What tractor to buy

[paulfun9]

The loader isn't helping your rear tires get traction, because it's taking weight off the rear axle. Now, a similar HP 4wd tractor with a loader is a whole different animal from an 8n. Superior in almost every possible way. That said if your only reason for upgrading is for better traction, I'd first consider loading your rear tires (unless of course they already are). You could also add weights to the rear wheels.

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Agreed

One of my internationals has a loader and front weights on it because it carries a lot more weight out back with the backhoe most of the time. Now if I take the hoe off and try to pull a plow you will quickly find it becomes traction limited. Take the weights off the front and put them on the rear axel and it starts to gain traction, remove the loader and it becomes unstoppable.

Like an other poster I believe 4 wheel drive gets over rated in a lot of instances and knowing how the machine is supposed to be set up for the task in many cases will make the need for 4x4 much more limited than most realize. Proper ballast for the task at hand rather than the generalization that this is the best set up for overall One must also understand that when the 8n was designed it wasn't a world of 4x4's out there so we took the time to understand the physics involved and moved the weight to match the task at hand.

Simply put in the old days we didn't have the option to go buy a 4x4 so we took the time to add extra weight to the rear of the 8n to compensate for having the loader or we took it off until it was needed. which ever was the easy thing to do.

 

[Foxl3830]

Yes I agree with the last post with weight distribution.But to have your tractor in 4wd all the time just seems a wast and extra wear and tear each to there own. I'm m glade I owned and still own an 8n taught me a lot and I got a lot done with that old tractor and still love it to this day. One thing for sure I don't know how got along all those years with out a FEL now that I have one so to the original post I'd keep the loader on also and try loading the tires and chains do make a difference and wheel weights just my 2 cents!

 

[DK35vince]

Agreed

One of my internationals has a loader and front weights on it because it carries a lot more weight out back with the backhoe most of the time. Now if I take the hoe off and try to pull a plow you will quickly find it becomes traction limited. Take the weights off the front and put them on the rear axel and it starts to gain traction, remove the loader and it becomes unstoppable.

Like an other poster I believe 4 wheel drive gets over rated in a lot of instances and knowing how the machine is supposed to be set up for the task in many cases will make the need for 4x4 much more limited than most realize. Proper ballast for the task at hand rather than the generalization that this is the best set up for overall One must also understand that when the 8n was designed it wasn't a world of 4x4's out there so we took the time to understand the physics involved and moved the weight to match the task at hand.

Simply put in the old days we didn't have the option to go buy a 4x4 so we took the time to add extra weight to the rear of the 8n to compensate for having the loader or we took it off until it was needed. which ever was the easy thing to do.

As far as compact sized tractors all I know is my previous tractor was 2 WD, my current tractor is 4WD.
Big difference IMO. I like the 4WD so much better.
Need more traction just flip a 4WD lever and go, also much better for trying to stop on hills also without sliding to the bottom because the rears lost traction.

 

[Creamer]

But OP is working an arena, i.e. wet and no lowspots. 4WD will help but he can do the same thing with weight distribution for a lot less money. It appears that he has plenty of tire and good tread so it just comes down to weight to make those tires bite and hold. As many have said the loader takes some weight off the back. The loader raised up high will not hang as far out the front and will improve things. Loading the tires will make the biggest difference and should solve all his problem. That is not too much implement for that HP.

 

[paulfun9]

As far as compact sized tractors all I know is my previous tractor was 2 WD, my current tractor is 4WD.
Big difference IMO. I like the 4WD so much better.
Need more traction just flip a 4WD lever and go, also much better for trying to stop on hills also without sliding to the bottom because the rears lost traction.

So what are you saying? Maybe I should sell off all my equipment and replace it with new 4x4 only equipment just so I can flip a switch rather than saving that money and just moving the weight around once in awhile when the odd instance happens that I need to use a different tractor for a task that the other one normally does. Or so that I can drive down the hill forward when the proper way would be to back down? Or be on the hill tearing up that slippery slope so I have more work to do when things dry out? Would it not be more wise to stay off till things are dry and then use the proper ballast and direction of travel so that the hill can be safely navigated?

 

[Gary Fowler]

As far as a tractor flipping over from ballest in tires or from wheel weights while pulling a 3pt implement gonna be hard to do! The traction gained from weight over the rear wheels really a big difference in traction I can't blame you for wanting to try another tractor but if this is the only reason you are thinking of a 4wd try loading the rear tires and possibly wheel weights. I do have a 4wd Kubota also and I know I'm gonna open up a whole can of worms here but I really believe 4wd drive is over rated! Don't get me wrong it's nice! To have in certain situations for me especially like loader work I just put in a 80 ft extension on our drive way and dug out aprox. 4 to 6" of top soil to put stone in in 2wd tractor just spin but in 4wd and proper loader pressure dug in a cut beautifully worked real nice. And in very wet conditions I have used it. But 90% time my tractor is in 2WD even snow removal I have rear chains and my area is not super hilly so I under stand the need for 4wd on hills also! I'll be honest I love my Kubota 4wd but for what I do where I live if it weren't for resale value I probably would have bought a 2wd but around here trying to sell a small to medium tractor in 2wd is hard.now I don't plan on selling my Kubota but god forbid if something were to happen to me my wife and family can sell the Kubota really fast just because it's a Kubota and 4wd drive!

Back in the 60-70's I worked the farm with my Dad, never had 4 wheel drive because they really weren't available in anything other than the big articulated tractors. In order to get the traction needed, we put duals rear tires on, added 1100 pounds of cast iron weights on front + ballasted the rear tires AND the front tires. Rears had maximum amount of weights you could put on them and still we got more slippage than we wanted. With the rear duals with ballast and weights, we did have enough traction to raise the front wheels when pulling a dirt bucket from the drawbar even with all the weight up front. The beauty of 4 WD is that you don't have to have 5 tons of added weight (2 tons will work) in order to apply all the traction your tractor needs. Less slippage = less fuel burned to do the same work which is why you now see almost all farm tractors now being 4 WD.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Yes I agree with the last post with weight distribution.But to have your tractor in 4wd all the time just seems a wast and extra wear and tear each to there own. I'm m glade I owned and still own an 8n taught me a lot and I got a lot done with that old tractor and still love it to this day. One thing for sure I don't know how got along all those years with out a FEL now that I have one so to the original post I'd keep the loader on also and try loading the tires and chains do make a difference and wheel weights just my 2 cents!

I don't know how much trouble it is to just remove the FEL bucket, but taking that off will make a world of difference in your traction issue.

 

[RSKY]

Lots of good advice here that can save you the money of buying another tractor. With a 2wd you want all the weight over the rear axle. Take everything off loader easy to remove, load tires, add weight, add weight, and add more weight. Just simplifying what everybody else has already said.

 

[dickfoster]

My bet is that this 8n



would pull that plow no problem.

It's all about hooking up to the ground, period. Load them up and it will hook up all the better.