​A tractor built to his specifications, freeing up cash flow and an excellent deal were behind Dan Sanderson forward ordering a new Steiger tractor.

Dan, who farms with his wife Judy and son John, ordered the Steiger 500 from Case IH dealer Farmers Centre, at Esperance in Western Australia, in June. He’ll take delivery in December.

The Sandersons crop wheat, barley, canola and field peas on their 3321 hectare property just west of Grass Patch, some 80 kilometres north of Esperance, plus a further 730ha of lease country.

In between harvest and seeding they take on trade sheep.

Dan traded in a Case IH Steiger 425 on the new tractor, which will be his fourth Steiger.

“Ever since we’ve had four-wheel drive tractors, we’ve always had Steigers,” Dan said. “Judy and I began farming 25 years ago with my family. We went out on our own in 1994 and bought good second-hand gear until five or six years ago, when we could afford to buy new.”

The Sandersons’ Case IH range includes a Magnum 290 tractor, along with harvesting equipment.

“This will be our first new Steiger, although we’ve bought two new Magnums in the past, trading one in to upgrade to the next. The Steiger we’ve just traded in had about 6000 hours on it, but now we need a bigger, more modern tractor.

“I like Case IH equipment. We have a very good local dealer, with quick service and good parts backup. The maintenance staff are very good; the service manager has been there for years and he’s very, very good. It means not much downtime—they always have parts when we need them.”

Dan said the advantage of buying new over second-hand was being able to keep it longer, and ensuring it’s looked after as they want.

“We’re very fussy with our machinery, so if we have it from new we can look after it really well from the beginning.”

Dan said the new Steiger will be used to pull a new 60-foot seeder.