Is less weight better?

[cchoate]

I read more posts, advertisments, etc., that brag about how heavy they're tractors are.
The way I see it, I'd rather my tractor weigh a little less. Mowing, raking and general work will leave less marks on a soft lawn. You want weight for plowing, digging, loading? Hmmm, let see, you could just add ballast to the front, rear or tires.
Anybody else see this as I do? Don't get me wrong, I don't want a tinfoil tractor, but I also don't want a tank.

 

[rf33]

I think that is why there is a big thread going on about having two tractors/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif. We all want the tank when we are using ground engaging implements, but would like to have something light with turf tires for mowing. A perfect setup would be to have both...

 

[BigDave]

Hey it's really up to you to decide what you need. If you want light weight to prevent damaging your lawn, then light weight is good. Adding ballast to make your tractor heavier is good if your tractor is designed for the extra weight. I personally prefer more weight, but I'm a heavy guy & my soil is clay. I only make marks the day after it rains. It kind of bothered me, when I stepped onto a lighter tractor, the fender would drop a couple of inches. I wanted rock solid, so I found what I'll call a tank in a CUT sort of way. The funny thing about my tank is that it has a plastic hood and fenders, but the fenders don't move when I step onto the platform. I figure that extra 800lbs of tractor must be extra steel, because the plastic doesn't weigh that much. /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif Of course I loaded my tires too. /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[MossRoad]

I ran the same question through my mind over and over. My IH2500B is about 8000 pounds. Worked great for clearing, excavating and general TANK work. I don't need it anymore. I needed a lawnmower that could do occasional loader, brush hog, snowplow work, etc. Typical homeowner/estate maintenance stuff. That's why I went with my Power Trac. Easy on the turf and very capable. But it would be a lousy plow or row crop tractor for sure. I guess if you want an all purpose machine, you have to decide what all your purposes are going to be first and pick the machine that will do the best for you.

 

[frank_f15]

CHRIS: depends on what you want to do with the tractor, usually my b2400 is just right, not so heavy i cant work on the yard with it but heavy enough to do MOST things i want.now the other day i could have used a BIG tractor. but u go with what is best most of the time.

 

[cisco]

Depends on the task, of course. My tractor with a large mowing deck attached weighs nearly 4500lbs, and this evening I put ruts all over a fairly damp field that I have reclaimed from forest/weeds, and is now growing native grass. If I do such with my future lawn, my wife will --- let's not even think about it. Anyhow, to reclaim the field, and the rest of my "country" property, I needed brute force in a tractor, and sometimes I wished for more power/weight, but now that the area has been "tamed", my tractor has to be used carefully, and in dry weather. I probably should have taken the rec. of Carver (in N.C.), that being that I rent a big unit for a year, while I cleared trees, brush, rocks, and filled marshy areas, and then bought an appropriately diminuative tractor for mowing and minor brush cutting.
I like my tractor - we've bonded - but it's too large (even with R-4's) to be used on damp or wet lawn, so I just have to pick my times to mow.

 

[ScottAR]

Depends on what one is doing and the soil type. With my heavy clay, my ag tires don't even make a dent when it's dry. I use a lawn mower on the lawn as it's only 1/2 acre anyway. I bought the tractor for maintaining some pasture and for any dirtwork I need to do. Heavy is good for what I'm doing.

 

[Thomas]

Kinda depends on your needs.

If pulling load of bale hay,mowing steep slope,earth moving etc.. a heavier tractor should last longer,also the saftey factor better.

Far as around the homestead a lighter tractor or small tractor I to would rather have..heck whats a couple more passes..better than filling in tire tracks.

 

[MJB]

The weight of a tractor alone does not determine how much it will mark the ground. The contact pressure of the wheels on the ground is the determining factor. Sure, big tractors are heavier, but they also have larger tires. The actual contact pressure does not vary by much from tractor to tractor. I would leave deeper marks in my lawn by riding across it on my skinny tired 10-speed road bike than I would by driving across with my R-4 shod tractor with loader and backhoe attached.

 

[Boondox]

It's pretty much determined by how you use your tractor. Light weight and wide rubber is best for some applications. But there's no way I could crown my road or skid maple logs home for firewood without some mass under me.

Pete