By Jim Simpson

      One of my favorite parts of the county fair is going out to see the tractor pulls and the new equipment.  Often times local tractor dealers bring out big 4wds to show of the top of their brand line.  A good way to show off to a crowd is to use the 4wd to smooth out the tractor pull track.  I can remember in the early 1980's our local IH/Steiger dealer bringing out a new Steiger Cougar ST-280 to work up the track.  This big beast was just as interesting to watch in between pulls as it was watching the pull.

     This month I would like to look at two 1/32 4wds that may have been quite a site at a local fair back in the 1980's.  I will review the 1/32 Steiger Cougar ST251 and Case 4894 4wd toys and their companion literature .

       The Steiger ST-251 is powered by a Cummins NT855-C-250 power plant. ST 251 stands for standard frame 251 hp tractor. The Cougar ST 251 weighs in at 25,000 lbs.  It has a Spicer SST 1010 mechanical 10 speed, providing 20 speeds forward, 4 reverse when coupled with a 2-speed transfer case.   The ST-251 was offered by Steiger from 1976-1983.

       Ertl first offered the Cougar ST-251 in 1/32 scale in 1981.  A total of 1,320 units were produced.  The original Cougar toy was part off  the serial number Steiger Classics set.  The NIB model above is serial # 1209 of 1,320.  Ertl also offered a shelf edition Cougar through 1983 pictured to the right.  Interestingly the Steiger box lists the Cougar as an ST-251 but there is no model number decal on the toy so a young farmer in the 1980's could pretend it was an ST-250, 251, 270 or 280 Cougar. 

    The literature pictured above was printed in 1982 by Steiger.  It features the Steiger ST series tractors including the range of  Bearcat, Cougar and Panther III 4wds.  It is a spec-sheet of only 4 pages listing all of the ST tractors features.

     In 1984 J.I. Case released the 94 series 4wds.  The 4894 was the second largest tractors in the Case 4wd line.  The 4894 has a 300 hp Saab engine.  The tractor is a rigid frame 4wd with crab steer, which means it steers in the front and back. This steering feature is particular helpful for hill sides.  It has a 12 speed four range power shift with three on the go shifts in each range.  The 4894 was offered from 1984-1988 when it was replaced by a Steiger model in the Case International line.

      The model pictured above is a 1984 Collectors Edition 4894. This 1/32 model came in a plain white box and was only available at J.I. Case dealers.  A shelf version was also available. 

      Case's 94 series 4wd literature was printed in 1984. It covered the entire Case 94 series 4wd line including the 4494 174 hp, 4694 219 hp, 4894 300 hp and 4994 400 hp.  The black and white 4wds were short lived because in November 1984 Case merged with International Harvester.  The 4wds and other Case tractors were painted red in 1985 and new literature was printed.  In fact this piece of literature is rubber stamped with a CaseIH logo by the dealer who distributed it.

TTT June 2003 Page 3

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