After two years of effort, three Antarctica-bound Case IH tractors have arrived in Australia ahead of their journey’s final leg
The ice of Antarctica is a long way from an Australian paddock, but three modified Case IH Steiger Quadtrac 500 tractors are just about ready to make the shift.
After being built in the United States, the Steigers arrived at Melbourne’s port in September, before travelling across Bass Strait into Tasmania.
From there, they were transported by road to Case IH dealer TTMI’s base near Launceston ahead of the last big step in the arduous journey.
The tractors will travel by ship to Antarctica later this month, where they will support the Australian Antarctic Division’s aviation operations at the Wilkins Blue Ice Runway and Casey Ski Landing Area.
Plans for the tractors include runway maintenance, fuel and cargo transport from Casey to Wilkins, plus general sled towing and heavy vehicle recovery.
Case IH ANZ Steiger product manager Jason Wood says the American manufacturing plant in Fargo, North Dakota, had to make many modifications to ensure the tractors were ready for Antarctica’s challenges.
“This is a process that has taken several years because it’s not simply a case of delivering three of our regulation Steiger models,” he says.
“To withstand the unforgiving environment they’re heading to, and carry out the work they’re required to do to the very highest standard, they needed some critical modifications.
“They’ve had the likes of arctic hoses installed in key areas and heaters added for the warming of the coolant and engine oil before they’re started each time.
“The fuel tanks have even been tripled in size to increase their versatility.”
“This has been such a rewarding project for all the Case IH staff involved in the process, from the team in Fargo who built the tractors to our team here who’ve been privileged to take delivery of them for the final part of their journey.”