He Specializes In Everything "Steiger"

He Specializes In Everything Steiger REPOWERED EQUIPMENT Repowered Equipment Steiger tractors probably never had a more devoted fan than John Beery of Bement Ill who salvages reconditions overhauls repowers and also leases out Steiger tractors He has been at it since 1978     Beery has never advertised his services but he has done work for Steiger owners in Illinois Indiana Ohio Kentucky Missouri and Michigan      As far as I know no one else specializes in servicing only Steiger tractors says Beery A lot of smaller farmers can t justify the cost of a big new 4-WD tractor I m doing everything I can to help my customers keep their old Steigers instead of buying an expensive new machine     He emphasizes that like farming his is a family business My wife does the bookkeeping and parts running and even goes with me on service calls My daughter does the office work and my son works in the shop with me      There are way more Steiger tractors out there than most people think says Beery If I had to compare them to any other tractor it would be the old two-lunger John Deere Farmers get attached to them They re built tough and have a lot of brute strength horsepower They re also designed as æcomponent tractors which makes them relatively easy to work on     Beery has built up an extensive supply of Steiger engines and parts by buying up burned out or otherwise wrecked Steigers      My salvage parts cost only about half as much as new parts and can often extend the life of a tractor for another 10 years Why put new expensive parts into a 25-year-old tractor when used ones will do just as good a job? he asks     Beery says the Steiger Bearcat Cougar and Panther all use the same frame We boost power on one of the smaller models by equipping it with a bigger engine In effect we can convert a Bearcat or Cougar into a Panther We can also take out any engine and put in a 3406 Caterpillar engine In some cases I ve taken out V-8 Cummins engines because the customer said they were too noisy and vibrated too much and replaced them with 6-cylinder models     When FARM SHOW visited Beery he was beginning the complete refurbishing of an ST 310 Steiger Panther for a farmer from Francisville Ind The tractor s 855 Cummins 6-cyl engine had developed a bad rod bearing Beery pulled the engine and installed a new crankshaft and also did a complete bare block overhaul Then he split the tractor in the middle and put in new pivot points The tractor also got a new cab interior All of this will add at least 10 years of new life to the tractor at a cost of only about $15 000 says Beery     He often uses a service truck to go out to the farm and make repairs in the farmer s shop saving the time it would otherwise take to haul the tractor back and forth to his shop Otherwise he uses a semi trailer to haul tractors to his shop for repairs     While the tractors are being repaired customers can lease a Steiger from Beery at a below-market rate of $35 per hour with no minimum hours Farmers - even those who don t already own a Steiger - can also reserve a leased tractor for an entire season with a 75-hour minimum Most implement dealers charge $70 per hour to lease a big 4-WD Steiger and require a 150 hour minimum which adds up to too much money for many smaller farmers says Beery I can lease a 350 hp tractor for only $35 per hour if the farmer agrees to keep it for a complete season and I require only a 75 hour minimum As a result the farmer might spend only about $2 000 for a leased tractor to finish out the season instead of $5 000 if they leased from their local implement dealer     He even leases some tractors equipped with snow plow blades          Beery got started with Steigers back in the 1970s when he was injured in a motorcycle accident and went to work repairing Steigers for a Steiger dealer In 1986 the year Tenneco bought out Steiger Beery bought out his employer s business including the shop equipment as well as the contract from Steiger for warranty and parts In the fall of 1987 Tenneco cut all contracts to everyone who wasn t an International dealer which left Beery hanging as an independent He then hooked up with a local Case-IH dealer     “Case-IH still makes Steigers in the same plant with the same design as when Tenneco bought them The only difference is that they’re now painted red ” says Beery “If I need new parts I can buy them from the Case-IH dealer I’m also a distributor for a company that manufactures new parts for Steigers at discount prices ” Big Tractor Parts 3061 165th Ave S E Harwood N Dak 58042 ph 800 982-1769

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