 2wd Steiger to dealers and farmers in 1986. Only a standard 2wd tractor was planned for production. Steiger never looked at or planned fwa as an option. Unfortunately, due to a slow Ag economy in the mid 1980's Steiger was unable to fund production of the 2wd and a year after its planned introduction Tenneco purchased Steiger for its J.I. Case tractor division. The two 2wd Steigers were cut up for scrap
Jordan KonkolSteiger history movie the guy who had to destroy the prototype said only one was made then torn down piece by piece.
Welker Farms Inc posted 50 years difference between these tractors. The 620 Steiger has around 200 more hp and 20,000 more lbs than the series one 435 BIG BUD. 4wd tractors are just too much fun. Kem Ventrca: You can work on and fix Big Bud, good luck on the Case. Martin Mackay: Look at it this way the big buds made it this far ain’t no way that case is getting close to 50 years out it’s life. Don’t build tractors like they used to and I know which one I’d rather sit in all day 💪 big bud for the win, Joe Huelsmann: Big Bud was really ahead of its time. Yeah the 620 is 50% bigger, but other equipment has tripled or quadrupled in size. A 50 year old 915 IH combine is puny next to Beastbine but 50 years ago it was a beast…. Long live Big Bud! Bob Reitz: 70 years ago an M Farmall was considered a big tractor. This is me standing with my granddad and his M. He farmed 200 acres his entire life and did it alone. Stu Bragg: I remember the Steiger tractors-- I was an independant contractor with International Transport and we had special trailers built to haul those-- Years later after we quit hauling them the trailers stayed and were known in the fleet as Steiger trailers and anyone there that had been there knew the series numbers were Steiger trailers and those things were built well and lasted for years. I had one assigned to me for a while and hauled giant electrical transformers on it. Ronald Guth: I remember that earthquake tractor has 750 hp at farm progress in Malta Illinois 1975 and 21 bottom plow.
Gage Fears posted All that green... Don Loomis: I remember those days!! 25 a day. Lasted 10 years, then went ALL red.
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