When the mighty MB-trac 1800 was launched in 1990, the range of tractors built by Daimler-Benz in Gaggenau, in Germany, and sold under the Mercedes-Benz brand, seemed unstoppable.
The new model used an engine intercooler to produce 180hp and was by far the most powerful MB-trac ever built, topping out an extensive range of heavyweight, middleweight, and lightweight models that stretched down from this 180hp flagship to the smallest, the 80hp 800.
All these tractors were constructed to make full use of the key design aspects of the MB-trac concept, with four equal-sized wheels, centrally mounted cab, suspended front axle, and load platform at the rear, providing a versatile machine that could form the basis of sprayers, fertiliser spreaders, and even harvesting machinery, as well as being able to work as a conventional tractor.
1990 also saw the first signs of Daimler-Benz not being altogether happy with the success of its tractors when it tried to increase the market share of its MB-trac range by integrating it with the Deutz-Fahr Intrac systems tractor, built by
