At a media preview in Racine, Wis., last week, Case IH took the wraps off the new 2013 Steiger Rowtrac, a takeoff of its Case IH Steiger Quadtrac four-track system. The new tractor, configured for row-crop farming, lets farmers pull large farm implements between the rows without running over the standing crop.

The new Steiger Rowtrac will be one of the highest-horsepower, tracked row-crop tractor on the market, next to the Challenger MT875C and MT865C.   “Other competitors’ row-crop track machines in North America peak out at about 360 hp,” says Ryan Schaefer, marketing manager for Case IH high-horsepower tractors. “We start our offering at 350 hp and have two larger models at 400 and 450 hp.”

Like the Quadtrac that was launched in the late ’90s, the Steiger Rowtrac features four rubber belts that carry the tractor through the field with more traction and less ground pressure than wheels, Schaefer says. But the belts on the Rowtrac are narrower than those on the Quadtrac to allow for 20-, 22-, 30- or 40-in. row spacing.

The new ramped-up row-crop version can be used for primary and secondary tillage, planting, side-dressing, fertilizing and specialty applications. It comes in three models, the 350, 400, and 450 tractors, each with corresponding engine horsepower.

Three different belts widths (16.5-, 18- and 24-in.) and three different track settings (80-, 88- and 120-in.) are available. Schaefer says the combination of those belt options and track settings allows the company to address about 90% of the North American row-crop market.

The largest model, the 450, retails for $400,000. All models command a 20% price premium over wheeled models. Schaefer says the company is already taking orders for next year. “Supply will be quite limited compared to what I think the demand will be,” he says.

Other products previewed at the event included a new high-horsepower row-crop tractor on tracks, a 25^th anniversary Magnum tractor, the company’s first twin-row planter, new AFS precision farming products, the new LB4 large square baler, and the new Titan 30 Series floater.

All of the new products, including one product that Case IH has not disclosed yet, will be displayed publically for the first time at the Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa. For more information, contact your local Case IH dealer or visit www.caseih.com.