This German-built machine (pictured above) was once claimed to be “Europe’s strongest wheeled tractor”.
It first appeared back in 2008 – 10 years ago this year. It was about four years in the making (or converting).
This tractor – a one-off project – is known as the ‘Profi Gigant‘ or ‘Professional Giant’ (to apply a literal translation). It’s based around a Schluter Profi Trac 3500 – a tractor that harks all the way back to 1973.
It’s a big beast; it spans 3.17m wide (or 4.8m with dual wheels fitted). It’s lofty too; it’s 3.75m tall.
It weighs a rather portly 20t and has no less than 650hp under the hood. That muscle is courtesy of a six-cylinder, 12.5L MAN engine. It sports both a turbo-charger and an intercooler. It can carry 1,100L of diesel.
The exhaust system was custom-fabricated, by Borges and Stelzle. Exhaust fumes are routed to both sides. This, apparently, is not just for looks; it’s an approach that “reduces the cross-section per side”, supposedly enabling a better transfer of gases.
Image source: www.autobild.de
The transmission, from ZF, has a 16F 2R configuration. A splitter doubles up this tally. The top whack is 42kph.
It’s shod on Michelin XeoBib 710/60 R42 tyres all round.
Inside the cab, the creator was evidently aiming for a mix of nostalgia and modernity. The dash is decked out with wood trim. There’s a veritable army of chrome-ringed dials and gauges to keep any operator busy.
Image source: www.autobild.de
For more information on this iconic tractor, visit the creator’s website, by clicking on this link. That entity – ‘Professional Giant GbR’ – is based in Karlshuld in Bavaria (Germany).
There’s also an interesting article on Auto Bild (albeit in German); it delves into the detail of this machine – and the history that underpins it.
