Help Selecting a Tractor for my Gannon HSD 72" with hydraulic rippers

   / Help Selecting a Tractor for my Gannon HSD 72" with hydraulic rippers #1  

CCSRentals

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Hello everyone, I purchased a Gannon HSD 72" box scrapper with the hydraulic rippers and I'm curious what tractor ya all think is a good match up with it. I'm in Idaho and the soil is really rocky.

BTW, it says it is rated for a 40-90HP tractor.

Your thoughts? Thank you.
 
   / Help Selecting a Tractor for my Gannon HSD 72" with hydraulic rippers #2  
Box Blades needs to be slightly wider than the outside-to-outside width of your rear tires. So you will want a tractor with rear tire width of 60" to 70". Buy the heaviest tractor with this track width that is within your budget.

If tire width is wider than Box Blade width it prohibits you from pulling dirt repeatedly in the same 'aisle'.

When reading tractor specs, keep in mind tractor widths are always measured with R1/ag tires. R4/industrial tires are wider.

((Check to be sure 72" is OVERALL width of the Box Blade, not working width, which is narrower than overall width.))
 
   / Help Selecting a Tractor for my Gannon HSD 72" with hydraulic rippers
  • Thread Starter
#3  
Thanks Jeff. Is it important to have weighed rims and filled tires? I read that somewhere when using a box scraper....
 
   / Help Selecting a Tractor for my Gannon HSD 72" with hydraulic rippers
  • Thread Starter
#4  
And also some silly questions, sorry.

1. On a John Deere what's the difference between MFWD and FWD?
2. On a John Deere what's the difference between the 5045 and the 4044M/4044R & the 4105, they all seem to be 45HP?
3. What's the most bullet proof transmission? I see they offer a few different kinds?
 
   / Help Selecting a Tractor for my Gannon HSD 72" with hydraulic rippers #5  
Probably one or the other but that depends on how heavy your tractor is and whether or not your tractor has 4-WD.

Filled tires lower the center-of-gravity of the tractor, therefore help stabilize tractor if you will work on slopes, with or without the Box Blade. R4 tires are always at least six ply. R1 tires are usually four ply. R4 tires have greater punctures resistance, especially sidewall puncture resistance. R4 tires have a slightly greater contact patch with the ground than R1 tires.

R1 tires are better if you have to deal with a protracted mud season.

Adding wheel weight with liquid is much cheaper than adding wheel weight with tire weights. Taking off a liquid filled tire can require at least two people to handle the weight safely.

I have sandy-loam in Florida. I pull a 60" wide, 625 pound Bush Hog (brand) Rollover Box Blade behind my 5,400 pound Kubota L3560 with air-filled R4/industrial tires without losing traction. Your conditions are different. However, I would guess R4/industrial tires would be significantly better than R1 tires for your rock, with the potential to gash the sidewalls.

I do some ag work, although my primary tractor work is in the woods. My land is flat. I hate to compact the soil, which deprives crops of the oxygen they need to flourish. You need enough weight for traction, no more. If you will operate over lawns, you will not want too much weight or you will rut turf.

The most bullet proof transmission is as dependent on operator skill as the mechanics. If your tractor will have multiple operators an hydrostatic/HST transmission is the easiest to use and most proof against inexperienced tractor operators. HST transmissions are only available on tractors up to around 60-horsepower.

HST is excellent for Box Blade use. It produces max torque a low engine rams. That is what you need when commencing a pull with a loaded Box Blade. With HST you forward/reverse just with foot pedal. You do not move a shift lever.

I have operated every type of tractor transmission. Only the simplest clutch and gear requires real skill but I drove only clutch and gear cars until forty years of age, so clutch and gear tractors came naturally. I do NOT recommend a clutch and gear tractor for Box Blade work. OK for field work.


There is no practical difference between MFWD/FWD/4-WD.

I will let a Deere expert address Deere model differences, however weight will be a factor. I learned tractors on Deeres, but that was long ago. My last two new tractor-loader purchases have been Kubotas because the local Kubota dealer is excellent. The Deere dealer is not very interested in <40-horspower tractors.

((You may wish to copy your Deere model questions into the Deere specific forum, which will maximize your replies.))
 
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   / Help Selecting a Tractor for my Gannon HSD 72" with hydraulic rippers #6  
G'day Mate and welcome to TBN from Downunder.

jeff9366 has made all good points. As the Box Blade (BB) says it's rated for a tractor's HP it should be a Cat 1 implement... which means that the tractor requires a Cat 1 3 Point Hitch (3PH). I don't know how much experience you have with tractors; you could be new or I could be 'preaching to the choir' :confused3: :).

A different website: tractordata.com will be an easy reference for you to compare the suggested tractors from TBN... as an example, here's what it says about my own tractor:

TractorData.com John Deere 415 tractor information As you can see, the width is given with a R1 tyre fitted.

We don't generally try to 'push' one colour (make of) tractor over another here on this site. Mind you, we all have our "favourites".
 
   / Help Selecting a Tractor for my Gannon HSD 72" with hydraulic rippers
  • Thread Starter
#7  
I'm really new so "preach" away :)

My Gannon HSD 72" box scrapper says its a CLASS 2 "hitch class"
 
   / Help Selecting a Tractor for my Gannon HSD 72" with hydraulic rippers
  • Thread Starter
#8  
Wow, that TractorData has ALL the tractors. Someone put in a ton of work on that!
 
   / Help Selecting a Tractor for my Gannon HSD 72" with hydraulic rippers
  • Thread Starter
#9  
Wagtail, is the R1 the Ag tire, because I don't see on TractorData where it says R1 tires? So yours is 65.8" wide?
 
   / Help Selecting a Tractor for my Gannon HSD 72" with hydraulic rippers #10  
I'm really new so "preach" away :)

My Gannon HSD 72" box scrapper says its a CLASS 2 "hitch class"

Then you need a tractor with either a dual Class 1/2 Three Point Hitch or a Class 2 Three Point Hitch.

"Category" of Three Point Hitch will be one of the distinctions between various Deere models.

Under 'articles' TractorData.com has a pretty good explanation of Three Point Hitch "categories".

Tractor Three Point Hitches and PTOs are standard dimensions all over the world.
 
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