Does Weight Equate to Quality in a Tractor?

[jcmseven]

One other important point is the quality of the axle and chassis design. In this era, many tractors are lighter because manufacturers are going to hydroforming and CAD with regard to the design of the chassis. This really helps a lighter tractor perform well, usually on less fuel. As has been posted, now weight is usually easy to attach/remove, so it has become less a factor.

John M

 

[Oleozz]

Thanks to everyone for the well thought out and educational replies. I have eliminated the JD 990, not because of weight or quality, but because the operators platform has that raised area in the center where the gear shift is. For someone with arthritis it's a bugger to straddle that for two or three hours while mowing.

 

[TBDonnelly]

Slugging around heavy weights and arthritis are not necessarily conducive with each other. Although....Where there is a will there is a way. When tractor shopping keep an eye out for the weight package that will be the easiest and most convenient for your individual needs. Also a good suspension seat goes a long way....

Don

 

[Dargo]

Well, the good news is that if weight = quality you're in luck. Some of the lowest priced new tractors are offerings from China. I have checked out several at my local Rural King. They are almost all far heavier than most other offerings in their HP categories.

Personally I look at weight like a heavy parka or coat. It's absolutely needed in some situations; you can't do without it at times. However, in other situations it is a severe detriment. The best setup is to have the option to add weight if needed or run without excessive weight when not needed. Good luck!

 

[LBrown59]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( What makes a quailty tractor is how smooth it operates, how it feels in the seat, what kinda specs it has. We don't see modern tractors breaking physical axle or transmission housings any more (okay, with a few execptions - we just had one that a tree fell on). Weight is a overblown figure. If you really need more - you can always add it. In tractors this size you can easily add 1000lbs to the tires and even more on the 3pt hitch. My experience has been that excess weight is not always desiable because it makes a machine more slugish to drive. )</font>
The heavier the tractor the more stress on components such as engine trans etc. Also poorer fuel economy.
If you start heavy you can't reduce weight but you can always add weight to lighter.

 

[Steve_Miller]

No, depending on the model, you can carry as much as 50 to 90% of the tractors weight on the three point hitch. So something has to be designed to carry the weight.

Steve

P.S. figures are very rough estimates on my part, but are used to dispell this theory.