Case Steiger 9370 - 

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Having been extensively tested over three Autumn seasons, this has been sold and is now being prepared for a valued client. It will be very special.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This tractor has never been here before, but has been known to us since day one.

It was bought by a contractor, along with combines, cultivators, etc, to whole farm contract an estate.

He managed to do one year before the Brussels 'experts' ! decided to change the set aside rules dramatically and immediately.

As we all know it takes farming a little longer to react.. 

Little things like rotation, breeding and altering stock levels, etc, - the sorts of little details that the politicians wouldn't notice.

The net result was that a large proportion of the estate went into set aside, and there was no longer a job for a whole farm contractor.

I'll bet I can guess what his vote will be .....

I was asked by a finance company to bid on some of the gear, and I was outbid on the one year old tractor by an estate up north.

The tractor remained on the radar because two local estates up there are clients.

Until we bought it, there had only been two owners.

Sadly after many hours of relatively trouble free work, it all went dramatically wrong 'up front' in spring 2013.

The engine went off to an extremely well qualified workshop (work it out), and cost well in excess of 10K to rebuild.

The engine came back and along with a few other large tractors on the estate, this one worked the autumn of 2013, and the spring and autumn of 2014 .

Right at the end of 2014 horror struck again in axactly the same place up front  - number 6. 

How odd !

It was out of it's rather limited warranty and upon visiting the same workshop, more used to dealing with the higher finances of the oil industry,  the prognosis came back that a complete new engine was needed.

So with agriculture not reading from the same financial script as the oil industry, this meant that the old girl was therefore effectively a write off.

Thank you folks for selling it to me and giving me the opportunity to realise something that's been on the cards 

since we stopped building the Amtrac Lioness tractors, - and hopefully, without me losing a shed load on a project.

This old bird is one of the last of the model range and wearing the right axles for the job.

The old engine will be rebuilt in due course, and kept as a spare.

A close and newer rellie of it is now being totally rebuilt, despite it being obvious upon inspection, that it isn't long since it was last rebuilt. 
It didn't need the rebuild, but lets start from scratch.

Being a fully electronic run engine (which has it's own problems with matching the non electronic tractor), it gives huge potential for engine tunings to suit our farming conditions this side of the pond. 

Initially it will be 518 bhp @ 2100 rpm with 1733 lb/ft @ 1200 rpm - a torque rise of 33.8%, with incredibly good fuel consumption figures.

 

Comparisons :-

 The Quadtrac 500 - 500 bhp @ 2100 rpm, with 1743 lb/ft torque @ 1400 rpm, 39.2% rise, working power band 700 rpm.  Weight 23.35 tonnes.

The Quadtrac 450 - 450 bhp @ 2000 rpm, with 1669 lb/ft torque @ 1400 rpm, 41.0% rise, working power band 600 rpm. Weight 23.35 tonnes.

This 9370 + will have 518 bhp @ 2100 rpm, with 1733 lb/ft torque @ 1200 rpm, 33.8% rise, working power band 900 rpm. Weight 14.58 tonnes.

That's almost ten tonnes less of dead weight to drag around, leaving that ten tonnes worth of power to be used for whatever is behind it.

That only works out at a 34% torque rise on the face of it, but the extra wide power band over 900 rpm, instead of 600 or 700 rpm, 

will be very useful, and in reality the all important torque remains the same. 

This tuning was originally designed for an American locomotive, and if you think about it, they too have to really haul - like a tractor.

It also opens up fuel and noise savings, using a higher gear on other than full load jobs, and being able to run at the most economical 1750 rpm area

with loads of back up still left right down to 1200 rpm for the tough bits.

Should be light on its pins too.

 

Since it will initially only be driven by us and it isn't for sale, I would hope that we know how to treat a geabox with respect. 

 

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I have added the following note because I had no idea how many sad geeks like me there were out there, who actually bothered to look at these pages 

That was until the friday evening after our 'Brexit' vote, when a load of e-mails came in from around the world in response to the item in red above. 

Very many thanks to you folks for your kindness and astonishing level of support.

I just have to put in here parts of one e-mail which had me in stitches, from an American client who said

"....and did I detect just the slightest hint in that red bit, of our well known digit raised to the vertical position ?"

I replied " you might say that, but I couldn't possibly comment ."

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The "plus a bit" is taking shape.

Wiring and Ancilliaries below

Other pics of it in place to follow.

12/9/16

The engine has life

17/9. Finishing off up front while underneath machanicals checked, gearbox and front diff rebuilt and refitted.

Next bonnet to fit and trial field power testing.

20/9 Trial run. 

Same field, 6m cultivator, depth, and similar moisture content as last year, 

when a Quadtrac 525 achieved over 1.75 kph less than this one.

Yesterday it covered 37 ha of awkward shaped fields in about nine hours. 

Discs at 125mm. 27 tines at 250mm. double press. 12kph.

Today should be better since we've lowered the tyre pressures 

(pictured having just been through a bog at the bottom of the hill).

1/10/16

Same field as Quadtrac 525 video last yrar, but wetter (actually raining).

1.1 mph faster.

https://youtu.be/qJg7VDol-E0