USED MACHINERY: Sold as Claas machines since August 1997, Caterpillar-made Challenger 35/45/55 ‘row-crop’ rubber-tracked tractors have undergone only one set of major changes since launch in 1994. But are these significant for the used buyer? James de Havilland reports
Introduced at the 1994 Smithfield show, the 210hp and 242hp Caterpillar Challenger 35 and 45 posed the first serious tracked challenge to big wheeled tractors.
An initial stumbling block was their high price, but the 270hp 55 model introduced in 1995 had a better hp:£ ratio, and subsequently became the top seller of the range. When it comes to buying used, all models are essentially the same apart from the engines and power.
Up until the formation of Claas Cat Europe, CCE, in August 1997, Caterpillar sold 60 plus ‘row-crop’ models in the UK. Sales were principally into East Anglia and Lincolnshire through Cat dealers Levertons at Spalding, although Cannockbased
Finnings also made a useful contribution in getting the ‘small’
Cat recognised.
When Claas took over, sales grew, and to date the company has sold 155 plus ‘green’ row-crop models, 75% of which are 55 models. Add a handful of ‘grey’ imports, and the total is around 230. It is worth taking a side step before getting to the basics of what to look for and briefly outline the ‘user’ profile of these machines.
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