flusher
Super Member
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2005
- Messages
- 7,538
- Location
- Sacramento
- Tractor
- Getting old. Sold the ranch. Sold the tractors. Moved back to the city.
First off, my property is all hill and clay. I am looking into getting my first tractor and am stuck.
Tractor A weighs 5000lbs, is 86-90" wide, 41hp, and is 2WD.
Tractor B weighs 2600lbs, is 56" wide, 36hp and is 4WD.
Both come with similar FELs, though A has a little more capacity.
A is $18,233
B is $18,700
My tasks would be moving the occasional round hay bale, field mowing, snow removal (not much), gravel road creation and maint, various digging and grading, and running a single bottom plow to break some new ground for various small scale gardening.
All hills? Get the tractor with the widest wheel track and the lowest stance. Want the tractor center of gravity as low as possible consistent with ground clearance requirements that depend on how rugged your land actually is. Safety first, last and always when working on hills.
For example, here is my 1964 Massey Ferguson 135 diesel that has been modified from a field tractor configuration to squat low for work in the olive orchards around here. The wheel track is 84" wide (measured to the outside of the rear wheels) and the centerline of the rear axle is 20" above the ground. The front axle spindles have been shortened to keep the tractor level. The rear tires are Goodrich 6 ply 18.4-16A (18" wide, 16" dia rim) and are 40" tall overall.
Good luck and be careful out there.