ALL ABOUT TRACTORS

BY PAUL WALLEM

 Orion Samuelson died on March 16 at age 91. Through the years, he was often called the “Voice of Agriculture.” He retired in 2000 after 60 years on WGN Chicago and This Week in Agribusiness TV with Max Armstrong.

Samuelson interviewed seven U.S. presidents, spoke at many FFA conventions, state and county fairs, and interviewed farmers and ranchers throughout the nation. Farmers and ranchers felt he told their side of the story and educated the public about agriculture.

We became friends in 1960, and I had a front seat watching him work. I’ve received many texts and emails commenting on his contributions to agriculture. Last week, a friend told me his grandfather had WGN turned on in the barn, kitchen, and on the tractor. He did not want to miss Samuelson’s comments because he had “genuineness.” I looked up the meaning of the word. “It is the quality of being authentic, honest, sensitive, free from pretense.” That is a good description of Orion Samuelson.

Steiger – then and now

My dealerships had the Steiger franchise, starting in the 80s.

Our shop mechanics rarely praised the equipment we sold. They just worked on it as part of their day. They did say that the Steiger tractors were accessible (easy to work on).

However, I still remember them commenting on how seldom we were called on by owners for service work. Once they were delivered new, we rarely saw them again. As I write this, I think of the word “reliability.”

That strength didn’t come about by accident. Steiger brothers Douglas and Maurice were large farmers that wanted a big four-wheel drive tractor that wouldn’t break down. So, they built one in their barn in 1957. They used a lot of stock Euclid parts.

Their first one was powered by a 238 HP Detroit Diesel engine. This tractor

logged over 10,000 hours on their farm. It drew a lot of attention from neighbors who wanted one.

The brothers started building more tractors, and in 1969, a group of businessmen joined the brothers to build a plant in Fargo, N.D. Their reputation grew, and by 1976, retail sales had reached $104 million in annual sales.

However, tough times were coming for all of agriculture. The 1980 grain embargo diminished grain exports. Interest rates climbed to a historic point, and farm income along with machinery sales dropped sharply.

Steiger agreed to be purchased by Tenneco and became part of Case IH, 

which it still is today. The largest Case IH Steiger is now up to 699 horsepower and is still known for its reliability.

Solinftec – autonomous platform

This Brazilian company has developed a solar-powered autonomous platform with cameras to obtain data about the field. It has the capacity to spray specific weeds it identifies within the crop. Additional other functions are planned for its future.

Yanmar

Yanmar now offers model SM 475 with 74 horsepower. Lift capacity is

3,325 pounds. Power train warranty is 10 years. The tractor features a power shuttle transmission, independent PTO with electric/hydraulic control.

Paul Wallem was raised on an Illinois dairy farm. He spent 13 years with corporate International Harvester in domestic and foreign assignments. He resigned to own and operate two IH dealerships. He is the author of THE BREAKUP of IH & SUCCESSES & INDUSTRY FIRSTS of IH. See all his books on www.PaulWallem. Email your comments to pwallem9@gmail.com.