What is going to be the next "Big Thing"

[sweettractors]

From my memories, in the early fifties farmers went from horses and mules to tractors. In the fifties only about 3-4 farmers had a brush Hog in my county, now every farm does. In the fifties, we dug all our post holes with hand diggers, now we all have PTO diggers. We went from pitman mowers to beltdrive mowers in the sixties and seventies. Then we went from beltdrive sickle mowers to disc mowers in the eighties and now every farmer that does much hay has one. From Disc mowers to Discbines is the trend currently. Hay tedders were not even considered a needed implement until about 15 years ago and now every hay farmer has one.
In your opinion, what do you see as the "next big thing" in the implement area in the following years? Ken Sweet

 

[Duffster]

From my memories, in the early fifties farmers went from horses and mules to tractors. In the fifties only about 3-4 farmers had a brush Hog in my county, now every farm does. In the fifties, we dug all our post holes with hand diggers, now we all have PTO diggers. We went from pitman mowers to beltdrive mowers in the sixties and seventies. Then we went from beltdrive sickle mowers to disc mowers in the eighties and now every farmer that does much hay has one. From Disc mowers to Discbines is the trend currently. Hay tedders were not even considered a needed implement until about 15 years ago and now every hay farmer has one. In your opinion, what do you see as the "next big thing" in the implement area in the following years? Ken Sweet

Not every one, nobody uses them here.

I got to ask, what is a pitman mower?

 

[sweettractors]

Not every one, nobody uses them here.

I got to ask, what is a pitman mower?

The pitman mower is the ones with the wooden drive stick that attaches to the sickle head. Ford 501, Massey #32, John Deere #9 and 39 are common examples. They have limited movement in the cutterbar angles they can mow. About 35 degrees above and below horizontal. Ken Sweet

 

[sweettractors]

Not every one, nobody uses them here.

I got to ask, what is a pitman mower?

They say a pictures is worth a thousand words. Here are examples of both. The one on the left is a pitman style Ford 501 and the crankshaft is on the left with power transferred through the wooden pitman to the sickle head. (limited up and down blade movement) The picture on the right is a typical belt drive setup where the crankshaft is on the right at the beginning of the sickle cutter head. Ken Sweet

 

[sweettractors]

Goats, because the EPA is going to outlaw lawn mowers and tractors! :laughing:

Naw, too late for Goats, They are all ready here in Ky in great numbers. Ken Sweet

 

[texasjohn]

Hydraulic top and tilt paired with a Pat's style hook for 3PH arms integrated into the arms, all hydraulics integrated into tractor so you are not using those precious/expensive rear ports.

 

[gregsons]

If i knew what the next big thing was i wouldnt be on here talking about it i would be in my shop working on it and wondering how i would spend all that $$$

 

[Verticaltrx]

Hydraulic top and tilt paired with a Pat's style hook for 3PH arms integrated into the arms, all hydraulics integrated into tractor so you are not using those precious/expensive rear ports.

The Pats easy change system is nothing new, it's really a cheaper version of a quick hitch (aka I-match). John Deere was one of the first to start using that type of attachment in the '60s on larger row crop tractors (Cat II and Cat III.) Even the top link itself could be had with that kind of quick connect if you wanted. It was fairly popular on the later 20 series and 30 series, not sure if you can still get a quick connect top link these days though.

Also top and tilt has been around for nearly as long. A large majority of industrial tractors have top and tilt dating back to the '70s.

A lot of the things that are new to the compact tractor world have actually been around for decades in the agricultural and industrial tractor world.

 

[texasjohn]

Exactly so, Verticaltrx. My first tractor was an early 50ish Case which had a claw attachment on the 3ph swing arms. I loved that feature although much else of the tractor was less fun.

I was implying that these features would become standard, or at least manufacturers options rather than add on's as they now are.:licking:

 

[charlz]

As times get hard and people move back to growing their own food, if the local food movement catches on etc etc. Maybe a move back to 'small' implements. One or two row corn pickers, one row potato pickers etc. Stuff that a 0-20 acre farm might use. Have to be pretty cheap though I would think.