I saw a Versatile Tractor 435 HP at a local dealer. I noticed it had outboard planetary axles. Do any of the John Deere, Case IH, or Cat tractors in that class have the outboard planetary drives? It seemed like a well built heavy duty tractor w/ a Cummins engine and Cat transmission. I was wondering how they compared to the other tractors in its class? Thanks in advance.
Versatile is the only one that has the outboard planetary. I haven't priced one with a power shift, but generally they are cheaper than the others you have listed. They are a good well built tractor. The cabs are a little smaller and I don't know if they have the heated seat and auto climate control, but mechanically I would much rather have a Versatile, over the other three.
Versatile I've never seen a Versatile up close until last week. I was impressed with the Cummins motor and outboard planetary drives. I don't know much about the Cat Transmission, but I'm sure its a strong unit as well.
FWIW, some older Steigers ran outboard planetaries. They were a source of costly repairs for many. There weren't enough sun gears to handle the load. Ed
Back in the 80's I think Versatile made some of the best large 4X4 tractors at the time. Deere was laboring along with their pig like 8850's, IH had nothing to compete and neither did CASE. Stieger and Versatile owned the market at least in North Dakota. There were a lot of Versatiles, the 1150 was especially impressive machine. Some where along the line the competition just got better, and Versatile lost its way. Now red Stiegers seem more the norm along with the larger Deere 4X4's. I have not run a Versatile since the 80's but you don't see many new Versies around any more.
About 5 years ago when Versatile working on a 500hp prototype I ran it on a dirt crew. Our only mandate was to beat the snot out of it. And we did. The only problems (which were minor) were final drive covers working loose and then leaking gear lube. I believe they changed the cover design shortly after I left and the guys that ran them later had no troubles. They're not the plushest machine out there but their basic and quite durable.
The CaseIH 9150/9250/9350 row crop specials had outboard planetary axes, but all the rest were inboard. The one downside is that you can't run wide bar axles. If you want adjustable wheel spacing you need the rims with removable center sections. ISZ
I read that Versatile was considering going inboard planetaries but it would cost alot more and there was lots of competition in that field. So instead of becoming " all things to all people" they went the economical way. They also claimed that outboard planetries are easier to repair and more generally more durable.
"I read that Versatile was considering going inboard planetaries but it would cost alot more and there was lots of competition in that field. So instead of becoming " all things to all people" they went the economical way. They also claimed that outboard planetries are easier to repair and more generally more durable. " Outboard planetaries are easier to repair because all you need to do is pull a cover on the outside to access the gears, but on inboards you need to pull the whole axle apart. To my knowledge only Ag tractors use bar axles, and they are often special designs to accommodate mounts for 3pt linkage, PTO gear boxes, draw bars, etc. The outboard planetary axles were probably cheaper because they could utilize off-the-shelf (or lightly modified) axles from a heavy front end loader or similar machine. But then you have to account for the above listed accessories through frame mounts, which takes up room (which of course isn't an issue on the big boys, but can be on the smaller models) and can add cost. ISZ
Yup, outboard planetaries require clamp on duals. They ain't much fun to get mounted and torqued down. Axle duals are a lot more user friendly when it come to mounting and adjusting the tire spacing. Ed