# Challenger Tractors. Are they trouble prone?



## NewBerlinBaler (May 30, 2011)

Over the past 5 or 6 years, I've often noticed that Challenger tractors with very low hours show up at auctions or in dealer's used equipment inventories. As an example, a dealer ad in the latest issue of "Lancaster Farming" lists a used model MT455D (110 hp) with only 65 hours. Why would anyone trade in a new machine unless it has problems?

Gary


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## stack em up (Mar 7, 2013)

Challenger dealers get great incentives from AGCO to demo machines as well as rental machines. We run a Challenger 665 with about 5000 hours and only issue we have is the DataTronic for headland management no longer works. It's also a 2002 model.

They are just Massey/AGCO tractors painted yellow.


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## RCF (Sep 14, 2009)

The reason is because Challenger dealers are mostly CAT dealerships and they dont want to deal with that size of tractor. That unit is equiavalent to the MF 5612. No real issues on those just not many out there.


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## deadmoose (Oct 30, 2011)

You got me looking at Challengers on tractor house. Used 455b's look reasonable.


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## Idaho Jade (Aug 3, 2011)

Moose, what were you seeing for prices on the 455? I work at a cat dealer who's parent company also owns the agco dealer and can't seem to get a fair price for a 465b we have in the yard.


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

I had a smaller Cat Challenger tractor. 53HP. I think it was an MT295B

I thought it was very good. Iseki diesel engine. Lots of nice features. Cab & 4WD.

IMO, the CAT Challenger line was developed to push more CAT diesels out the door. Many had CAT diesels, smaller had Iseki.

Didnt the MF equivalents have Sisu and the Challenger yellow version was CAT powered in the bigger tractors?


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## stack em up (Mar 7, 2013)

They all have Sisu engines now. The big ones had a Cat engine (actually a Perkins).


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

I think they dumped the smaller ones, too. They never gained popularity. Mine was great-as good or better than Kubota.


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## deadmoose (Oct 30, 2011)

Idaho Jade said:


> Moose, what were you seeing for prices on the 455? I work at a cat dealer who's parent company also owns the agco dealer and can't seem to get a fair price for a 465b we have in the yard.


I wasn't looking that hard. Thought I remembered a 1k hour 2012 for 27k ish? Mfwd cab.

http://www.tractorhouse.com/list/list.aspx?ETID=1&Manu=CHALLENGER&Mdltxt=MT455B&mdlx=exact


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## jwise87 (Sep 16, 2015)

Not sure about the "A" model wheel tractors but everything from the B on is a Sisu. The tracked challengers had cats up until the D model on the 700s and the E model on the 800s. The only thing I would worry about on the older wheel tractors is electronics parts. If they fail and need replaced it can be tricky to get the problems diagnosed and repaired.


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

455a would have been a 1004 perkapillar as it was the old mf with the 165 derived rear end, 455b should be 1104 perkapillar with the Gima rear end, the the 455c would be into sisu I think with Gima rear end.


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