Vandalized ‘Big Cat’ Gets New Lease On Life

Vandalized ‘Big Cat’ Gets New Lease On Life Rick Leeder of Port Elgin Ontario takes pride in his collection of older model tractors and added to their number with a unique “Big Cat” in 2018 A friend alerted him of an unused 1981 Steiger Cougar ST-251 designation with a Cummins NT-885-C-250 inline 6-cyl engine and 10-speed transmission The abandoned tractor was part of a bankruptcy farm sale Due to extensive vandalism insurance had written it off and the new owner wanted it removed from the property Since it was fall and his grain harvest was underway Leeder didn’t get a chance to view the Steiger until December 2018 “The tractor was sitting on blocks without wheels or tires the gauges and the windows were smashed there was dirt in the engine hydraulic oil and fuel tank plus someone had dumped a bunch of black paint all over it ” Leeder says “It was a mess but I still thought it might be worthwhile ” Due to its damaged condition and 27 000 lbs of dead weight scrap yards weren’t interested in picking it up so Leeder got it for free if he promised to remove it After scrounging up two used rims and tires he traveled the 2-hr distance to pick up the tractor Once the tires were installed on the front end of the Cougar Leeder used jacks and blocks to ready it for loading onto a float trailer A neighbor with a large payloader helped with the lift “It was quite an ordeal to get it up on the float with only two tires ” Leeder says “We were jacking on the front end but once we’d get it high enough it would pivot on the drawbar Finally we let the air out of the tires lifted it and got it on the float trailer ” Once home he cleaned out the oil pan and filter flushed the hydraulic tank and rinsed the fuel lines in a clean pail of diesel The dirt in the 267-gal fuel tank demanded extra attention so Leeder cut a hole in the 1/2-in thick steel tank wall large enough to climb inside After cleaning the dirt from the tank he welded it back up “When I got it all together I hooked up the batteries it came with and the engine fired right up ” Leeder says After confirming it would run he painted the entire tractor with matching paint replaced the gauges and added used rims and tires for triples around the unit Rather than purchasing Case-IH glass for $4 500 he had Standard Auto Glass make up the replacement windows for $800 Leeder uses the Steiger Cougar on his farm as the extra tires work well on soft damp ground The “Big Cat” has also been a hit on the local show circuit He estimates he put about $5 000 into the tractor renovation “The only thing I’d still like to do is upgrade the brakes as they aren’t the best ” Leeder says Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Rick Leeder Port Elgin Ontario Canada ph 519-706-1827; noskca-j@hotmail com

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