Tractor Sizing Four (4) Considerations in Tractor Selection

[m1garand762]

What it should come down to is which brand has the best dealer. Would i have bought a Deere or Massey, he’ll yes if i didn’t have to waste a day to go to a decent dealer for parts or service. I bought a kubota because I have 5 great places within an hour and a half drive. If I bought a Deere it would be 2.5 hours one way and if I bought a Massey it would be 2 hours each way. I could have bought a new Holland but would have to go over 4 hours to find a good dealer. Kioti is out of the question for me I had one and sold it because I couldn’t buy parts in stock within a days drive each way they really need to improve there dealer network if they want to be a contender

 

[RalphVa]

I somehow knew from my own and engineering knowhow that 18 hp was enough for me. Looked at JD (who had one then) and Kubota offerings. Nothing else in our area at that time. Think one of the present Kubota dealers had Yanmar. JD was, by far, the closest dealership.

Still wish I could get another 18.5 hp JD with turning brakes like the 4010. Nope. Next tractor at this time will be a Kubota B2300. The BXs have that cooling fan down below, to get down to 18 hp. Next the extra clearance of the B or 2 series JD.

Ground clearance and minimum 18 hp and reasonably close dealership were my main criteria. Want turning brakes, too.

 

[Fixastuff]

My opinion is most people buy off of specs without demoing/testing the machine they want "in the setting they will use it in"...

 

[IndyJay]

My opinion is most people buy off of specs without demoing/testing the machine they want "in the setting they will use it in"...

It is really not an "either"/"or" situation. You read reviews, go around to the dealers, ask a lot of questions and drive a few that meet the specs you want. Work out the pricing for how you want it set up. Go to the next dealer and do the same. At some point you have to make a decision. Impressions and general feel of both the dealer and tractor are important but you still have to go over the numbers... price, HP, PTO HP, weight (both gross and loaded) and lift capacity, whatever else is important.

 

[Fixastuff]

It is really not an "either"/"or" situation. You read reviews, go around to the dealers, ask a lot of questions and drive a few that meet the specs you want. Work out the pricing for how you want it set up. Go to the next dealer and do the same. At some point you have to make a decision. Impressions and general feel of both the dealer and tractor are important but you still have to go over the numbers... price, HP, PTO HP, weight (both gross and loaded) and lift capacity, whatever else is important.

If specs and a test drive around the lot is all you need that's cool but I need more. If they won't let me demo it in a real life situation I won't buy it.

 

[jeff9366]

When considering a tractor purchase bare tractor weight first, tractor horsepower second, rear axle width third, rear wheel/tire ballast fourth.

Background of above tenets:

Tractor Sizing - TRACTOR WEIGHT as ONE (1) CRITERION in TRACTOR SELECTION

TRACTOR WEIGHT as ONE CRITERION in TRACTOR SELECTION This thread has evolved since February 2, 2018 under former title of GUIDE: Shopping/Sizing A Tractor. T-B-N members have contributed 413 replies to this focused thread, commencing its third iteration. I thank them. My opinions developed...

www.tractorbynet.com

 

[CH4Ohio]

Background of above tenets:

Tractor Sizing - TRACTOR WEIGHT as ONE (1) CRITERION in TRACTOR SELECTION

TRACTOR WEIGHT as ONE CRITERION in TRACTOR SELECTION This thread has evolved since February 2, 2018 under former title of GUIDE: Shopping/Sizing A Tractor. T-B-N members have contributed 413 replies to this focused thread, commencing its third iteration. I thank them. My opinions developed...

www.tractorbynet.com

Thanks for the link! I do agree with this common sense approach and methodology, I was just pointing out that I don't use "bare weight" as my first criteria. I typically use HP first and then verify that the TOTAL weight of the package supports the application. Either methodology will likely result in the same tractor selection.

For example, if looking for a tractor to pull a small square baler, the implement requirement might specify that you need 62 HP. It also mentions that the tractor should weigh at least as much as the baler. It's much easier to initially identify options based on the HP spec than on the weight spec.

I especially agree with the statement that "Dealer proximity is less important for those experienced with tractors and qualified to perform their own maintenance." This is obviously a very personal issue because many members have posted that having a good local dealer is critical to them. For me, it's way down on the list. I usually buy used so not getting warranty service. I'm as likely to order my parts online as I am to go to a dealer -- and get them just as fast. I'll pretty much tackle any repair. I've also found that my local farm equipment dealers are willing to work on pretty much anything. I admit that I don't follow the maintenance manuals 100%. I focus on the wear points and lube points and probably miss some adjustment checks, but when something breaks, I'm inclined to tackle it myself.

Overall, I think we ultimately use the same approach. But I think that it might be more accurate to say that we consider the whole package (application, weight, HP, cost, features, . . . ) simultaneously as opposed to ticking off specific criteria one-at-a-time. It's hard for me to be that one-dimensional in my thinking when I'm looking at a tractor.

Thanks again for the link and history.

 

[mo1]

MossRoad - June 2021:

There's a balance between bare weight, additional weight, weight distribution, traction, flotation, soil conditions, etc.

Too much emphasis on bare weight, in my opinion.

OK:

When considering a tractor purchase bare tractor weight first, tractor horsepower second, rear axle width third, rear wheel/tire ballast fourth.

The most important consideration is "what are you going to be doing with the tractor?" Once you figure out what you are going to do with it and how fast and often you want to do those jobs, that will tell you what implements you are going to run, and that will give you the tractor size, weight, power, and hydraulic capacity you need, sometimes with some wiggle room. For the wiggle room, if you are more worried about getting into smaller spaces, pick one at the smaller end and if you are more worried about speed/capacity, pick one at the bigger end. As long as you accurately identify what you are trying to do and don't get into the situation where your tractor is clearly too large or small for the implement/job you need to run/do and it cannot do that job/run that implement, there is plenty of wiggle room and a few percent different in size, weight, etc. isn't going to really matter.

Generally the decisions the buyer has to make once they have decided what jobs the tractor is going to do are personal preference decisions- brand/exact model chosen, specific transmission chosen, open station vs. cab, MFWD vs. 2WD. Driving one can help here as spending some seat time can help you to see which one fits your preferences the best.

 

[PuffyC]

After going through all this same spreadsheet analysis when buying my tractor, the biggest thing I learned was it's mostly a waste of time. More size and weight are not always better, nor is cheaper. An extra 100 lbs on the FEL is great but is it really going to impact your day-to-day? Not likely. Two vs three range tranny? Linked pedal? FEL goes 6 inches higher? Plastic versus metal? DPF? Meh, outside of a few very specific scenarios it's all good. Even an extra $1000, who cares. Yeah that's a lot of money but over 10-20 years it's meaningless. It's like buying a house where you agonize over all these little things that 3 months after moving in you don't even notice or care about any more.

Personally I'd say just be knowledgeable about what you'll really be doing with it and then go with your feel - you'll know what feels right and makes you happy and that's 90% of it. Every manufacturer makes a tractor that will be excellent for you and your land, so agonizing over the minutia is fine if that's how you want to spend your time, but for me I'd focus on the real difference makers like access to a broad, reliable dealer network and wide availability of parts and information. I'm a DIY'er so I want to be able to find my own solutions and learn from others with the same tractor, and I want my parts within 48 hours at the latest, preferably without having to leave the house. There's nothing worse than searching online and feeling like you're the first person on planet Earth who's had some problem, or having to rely on your dealer to order some part from Estonia that'll take weeks to get. But even as a DIY'er, there will always be those issues where you absolutely need a good dealer and it's then that it becomes invaluable.

 

[deezler]

After going through all this same spreadsheet analysis when buying my tractor, the biggest thing I learned was it's mostly a waste of time

Mostly agree. The two things that instantly stand out to me in your list though: Yes, an extra 100 lbs on the FEL can absolutely be noticed if that is the exact amount of extra weight you need to lift, and your FEL can't do it. And two, the 2-range vs 3-range trans is a huge deal. A two range machine is too slow in L and too weak in H, medium is the goldilocks range for the vast majority of FEL work on a larger machine.