AGCO discontinuing the Challenger?
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Category: Allis Chalmers
Forum Name: Farm Equipment
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URL: https://www.allischalmers.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=169223
Printed Date: 28 Apr 2025 at 10:07pm
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Topic: AGCO discontinuing the Challenger?
Posted By: DougG
Subject: AGCO discontinuing the Challenger?
Date Posted: 18 Mar 2020 at 5:54pm
| Heard a rumor AGCO is gonna discontinue some of the Challenger brand and focus on turning them into MF and Fendt brands and colors- Im just asking if anyone else heard of this , |
Replies:
Posted By: bigal121892
Date Posted: 18 Mar 2020 at 7:12pm
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Since it looks like agco is really starting to push the Fendt brand in North America, and some of the larger tractors are Fendt's painted yellow already, I guess they will have to drop it, as we all know that it is way to expensive too run two paint lines. MF will continue to be the economy brand, and Fendt will be the premiere brand, which it is already. |
Posted By: cwhit
Date Posted: 18 Mar 2020 at 7:17pm
| Challenger is a registered trademark of Caterpillar. Might be that the Agco agreement is about to expire. |
Posted By: victoryallis
Date Posted: 18 Mar 2020 at 7:55pm
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It’s Agco they will do the most illogical marketing move possible. ------------- 8030 and 8050MFWD, 7580, 3 6080's, 160, 7060, 175, heirloom D17, Deere 8760 |
Posted By: McAllis
Date Posted: 18 Mar 2020 at 7:57pm
| We have an established line of orange tractors, let's scrap that, and push this new yellow line. Idiots.🙄 |
Posted By: Lonn
Date Posted: 18 Mar 2020 at 8:18pm
------------- -- --- .... .- -- -- .- -.. / .-- .- ... / .- / -- ..- .-. -.. . .-. .. -. --. / -.-. .... .. .-.. -.. / .-. .- .--. .. ... - Wink I am a Russian Bot |
bigal121892 wrote:Posted By: SteveM C/IL
Date Posted: 18 Mar 2020 at 9:58pm
| what ya sayin Lonn....changing colors is easy? todays fancy painters with all them lines feeding the guns...probably too much trouble to drain and clean out? |
Posted By: Carl(NWWI)
Date Posted: 18 Mar 2020 at 10:57pm
| Never cared for the challenger line anyway. Focus on Massey, something with an actual history. |
Posted By: victoryallis
Date Posted: 19 Mar 2020 at 7:37am
Cat has been around since 1925 MF since 1953 so who has more history? Cat’s been a leader in their industry for 95 years Massey not so much. If I remember right Challenger started with Cat. Cat is the Deere of construction industry. ------------- 8030 and 8050MFWD, 7580, 3 6080's, 160, 7060, 175, heirloom D17, Deere 8760 |
Posted By: Carl(NWWI)
Date Posted: 19 Mar 2020 at 7:46am
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Last time I checked cat never made a full line of farm equipment. Massey has and still does. Cat was construction equipment. I have a Massey pull type combine and a MF 2745 tractor. Haven’t seen anything like either of those too put out by Challenger until the 2000’s. The track machines were their own animal. You are correct. Cat has been the leader in THEIR industry, not AG. And MF is one of the leaders world wide for AG. |
Posted By: DrAllis
Date Posted: 19 Mar 2020 at 8:45am
| BUT, it has been on the back of the Challenger "track" tractor that has carried AGCO thru the last 17+ years !!! Like it or not, if AGCO hadn't have been able to purchase the Challenger track tractor, where would they be now ??? Those track tractors have been sold to many a former brand "X" user. Nothing else in the past or currently built would have gotten those customers to buy from AGCO. |
Posted By: Rhoadesy_65
Date Posted: 19 Mar 2020 at 8:58am
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For awhile it looked like Massey was going to be the 'global' economy brand. Then for premiere line Fendt was going to be europe and Challenger the US. They were coloring Challengers as Fendts in Europe and the 1000 series Fendts were Challenger in the US. ------------- Farmin' with 1981 7010 PD, Great Grandpas 1947 Farmall H, JD 7000 planter, JD model B drill, NH 316 Baler, NH 1411 Discbine ,JD 100 8 Shank Chisel. Darke County OH |
Posted By: Lonn
Date Posted: 19 Mar 2020 at 9:29am
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Around here there is some prestige for owning anything in Cat yellow...... Fendt..... not so much. Dealer network sucks either way. ------------- -- --- .... .- -- -- .- -.. / .-- .- ... / .- / -- ..- .-. -.. . .-. .. -. --. / -.-. .... .. .-.. -.. / .-. .- .--. .. ... - Wink I am a Russian Bot |
Posted By: FREEDGUY
Date Posted: 19 Mar 2020 at 5:11pm
Have you ever owned/ran a MF 410/510 combine?? How about a MF corn planter?? There's a reason MF is basically a cuss word "here". |
Posted By: Carl(NWWI)
Date Posted: 19 Mar 2020 at 5:58pm
| Lots of manufacturers made garbage equipment. Not everything produced is going to be perfect. Around here you can’t give a piece of challenger equipment away. Cat combines are expensive to buy and and fix but have zero resale here. |
Posted By: AllisFreak MN
Date Posted: 19 Mar 2020 at 6:00pm
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Challengers are like the red headed step child that nobody cares about, including myself. On another note, could the Fendt colors be any more horrid looking? Deutz green with red wheels. A face only a mother could love. ------------- '49 A-C WD, '51 A-C WD, '63 A-C D17 Series III, 1968 A-C One-Seventy, '82 A-C 6060, '75 A-C 7040, A-C #3 sickle mower, 2 A-C 701 wagons, '78 Gleaner M2 |
Posted By: Keith M
Date Posted: 19 Mar 2020 at 6:42pm
| I bleed orange. I Despise the Agco choice of MF for their go to line. I’ve owned AC tractors and equipment for 50+ years by choice. I’ve inherited 3 50-65 hp tractors when I bought my Uncle’s farm on walk out, turn key. I’ve put a disc mower on one that never comes off, the other is hooked to the round balermy Uncle had and is only unhitched if we want yo use the hydraulic post driver that came with farm. Other that that I have no use for MF. I pretty much think the initials sum up my feeling for Agco’s choice. |
Posted By: AC720Man
Date Posted: 19 Mar 2020 at 7:18pm
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As long as Agco continues to provide parts my old AC’s, I am very grateful. I hope that they realize the amount of AC tractors that are still in operation and that we want to keep them in use. 35 years after AC’s demise, I can still get parts. There are so many small farmers that either cant afford a new tractor, or don’t want the new technology that is so expensive and difficult to maintain. I realize there are mega farmers out there that need the new technology to be more productive. For me, the reliability our tractors have given us over the years means a lot. Simple, well engineered, reliable. Just hope Agco wont forget the small farmers and keep providing parts even though I will never be able to buy a new one. ------------- 1968 B-208, 1976 720 (2 of them)Danco brush hog, single bottom plow,52" snow thrower, belly mower,rear tine tiller, rear blade, front blade, 57"sickle bar,1983 917 hydro, 1968 7hp sno-bee, 1968 190XTD |
Posted By: jeickman01
Date Posted: 19 Mar 2020 at 7:25pm
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Posted By: jeickman01
Date Posted: 19 Mar 2020 at 7:26pm
Well said.
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Posted By: victoryallis
Date Posted: 19 Mar 2020 at 8:43pm
If you can’t give away Challenger equipment I’ll take a unwanted tracked tractor off someone’s hands. Ever price a 765 lately? ------------- 8030 and 8050MFWD, 7580, 3 6080's, 160, 7060, 175, heirloom D17, Deere 8760 |
Posted By: Ray54
Date Posted: 19 Mar 2020 at 9:25pm
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Holt and Best both built ag tractors and combines before their banker forced their partnership that became Caterpillar. They built combines until the mid 30's when they sold them off to John Deere. The crawler tractor was the tillage tractor in the west until the 70's and the big 4x4 tractors. In the 70's Cat wanted back in ag tractors and put out a AG 6 which became the Challengers when the rubber track came into being. Cat had 2 pre production Challengers running in this area. But just when Cat got into the ag market for real they sold out to AGCO. But AC720Man has given about the only possessives AGCO has in North America. But Cat has been out of the Challenger and have not even supplied engines for years by now so no reason for saving the name. And AGCO not caring what color the NA customer wanted might as well have everything just one or two colors.
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Posted By: Dan Hauter
Date Posted: 19 Mar 2020 at 9:56pm
| My opinion is that AGCO wanted to abandon the North American market. Why else would they kill the orange line and watch like they weren't involved when so many AGCO dealers went out of business? There used to be at least 6 A-C dealers plus 3 Massey Ferguson dealers within 35 miles of me. All are now gone or converted to other brands. An established AGCO dealer tried to move into our area but AGCO insisted on a huge, new building. The "new" dealer wasn't allowed to take over the last existing AGCO dealership. That building, while still in use as an AGCO dealership, wasn't up to AGCO's standards. So the old dealership closed and the would be buyer decided not to spend millions on land and a fancy new dealership building. So the nearest AGCO dealership is at least 70 miles away from me. One and a half hour drive. 3 hour round trip. The result is that almost all of the old AGCO customers have traded for John Deere and Case IH. Why did AGCO allow this sales territory to go to other brands? |
Posted By: Daehler
Date Posted: 19 Mar 2020 at 11:43pm
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AGCO rep at Western Farm Show said they could drop NA market completely and not make a difference in sales. The 1+ billion a year must not mean much. Heck if they kept dealers or got new young ones and sell heritage stuff that 1 could be a 2 or 3 or 4. Give Deere some competition. I dont get how MF is the worlds number one selling tractor with Agcos gross sales of 11 billion compared to JDs 28 billion. Someone better get numbers strait. ------------- 8070FWA,7080 BlackBelly, 7045,2 200s,D19,D17,G, WD,45,UC,7 AC mowers and lots more! "IT TAKES 3 JD's TO OUT DO AN ALLIS, 2 TO MATCH IT IN THE FIELD AND 1 FOR PARTS!" |
Posted By: Lonn
Date Posted: 20 Mar 2020 at 7:15am
------------- -- --- .... .- -- -- .- -.. / .-- .- ... / .- / -- ..- .-. -.. . .-. .. -. --. / -.-. .... .. .-.. -.. / .-. .- .--. .. ... - Wink I am a Russian Bot |
Posted By: JimIA
Date Posted: 20 Mar 2020 at 3:21pm
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The signs are all there for the end of the Challenger wheel tractor line. You do not see the ads for them like you used too. I live near one of the Zeigler stores and they have not had one on their lot in a while but are now pushing the Fendt brand and the smaller MF tractors. The new Ideal combine being badged as a Fendt in the US is a tell tale sign as well. Im sure the track machine and articulated machines will stay. It also appears that the White designed MF rotary combine is heading out as well. Last fall AGCO had an ad showcasing their "Harvesting Line" which was a picture of a Gleaner and the Ideal combine, no sign of the MF. I have also talked to a few larger MF dealers that have picked up the Gleaner line, when I asked why they all said AGCO asked them to. There is definitely more emphasis being put on Gleaner vs the MF. Like every other company AGCO has their faults, I believe their largest fault is their dealer network. They NEED more dealers, end of story. The Cat partnership has been a big boost for them but there are a lot of blank areas yet. I do like the under 100 hp MF line. They have been a great seller for us and a reliable product as well. I sold one of the Global tractors last year, that was a very heavy simple designed tractor. I have another coming in for stock soon and Im excited to have it here. Trust me, CNH is far from perfect as well. ------------- An open eye is much more observant than an open mouth |
Posted By: Lonn
Date Posted: 20 Mar 2020 at 3:25pm
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Well that at least is good news for Gleaner and yes they need dealers dealers dealers. ------------- -- --- .... .- -- -- .- -.. / .-- .- ... / .- / -- ..- .-. -.. . .-. .. -. --. / -.-. .... .. .-.. -.. / .-. .- .--. .. ... - Wink I am a Russian Bot |
Posted By: 7060
Date Posted: 20 Mar 2020 at 8:30pm
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They have phased all of the Cat out of the challenger tractor line already. The MT765C was the last tracked machine that had any cat modules on it, but they had already added HUSCO valves to the remotes which are a constant battle. The MT765D although having a Sisu engine is still a cat design from the flywheel back. The new cvt tracked Challengers are in no way influenced by their caterpillar history and are proving to be a mistake if you ask me. When it comes to tracks, Caterpillar is the pioneer and Deere certainly can’t build a tracked machine Ag or construction. When it comes to an engine, although I have a love for Allis tractors, my opinion is Cat has been in the engine game for a long time and knows how to make an engine. I have a 65A, 65E, 55, and a 765B that I actually traded a 765C in on to go back to cat electronics. I am a bit bias towards the challenger line. Massey Ferguson may have a longer history, but they never made a tractor that was really great. Did they ever even use their own engine in anything? I don’t think they are anymore deserving of having their paint and decals on Agcos tractor than challenger. Why don’t they call them an “AGCO”? Isn’t that who they are? Whether it be orange, red, yellow or any other color. The wheel tractors on the challenger line already off the get go had Cummins engines. That says in itself that Cat had no pull there. I don’t have any knowledge of the Fendt tractor, but I do think they have a better chance at having something there with a wheel tractor. |