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MN | Hi, was just looking around the web and came across a Cat challenger 45. 1995 model with 9,400 hours. They are asking $36,000 for it. Seems like a good deal, even with the high hours, but maybe not? Tracks are in good shape, overall it looks pretty clean. So for any of you that have owned this, does this sound like a god deal. My main concern would be if something major went wrong on it. like trans. or engine. |
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central - east central Minnesota - | I would be more concerned with the undercarrage/track system. That seems to be the most expensive part.
Engines and tranny are expensive, but secondary to the undercarrage system . . . .
Maybe I'm wrong (with no experience with them, but from what is gleaned off of here). |
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mw | X2 From what i've heard from neighbors and here ten thousand can disappear fast...
Of course i suppose thats the case with alot of machines. |
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| If you find one with half the hours, you probably will pay $50-60K. The price is a trade-off for what the hours reflect. If the tractor has had any work done to the engine or transmission, it is a good buy. To overhaul either one might cost $15K. |
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Itta Bena Mississippi | I did that very thing on a 6000 hr 45, similar specs. My 2 proudest days with it were purchase date and sold date. No big things but switches, tranny solenoid magnets(that shield oughtta have zippers), draft control pins and sensors were a weekly thing. The grawlix drawbar even broke. I never ran the tractor a week without having to do something to it nor an oil change without a visit from the Cat service truck.
Plenty of guys have had good service from them, but I won't chance another.
Tom |
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michigan | some guys near us had one with alot less hours than your talking about and had trouble with transmission and rearend took it to local cat dealer $36,000 later they got it back. if you go by there farm now there is green tractors sitting on the farm no more yellow ones. dont get me wrong any of them can get expensive but it just seems lke the cat service in our area is more than any other farm equipment dealers charge. we ued to have a cat 85d and muffler went bad new muffler was $1,200 seemed like everything we bought was double in price from other makes good luck |
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Litchfield MN. | FWI I have my 55 for sale - needed a little more power. Good tractor. Have an add on tractor house. Its the one listed under Dale Kohls Litchfield MN. Hope this isn;t violating any advertising rules. Appologize if is does.
When I bought my 55 I was told the earlier ones had some electical issues, but if you go with one either 98or99 (I forget, its the year that they started offering the wide track option to go to 120") or newer its good. Neighbor had an earlier 45 and seemed to have electrical issues that I have never had. |
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NW Iowa | How mechanically inclined are you? Do you have a tractor of similar size for a backup? If you can answer yes to both of those and the machine has been taken care of, I wouldn't be afraid of it. Check that it has had the updates done to it, especially the bogeys and the hydraulics. Make sure the drivers still have decent life in them. Find out when the rack and injectors were last gone through. If you are thinking of putting guidance on it, make sure that it tracks straight (within Cat specs). The tranny, cab, and hydraulics are the same as the xx70 series Ford. Parts for those components are readily available from Cat, Ford, and Buehler/Versatile. With some shopping around, you can save some pretty good money. I bought a 45 of the same vintage with right at 11000 hours 3 years ago for a little over 20 grand. Needed new tracks and a bunch of little things. I think that they are at the upper limits of what it is worth,but that just might be me. Compare it to the one that Purple Wave sold on the Dean Equipment auction last month. |
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Tn. Ky. Va Tri State Area | Undercarriage will be the largest expense, I suggest you go price a complete undercarriage from Cat, then go from there. You might thing the undercarriage is good and it can be 2/3 gone. |
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Oregon | We have not had ANY undercarriage problems with the 55s. But the transmissions wake me up before light with worry. No problems- I just EXPECT them to have problems. Others have had problems. They SOUND like they should have problems (noisy / abrupt powershift) and I am told it is a $15k + repair bill. But so far, they have been fine. I like the undercarriage more than Deere's of the era. Early ones had issues with the machine harness. We have had a lot of fuel supply issues- hoses, filer assemblies, valves. But generally cheap horsepower. -Mike |
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SW Iowa | I generally worked on the engine, almost always the fuel system/injectors/rack, etc. more then anything else on those tractors. If you check the oil in the bogies, and the rubbers are in good shape, then I really would not worry too much about the undercarriage. Yes, I have heard of some blowing up transmissions, and yes some have electrical gremlins. Do I know if yours is a good tractor or good deal? Nope, I'd have to go look at it and decide. Its a 10,000 hr tractor, that could have been pulled hard its whole life. Look at it like any other 10,000 hrs tillage tractor. |
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Would You buy it? Cat 45
