New AGCO Challenger 1000 Tractors At Farm Progress Show.

Aug 30, 2016

New AGCO Challenger 1000 Series High Horsepower Tractors Debut at Farm Progress Show

By Joe Dales, Farms.com

AGCO unveiled, the new Challenger 1000 Series of high horsepower tractors, at the 2016 Farm Progress Show near Boone, Iowa.

The Challenger 1000 Series tractors realize the power of a small-frame, articulated 4-wheel drive with the flexibility and speed of a lighter-weight, fixed-frame row crop machine. This Challenger series are offered in four models ranging from 396 to 517 engine horsepower with a weight range of 31,204 lbs. (14,153 kg) to 50,706 lbs. (23,000 kg).

“Agriculture in North America is undergoing yet another evolution as operations become even larger and require more efficiency and productivity from their overhead investments,” says Josh Keeney, tactical marketing manager at AGCO. “The Challenger 1000 Series tractors are a solution to this challenge, allowing producers to invest in a machine that can serve multiple needs in their operation, helping them be more profitable. We believe this approach just makes sense – we call it intelligent farming.”

Some of the new features of the Challenger 1000 Series include:

Innovative AccuDrive™ powertrain.

The Challenger 1000 Series tractors are powered with high-capacity six-cylinder, 12.4-liter, MAN engines with VTG turbochargers which adjust to optimize airflow for optimum power boost over a wider rpm range. The result delivers an impressive 1,770 ft. lbs. of torque at a lower engine speed of 1,100 rpm. This ‘high torque, low speed’ approach allows the Challenger 1000 Series tractors to run in the maximum torque range while delivering low fuel consumption, making them ideal for heavy draft work.

The AGCO engineers created the AccuDrive powertrain which combines the Challenger Accu-VT™ continuously variable transmission with variable four-wheel drive.

“The key to this solution is a drivetrain that drives both axles independently. Unlike today’s conventional four-wheel drive tractors that use a fixed torque ratio between the front and rear axle, AccuDrive employs variable four-wheel drive that distributes the torque independently over two transmission outputs on each axle. An intelligently controlled, four-wheel clutch manages the torque, so it can be shifted between the axles according to need.

The Challenger 1000 Series have a light base weight and convenient ballasting system to make them easy to adapt and ideal for row crop and road work. Maximum road speed of 31 mph is reached at a fuel-saving 1,200 rpm.

Flexible and convenient front ballasting options ensure the tractors are versatile enough for use from the beginning to the end of each crop year. The simple front ballasting system has five interchangeable weight options ranging from 1,978 lbs. to 7,275 lbs. Easy ballast pickup and self-leveling front axle suspension allow the weights to be changed in minutes.

Latest guidance innovations available

The new Challengers can be equipped with AGCO’s next generation of Auto-Guide™ automated steering system or selection from two additional navigation providers: NovAtel and Trimble. A number of correction signals are supported, depending on the receiver, for example, EGNOS/WAAS or also RangePoint® RTX, CenterPoint® RTX, NTRIP. Existing Trimble RTK infrastructures, such as NTRIP can continue to be used. Even without a correction signal, Auto-Guide works reliably for up to 20 minutes with RTK accuracy via Trimble xFill® technology. All are enabled by AGCO’s Fuse® Technologies.

The AGCO engineers have set up the Challenger 1000 series tractors with very spacious and comfortable cabs that offer a variety of amenities from air-ride suspension to the dual-motion leather seat.

The Challenger 1000 Series’ AccuTerminal fully integrates with AGCO’s entire suite of Fuse Technologies and Fuse Connected Services.

The Challenger 1000 will be on display at fall farm shows

The Challenger 1000 Series tractors will make their public debut at several additional farm shows this fall, including Big Iron in West Fargo, N.D. and Husker Harvest Days in Grand Island, Neb. For more information about these new tractors or to find a dealer near you and arrange a demonstration, visit http://www.challenger-ag.us/

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.