It is amazing what a difference one letter can make. These Chinese built articulated tractors are sold with Caoe IH branding. No, it is not a typo.
It is amazing what you can find on the internet and the articulated tractors spotted by our Dutch friends at Mechaman underline this. Listed on the Chinese Alibaba site, the six-pot Changchai (Weichei) engine delivers 460hp in the ATL460, 500hp in the ATL500 (main picture), and 650hp in what we assume is the flagship ATL650.
Equipped with a mechanical transmission and a 540/1000rpm PTO, the ATL650 weighs 15.3t on 650-90-R25 tyres and 16.5t on duals. The frame and axles are sourced from Shangong, which is big in the construction sector.
The exterior styling is boxy, but the asking price of the top model of just US$85,000, is a bargain. This drops to US$84,000 for anyone buying more than five of them!
The burning question is who makes the Chinese ‘Steigers’, a couple of which are badged as OAFB models. Well, they are listed on Alibaba by Jiangsu Jitian International Trade, although it is not clear if this company manufactures them.
What we do know is that they are built in Jiangsu. Xuzhou KAT Agricultural Equipment is also based here, and this company does make large articulated tractors.
The plot thickens with the KM lettering cut into the sides of the tractors. This is the trademark of the Yancheng Wanxin Machinery Group, which is also located in Jiangsu.
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