How far is too far for driving tractor on the road?

[Fallon]

My neighborhood is dirt roads. I'll road my tractor about half an hour on the dirt roads rather than load it up on the trailer. It's just faster that way. I'll top out at about a mile on the paved roads before I load up. 40mph paved roads around here. 40hp machine usually running around 5,000lbs, burning 2gph running it at max load doesn't factor into things to much. The fact it tops out at 15mph downhill & about 7 uphill with only 12-13 on the flats is my biggest consideration.

I'd consider roading it on pavement for a few miles, maybe 10 if I didn't have a trailer, but beyond that it's going to be way to fatiguing & a traffic hazard to mess with. I wouldn't even do that if it was 55mph+ roads.

 

[4570Man]

I don't think he realized that my tym 1003 is 100hp. He may have thought TYM models are simular to JDs numbering schemes - maybe he thought it was a 30hp. As I responded to him, specs show the 1003 runs 8gph @ 60% pto. If the specs are correct, which I have no reason to believe they aren't, 10-12gph would not seem unrealistic at full power.

No big deal, we all have opinions.

My 75 hp skid steer burns around 2 gallon an hour maybe 2.5 gallons. My second skid steer is 90 hp. I’ve not put enough time on it to really get a gauge of fuel efficiency but I know the 25 gallon tank put in a solid days work probably over a day. My dozer has a 3306 cat in it and was designed in a period when pushing dirt was the most important factor. I’ve never really measured its fuel burn but I know the 50 gallon tank last over 5 hours. A 100 hp burning 10 gph seems grossly inaccurate. A semi could make the proposed 43 mile drive with on the high side 9 gallons of fuel. That’s not even 5 mpg. If it gets a more likely 7.5 mpg it would take a little over 5 gallons. Are you claiming your tractor gets not even 2 mpg?

 

[aircommuter]

That would be a trailer job in my book. I use to take care of tractor fleet and they had Case 580b tractors. They only had one trailer and truck. They did a lot of roading on those units. Never the distance you’re talking about. They were eating up a bearing in the tunnel portion of the housing and they were spinning in the case. I had to split case and send it out for line boring and bushing. A lot of work and money. They bought more trailers. That doesn’t mean all tractors will have trouble but it’s something to consider. After all there’s a reason for trailers. You say you are going to be retired and have lots of time. You will soon find that time is the thing you have the least of. I have been retired for 20 years, that is from working for others. Not sure how I ever had time to work for others. Surely wouldn’t waste my time sitting in a tractor seat.

 

[WKTEDDYBEAR]

How's your brakes? If adjustment or grip is a little off side to side it could be bad if you have to use them at highway speed.
I agree with what BackRoad posted.
I don't think I would road a tractor that far, maybe with turf tires, not with chevrons.

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[Ldellin]

I have some hunting property here in central NC I really want to build up/fix up a few food plots. A few years ago had a forestry mulcher dude come in and make me a 1 acre plot 2 - 1/4 acre each food plots and shooting lanes in the pin planted cutover. It has proven to work pretty well for deer hunting so far.

So far I have been taking my John Deere 1445 front mower up there on a trailer mowing it a few times a year. It has been cleared off a few years now. I am thinking that in 2025 I can take my Kioti dk45se on there with a disc and run through the mowed areas a few times. Then sow some food plot seeds on it to attract turkey and deer. Then use the mower for maint going forward. I said a few times a year, I have missed the window for this year to plant clover. So I thought I would start out with some beans in spring of some sort, then in the fall disc it back up and plant a clover ish blend.

This fall I broadcasted some oats and wheat in it after mowing. Did "ok" but not great. Hard to tell exactly as after it was mowed lots of grass seeds fell to the earth too. This is my second year doing this and the deer love to come around so the idea is working, just want to make it even more productive. My goal it to plant perennial seeds of some sort long term.

So my question is, the trip is about 43 miles one way from home and I am thinking maybe doing this twice a year for 2025. I figure I should be able to make it up there in about 3-4 ish hours. Even if I had to leave it over night and drove it back the next day is ok. This is a 2012 model with about 500 hrs and I want it to last me the rest of my life if possible.

I usually only run it up to about 2500 rpm doing anything and plan to stay at that rpm/speed for the duration of the trip. Tires are R4's with plenty of life on em.

To rent a truck and trailer to haul it will cost for a single day approx $4-500. I don't have anything tough enough to haul that kinda load.

Planning to retire next year so how long it takes isn't a problem for me.

Suggestions?

Trailer the tractor
1. You should increase tire pressures for extended road operation. See your operators manual or farm tire handbooks
2. All tractors differ, but extended road operations at high speed keeps transmission /driveline fluids stirred up - aerated - which drives up oil temperatures because coolers don’t work efficiently to remove heat.
3. Safety. When cars pile into slow moving tractors there are no winners, just losers.

 

[rockinbbar]

I've done 15-20ish miles, but my tractor does ~25mph and that wasn't very fun for this old back. Also, what type of fuel consumption would you be looking at? Can you even go that far on a tank of fuel? My TYM 1003 runs ~10-12 gph at top speed (~8 gph @ 60%). I'm not familiar with the DK45 fuel usage,or tank size. I did see that your tractor can do ~15 mph max. Plan on 10-12, or less, unless it is totally flat between properties. I don't have any issue mechanically with making the trip, I might however, have an issue with cost. Big "road"/row cropper tractors have all that hwy use budgeted in by the farms. Small tractor users generally don't.

That being said, how much is red fuel around you? For me to make that trip it would be 20-25 gal at ~$3.50/gal each way. How much is hydraulic fluid? 2-3 times per year adds hours and hours mean more frequent oil changes. Synthetic fluid here is running ~$900-1,200 for 53 gal drum (~$18-22/gal) depending on the brand. My TYM holds ~20 gals or ~$4-500 per change with filters.

And as mentioned earlier, what about the safety factor? All these things, for me anyway, would be a big NO WAY in this world would I do that - but I have a trailer and a way to haul my tractors. Your mileage (GPH ) may vary though!

Umm... Yeah. My GPH may vary a bit from yours... LOL.

So running your 100hp tractor that holds 30 gallons in the fuel tank under load, like plowing or running a big batwing cutter...burns so much diesel you only can run 2 1/2 to 3 hours before you have to fill up again?

Dude. Something's rotten in Denmark.

Burning that much diesel is more like a 200hp tractor, at least.

 

[colonel54]

I don't Know about NC but some states require tractors to be registered if they are going more than a few miles on highways If it was me I would trailer it less wear and tear on the tractor

 

[DarkBlack]

No I wasn't mistaken the IH 1066 was a thirsty tractor but at 119 pto hp it was using 7.3 gph,
so if an 100 engine hp or 88 pto hp tractor is using 10-12 gph it is high.

My 88 hp pto tractor is well under 6 gph. And she is mechanical injected while I would expect that the TYM is common rail which usually gets better fuel economy.

This is exactly what you said, that I commented on.

Your own data implies 4 gallons an hour would be quite good for a 99 hp tractor at full load.

 

[LouNY]

This is exactly what you said, that I commented on.
View attachment 1906771
Your own data implies 4 gallons an hour would be quite good for a 99 hp tractor at full load.

It would be OK, for a 100 pto hp high but OK. That TYM is only 80 pto hp on a common rail injection engine that would be very high it should be much less. So yes that 80 hp TYM shouldn't be using any where near 10 gpm 4 would be realistic. A new common rail injection engine should generate much better hp\gal\hr numbers then an older style mechanical injected engine. So anything over 4 gallons per hour would be high.

 

[LD48750]

I fail to understand how running a tractor a few hours on a nice clean highway under no load is harder on the equipment then the same amount of hours plowing in a dirty, muddy field under max. load.
The people here worried about tire wear are probably the same people that buy new tires because of weather checking on tires that have been just fine for the last 15 - 20 years.