Case IH has created a 175th anniversary version of its Puma 175 CVX tractor, which will be available in a limited production run to mark 175 years since the founding of the company that became today’s Case IH Agriculture.
The ‘jubilee edition’ also marks 10 years’ production of the Puma line – the St. Valentin, Austrian-built seven-model range that spans from 150hp to 240hp.
The Puma 175 CVX Jubilee Edition is finished in a distinctive ‘Viper Stryker’ pearlescent red, inherited from the Case IH Autonomous Concept Vehicle (ACV). It also carries unique 175th anniversary decals. Only 175 are to be built.
Where did it all start?
Jerome Increase Case founded his eponymous farm equipment business in 1842, in the US town of Racine, Wisconsin, where the worldwide headquarters of the Case IH agricultural business remain today.
The company’s beginnings were closely linked with those of the American economy, as pioneers moved west and new farms were established there to feed the growing population centres in the east.
In 1869, Case went on to manufacture its first steam engine tractor. Though mounted on wheels, it was drawn by horses and used only to power other machines. In 1876, the company built its first self-propelled traction steam engine. As steam engines quickly replaced horses for threshing, JI Case Threshing Machine Company had become the world’s largest producer of steam engines by 1886.
In 1902, five companies merged to form the International Harvester Company in Chicago. The deal was brokered personally by JP Morgan, the American banker who dominated corporate finance at the time.
International Harvester produced its first combine harvester in 1915. In 1923, the Farmall – the world’s first row-crop tractor – was introduced. More than five million Farmall tractors were sold.
Fast forward to 1977, when the unique single-rotor Axial-Flow rotary combine harvester came on the scene. This machine made a significant impact on farming across North America.
Case IH was formed in 1985 when JI Case acquired the agricultural division of International Harvester, uniting Case and IH under a single brand.
An early Case IH Magnum tractor in action. Image source: Shane Casey
Case IH’s first product, the Magnum series (160hp to 240hp), was introduced in 1987 and became the first tractor to win the Industrial Design Excellence Award. Now producing up to 380hp, the Magnum continues to be one of the most recognizable Case IH products. More than 150,000 have been sold.
