'Cat' dealer tracks customers.

`Cat' Dealer Tracks Customers

IN THE LAND where the brand was named, Caterpilar dealers are plowing fresh farm furrows of sales opportunities, capitalizing on the increasing popularity of those "new" rubber-track Challenger 65s.

In California, where the tracklayer was developed and popularized by Caterpillar-founders Best and Holt--engineering leaders who introduced the non-wheel variety well before World War I put their treads on tanks--revolutions in the industry are ongoing.

Best and Holt, who also put the first diesel tractor on line in this nation, pioneered the tracklayer in the US, finally merging to form Caterpillar in 1924.

Now, says a northern California dealer, new history is being made by the company.

"The Challenger 65 has met with great popularity among farmers," says ag salesman Wes McKeen, who heads up farm sales at Tenco, the big Sacramento Valley "Cat" dealer located near Sacramento.

"With the introduction of the rubber track three years ago, some farmers wanted to wait to see how it would work. Now, we're seeing a steady growth in sales as producers have had a chance to look at neighbor's machines, or their own rented Challengers."

Caterpillar is rich in California heritage. Best, in Stockton, California, and Holt, headquartered in San Leandro nearby, gave crawlers their heritage. Suddenly, mule skinners who drove animal-tugged harvesters became known as "Cat" skinners, piloting the clanking, puffing and heavier track machines instead of teams of stubborn animals.

While many refinements have come down for Caterpillar over the years, perhaps none have been as far-reaching as those in today's rubber-tracked version, says McKeen. After selling Tenco machines to farmers for more than a quarter of a century, he knows his industry and the growers he serves.

"Our plan includes rentals and leases, but most of the Challengers today end up sold sooner or later," he says. "We're talking about a machine that was redesigned from the ground up for farmers."

Long gone are the road-munching metal treads and slow speeds, along with the dusty open cabs and two-fisted control levers. "We're selling stereos and air conditions in these today," he says. "You no longer get tread noise, and the engine is so quiet inside of the cab even that isn't easily noticed."

Farmers, spoiled by introduction of the enclosed cab in their wheeled tractors, face the added problem of getting workers to run machines not as comfortable as the 65, he jokes. But the luxury that sells more and more of his Challengers goes beyond creature comfort.

"Instead of moving 5 miles per hour and requiring special equipment to move them to a field across a road (as the steel tracklayers did), now farmers can drive 18 MPH on public roads, and not worry about hurting the pavement."

That's the beauty of the rubber tracks, he says, and that factor alone is probably doing more to bring new business into Tenco. Producers of rice, tomatoes, sugar beets, wheat, corn, safflower, alfalfa and sunflowers are finding new interest in tracklayers, he says.

One thing people like about Tenco, says McKeen, is the availability of several implements fit for the Challenger on the lot. "Growers know we have what they need in plows and disks and the rest," he says. "What doesn't exist, we hear about from the grower, and Tenco goes to local shops to see what can be developed." Plows, chisels, stubble and seed bed disks, cultivators and scrapers expand Tenco's spectrum of sales.

While growers select tracks over wheels for increased pull-power and better flotation, they are picking the rubber over steel because of even more decreased compaction, observes McKeen. And, with the increased speed of the unit, more work can be done than the older D5, D6 and D7 handled. "You're able to move out at the kind of rate they want for disking and laser leveling," he says.

The $140,000 basic unit price for the 270 HP 65s "is finding more acceptance as farmers realize how much they can use the machine, and how much they can save in terms of costs per acre per man."

Tenco was one of the premier dealers to handle Challenger sales, and today prospects from around the world stop in to chat with McKeen about these tractors. "I think we in California were picked to introduce the machines since we had so many different crops here. So many different chances to apply the unit. I take lots of videos during the busy season to show visitors who come around when there aren't any Challenges in the field."

With the machine now in its third year of commercial operation, "we are beginning to get orders for second units," claims McKeen. "I'd say that the wait-and-see period is definitely behind us."

All along the way, Caterpillar has reworked the original machines to beef up performance and convenience. "With the company offering a reworking program to help improve the earlier machines, I think farmers find a lot of favor with our way of doing business," he says.

There is also a trade-in program for worn treads. While tracks can be retreaded, they can be exchanged for new sets if the metal cores are not damaged.

"We make sure everyone understands this kind of service program, and I think it makes the big difference in making a sale," says McKeen. "There are a lot of things going for us on this machine."

And, he is always eager to demo his machines. "We put our money where our mouth is," he smiles. "That means the best service, too. Our reputation has to speak for us on that issue."

McKeen says he "spends a lot of time understanding exactly what a farmer's needs are" before recommending a unit. "We have every soil condition imaginable in our district," he adds. "Whether we are dealing with a heavy adobe or a light peat makes a difference in the kind of machine and implements necessary."

With a new size of Challenger expected in the spring, the line already offers various tread sizes that he helps growers match up for their needs. "We range in width from 20 inches to 27.5," he says. "Soon, we'll have a 35.5-inch tread. And, we must consider which tread style to use, depending on the soil. If the land is heavier, a more abrasion-resistant type is needed. That's what we match up, making sure the customer is pleased."

That's the bottom line for McKeen: customer satisfaction. And, it is linked inseparably with farm income. "The man has to make money with today's machine," he explains.

"You have to convince the farmer he can do more with less people. As in all businesses today, that's a very important farm sales factor."

And, one that's helping Tenco put more yellow on the farms it serves in the '90s.

PHOTO : A FULL LINE of Challenger implements, like this Wilcox plow, helps bring customers back into Tenco for more sales, explains Wes McKeen.