Driving a distance

[RosseauK]

Just moved my tractor today from my woodlot, approximately 50 kms. It took 2 hrs and 40 min. Thought that I made good time kept the rpms around 2200. I was in the highest gear the whole way. I was just wondering if this is hard on the drivetrain or anything else. I'm fairly new to tractors and wasn't sure how I would fair but I had no problems. Thanks for the input

 

[RickB]

Just be certain that your 4 wheel drive is disengaged. Nothing else besides traffic to worry about.

 

[boomer1025]

Just moved my tractor today from my woodlot, approximately 50 kms. It took 2 hrs and 40 min. Thought that I made good time kept the rpms around 2200. I was in the highest gear the whole way. I was just wondering if this is hard on the drivetrain or anything else. I'm fairly new to tractors and wasn't sure how I would fair but I had no problems. Thanks for the input

Just hard on tires

 

[grnspot110]

I agree, hard on tires, especially if they are new (soft)!

I once worked for an IH dealer, who picked up a new tractor with the rear tires worn halfway out. Turned out, he bought it from an insurance co., tractor had been stolen & roaded halfway across Iowa! ~~ grnspot

 

[creekbend]

I agree with the other posts. But if were me, I would consider purchasing or using someone's trailer the next time. Especially if the weather was bad.:tractor:

 

[BethesdaEC]

I agree with the other posts. But if were me, I would consider purchasing or using someone's trailer the next time. Especially if the weather was bad.:tractor:

it was 32 miles and he was moving at 12MPH, if he has R4 then they are very durable I believe the wear on the tires would be minimal and 3 hours on the machine is nothing. Ag tires might not take the pavement as well but again it is only 32 miles. Buying a trailer for several thousand dollars and maybe a new tow vehicle is overkill. It cost him 2 or 3 gallons of diesel and he got 3 hours of seat time.

 

[RosseauK]

I have ag tires and tried to stay off the pavement best I could. I assumed it would be hard on the tires but a trip I will only make twice a year. It cost a few thousand for a trailer and would be hard on my half ton. The other option I had was to get it floated for around 250 one way. Option three was three hours driving and 10 bucks in fuel

 

[BethesdaEC]

I have ag tires and tried to stay off the pavement best I could. I assumed it would be hard on the tires but a trip I will only make twice a year. It cost a few thousand for a trailer and would be hard on my half ton. The other option I had was to get it floated for around 250 one way. Option three was three hours driving and 10 bucks in fuel

If you buy a trailer for casual use, the tires will dry rot after 4 or 5 years and maybe a couple of thousand miles and need to be replaced at a much higher cost per mile than the wear on the tractor tires. If you need the trailer for other reasons then get it, but don't do it for this twice a year trip.

 

[Mousefield]

One thing to consider is do you have insurance if there is an accident when you have it on a public road. If you are not sure I would make sure, after the fact could be very expensive.

 

[banjodunn]

G'day if you have to do alot of road miles then an extra 5 -8 psi in the tyres does wonders for tyre life, if you have 4wd or fwa then turn the tyres around the other way ( i.e swap sides) . I used to work with a bloke who when young had to drive tractors some 200+ miles from the port to the dealer
and all they would do is put a few more pound in the tyres and a couple more layers if it was cold. As for turning the front tyres around we do this on all our tractors that will be doing alot of miles and it increases the life 5x plus without really sacrificing front grip



Jon

 

[hrcarver]

I drive all the time on the road, granted no more than than 3 or 4 miles at a time. I'd estimate 100 miles a year avg per tractor. I have a couple that might see 200 miles a year. It is rare that a tire tread wears out before it fails from use or dry rots. If you do 30 miles often, I'd get a trailer. A few times a year will be just fine.

 

[wcampbell47]

I move my tractors with a trailer. My dealer is 80 miles away. The trailer comes in handy if I need to take it in. Tractor size plays an important role. The B7510 and the B3200 fit on an inexpensive sixteen foot trailer (not at the same time). I do small jobs around my community so getting to a job site and back in quick order is time saving.

 

[TripleR]

Nothing to worry about. Yes, you will get more wear running on the highway than dirt, but I think the concerns may be over blown. Farmers in our area run their tractors between farms all the time. I will easily exceed your road travel in a year of running between our farms with 8 and 14 mi round trips and I run one mile round trip on pavement between different sections of one farm.

 

[jenkinsph]

I would stay on the smooth pavement rather than trying to avoid it. For occasional trips a couple of times a year running on the road isn't a big deal. That said I use a trailer to save time on long moves. I agree about the insurance factor too, don't need to be in an accident without coverage.

About the tires, most home owner/consumers don't put enough wear on their tires to wear out the tread before they dry rot. You can have the trailer tires or tractor tires or both dry rot while you try to "save the tread".

 

[bigtiller]

Just moved my tractor today from my woodlot, approximately 50 kms. It took 2 hrs and 40 min. Thought that I made good time kept the rpms around 2200. I was in the highest gear the whole way. I was just wondering if this is hard on the drivetrain or anything else. I'm fairly new to tractors and wasn't sure how I would fair but I had no problems. Thanks for the input

50 kms or about 31 miles is nothing. Come to Iowa for the "Great Iowa Tractor Ride". 500 tractors take off on a 3 day ride around different parts of the state every year. Last summer the route was about 80 miles long on days one and two with the third day being a short 50 miles.

 

[IndyIan]

[ame="http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxsCUTDVgWI"]http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxsCUTDVgWI[/ame]
You just need a good road gear, like this guy at about 20 seconds in:laughing:
Most of us just need a single bar ROPS and a seat belt, this guy needs a 5 pt harness and a racing seat...

 

[Pete Judd]

I have to mow my sister in laws place, about 5 miles from our place, and It takes about 45 min, at 8 MPH to get there, and about 2 hrs, to get back because of the stop at the bar. I bought a 2 year old 16 ft. car tandem axle car trailer for 800 bucks, from a plumber that was going out of business off from CL. It costs me a lot more in gas in the truck than diesel to haul it over, but I store the tractor undercover, and expect the R4 tires to not rot, very little UV damage on tires here.

Yes I see a lot more driving along at 8 MPH on a warm day. And backing in next to all the Harley's at the bar at the same angle as their "Iron Horses" reminds everybody, that this is still a small town out in the country.