Tractor Sizing GUIDE: Shopping/Sizing A Tractor (Version 1.0)

[GirlWhoWantsTractor]

Factors that may dictate a smaller tractor:

1. You will be mowing turf grass (as opposed to fields)

2. Your property has tight spaces

3. The tractor must fit under a garage door, or there are other storage constraints

4. Budget, especially if you must buy new (e.g., aren't experienced or mechanical enough to evaluate/work on a used tractor)

5. You're willing to hire out the occasional big job

6. You don't mind doing some tasks in smaller bites

 

[jeff9366]

Recommend you lose the term "residential tractor."

An excellent suggestion.

DONE.

 

[airbiscuit]

Understandably, budget is often the largest primary consideration. That said, the mistake many newbys make is chasing cost per horsepower. Depending on their needs, they may have been better served with a lower hp/larger frame tractor for the benefit of greater TRACTION and more ground clearance.

Budget, personal preference, tasks performed make this a multi faceted question. The beauty of TBN is that people asking for tractor buying advice get a wide range of suggestions. They may hear things they hadn't thought of, take that into consideration and make their own decision.

It would be interesting to do a survey on TBN of tractor owners who are on their 2nd, or 3rd, or 4th ..., tractor purchase and see how many went up in size, and how many went down in size (or stayed the same).

 

[jeff9366]

GirlWhoWantsTractor

Factors that may dictate a smaller tractor:
This thread is focused on tractor weight. Lighter, not "smaller" here.

1. You will be mowing turf grass (as opposed to fields)
Heavier tractors have larger tires so ground pressure may not increase with tractor weight. Certainly, tire selection is a crucial factor with R1/ag/bar tires marking worst and R3/Turf tires and Radial Tractor Tires marking lawns not at all under most conditions. So this is really more a tire selection issue than tractor size or tractor weight issue.

2. Your property has tight spaces
I am not advocating against Mahindra 26XL weight tractors.

3. The tractor must fit under a garage door, or there are other storage constraints
"Most tractors under 3,000 pounds bare weight operate in residential or hobby farm applications on one to ten flat acres. Subcompact and compact tractors under 3,000 pounds will enter a residential garage with typical 84" door height."

4. Budget, especially if you must buy new (e.g., aren't experienced or mechanical enough to evaluate/work on a used tractor)
"Shop your weight range within tractor brands. Budget will eliminate some choices Bare tractor weight is a tractor specification easily found in sales brochures and web sites, readily comparable across tractor brands and tractor models, new and used."

5. You're willing to hire out the occasional big job

6. You don't mind doing some tasks in smaller bites

 

[GirlWhoWantsTractor]

It would be interesting to do a survey on TBN of tractor owners who are on their 2nd, of 3rd, or 4th ..., tractor purchase and see how many went up in size, and how many went down in size (or stayed the same).

I suspect anyone who does enough tractoring to be on their 3rd or 4th machine, or who owns a stable of tractors, almost by definition will be using/needing larger tractors.

How about everybody use Jeff's calculations and see if they come up with the correct size tractor for them? (I end up with a tractor twice the size I want/need.)

 

[airbiscuit]

Factors that may dictate a smaller tractor:

1. You will be mowing turf grass (as opposed to fields)

2. Your property has tight spaces

3. The tractor must fit under a garage door, or there are other storage constraints

4. Budget, especially if you must buy new (e.g., aren't experienced or mechanical enough to evaluate/work on a used tractor)

5. You're willing to hire out the occasional big job

6. You don't mind doing some tasks in smaller bites

I actually agree with this list.

 

[jeff9366]

I suspect anyone who does enough tractoring to be on their 3rd or 4th machine, or who owns a stable of tractors, almost by definition will be using/needing larger tractors.

How about everybody use Jeff's calculations and see if they come up with the correct size tractor for them? (I end up with a tractor twice the size I want/need.)

My intent is for tractor shoppers to identify their known tractor applications then have diverse T-B-N contributors suggest tractor weights. My only object is that shoppers end up with a tractor heavy enough to be SAFE in operation. I am not an advocate of any particular tractor weight.

How about everybody use Jeff's calculations and see if they come up with the correct size tractor for them? (I end up with a tractor twice the size I want/need.)

I have read many of your interesting posts. Many tractor owners change their idea of what they want and need after 500 (+/-) engine hours on one machine. I put 500 hours on a Deere 750, then 400 hours on a Kubota B3300SU before I bought a Kubota L3560 with enough weight to operate safely, all on the same property. Purchase of the B3300SU was a somewhat expensive lesson on the importance of tractor weight, relative to tractor horsepower.



guide
verb (used with object), guid·ed, guid·ing.
to assist (a person) to travel through, or reach a destination in, an unfamiliar area, as by accompanying or giving directions to the person:
He guided us through the forest.

 

[majorwager]

Jeffy will say anything to undermine those that disagree. When Girl w/ Tractor references a smaller tractor, what rational individual would dispute that smaller equates to lighter.

Here's the true backstory. Jeffy purchased some "smaller" tractors when he really wanted to be a "BIG" tractor guy. Said he Operated "Big" 50 hp deere's but did not own them. So if he had all this EXPERIENCE on "Big" tractors, why did he buy a series of "little" tractors. In the post above, jeffy alleges a SCUT is UNSAFE. Simply Ludicrous!

It is illogical, unless the deere experience was more of a test drive?

Bottom Line: Folks who choose to purchase smaller or lighter or SCUTS, terminology less critical, MAY actually know what serves their best interest and pocketbook, They are NOT foolish or misinformed. Girl w/ Tractor spent years researching her purchase.


We should appreciate Girl w/ Tractor when she approaches a TASK, while taking small bites each time. The end result is what matters.

And providing DEFINITIONS is more condescending ARROGANCE. It is the same when he corrects spelling and grammer or sentence structure. We get it, jeffy, you are just smarter!!

 

[GirlWhoWantsTractor]

I have read many of your interesting posts. Many tractor owners change their idea of what they want and need after 500 (+/-) engine hours on one machine. I put 500 hours on a Deere 750, then 400 hours on a Kubota B3300SU before I bought a Kubota L3560 with enough weight to operate safely, all on the same property.

Thank you, Jeff. As someone who just went through the tractor buying process for the first time, I understand what some of these tractor newbies are going through, and I feel like the "weight first" idea may be confusing or misleading for them.

I believe the weight concept is better suited to farmers or other larger-scale operators. I mean if you want to take up logging, dig your own foundation, or brush-hog 50 acres, you'll need a certain minimum size/weight. But if you just want a Swiss-army-knife chore tractor, surely there is a broad range of sizes/weights that can do the job.

I'm a couple months in, and so far, every day I wish I had bought slightly smaller. We will see if that changes over time.

 

[Jstpssng]

Weight is one consideration but shouldn't be the final answer. My old L275 weighed the same with the loader as my 3301 weighed before they put that attachment on; yet I have had more "Oh, SHOOT!!" moments in the last 8 months than I did in the 15 years that I owned the former. I worked the crap out of that little 275, and it was a much more versatile tractor. I've run a lot of tractors over the past 45 years from 8hp lawnmowers to payloaders and full sized farm tractors, working around the family farm, local apple orchards, et.al., yet this is the first time I've ever considered loading my tires. It's just not as stable as anything that I've run in the past.
While I think that Jeff has some good guidelines they need to be regarded as just that; not until you look around and run what you think that you want- preferably not just around the dealer's parking lot- can you determine what is best for your needs. HP, more than weight also will determine how big your PTO implements are.