Light, Medium, Heavy Duty Attachments...

[JDGreenGrass]

I decided to start this thread rather than hijack another.

As I understand it, when purchasing attachments, things to be considered are the weight of your tractor and horsepower.

Let me cut to the chase...My tractor is 24hp, 4x4 and weighs roughly 3,000lbs.

Are light duty attachments a good match for my tractor.??

 

[RPW]

Personally I don't buy light duty anything primarily because I'll tear it up in no time at all. Go with a medium duty minimum. Others will disagree and that's ok. Usually light duty attachments are built very minimal and cheaply and you will be repairing often.

 

[easygo]

I would say you would be much better served if you bought medium duty implements. Another question is what are the implements and what is the frequency of use.

I have a light duty landscape rake that I only use 4-5 times a year for light work on my driveway and some other stuff. It works fine for that much and actually I might even sell it given the lack of use.
I have a medium duty grader blade that is put to the test in the winter pushing and pulling snow. I'm pretty sure that I would have bent a lighter blade and my tractor only weighs in around 2500lbs.

 

[My2305]

I would agree to not go with the light duty as long as you dont go over your max weight on the 3pt and can afford the difference you should be fine. The implement will probably be more durable too, thicker steel, better welds and more down pressure from the heavier weight of the implement if your 3pt's like mine when using things like a backblade.

 

[jenkinsph]

I would think you want to buy well made implements that will fit your tractor and needs. The last time I was at the local TSC I talked to the manager and sales people and let them know I was dissappointed in the quality of the implements on hand. I would choose the better built implements which might be considered medium duty but caution you not to buy something too big for your tractor. Most of the 4' to 5' stuff I have seen is what I consider light duty.

 

[spruce Deere]

I lean toward medium duty and heavy duty implements for the 790. The build and design of med/heavy duty implements means longevity. Frequency of use is a big factor as easygo states too, Once and a while use light duty is fine. But for implements that will take extended work, a good hammering or dig deep like tillers, subsoilers or rotary cutters a light duty build will raise its mangled head rather quickly compared to a heavier built, better design

 

[MtnViewRanch]

I would say that light duty implements are for BX size machines. Go to a regular cat 1 3PT, 2500lb+ tractor and you should go with medium duty at the least. But as has been said, you don't want to go over sized, your tractor will have a difficult time at best with an implement that is to big-heavy for your machine. A lot of the implement manufacturers rate on 2WD horse power ratings. It seems that they have started to convert over to both 2 & 4WD ratings along with gross weight ratings. But it is slow in coming. Be sure of your 3PT lift ratings and get your implements based on that.

Most of the time it is better to have the heavier implement, but as has already been said many times, it cost more $$$$ to get that heavier implement.

I hope that some of this helps.

 

[Baucom]

That depends on the definition of light, medium, and heavy duty. What one manufacturer refers to as medium duty can be comparable to another manufacturer's standard duty line. In general, I wouldn't buy anything with lower specs than a Woods/Bush Hog/Rhino standard duty line. If that means buying a "medium" duty in an economy brand such as KK or Howse, then that's where I'd be looking.

 

[Thomas]

Like the saying goes.."You get what you pay for"
Just have to be extra carefull w/light duty,could also take look around your area see what other owners are useing.

"things to be considered are the weight of your tractor and horsepower."
Also rear wheel base.

 

[E_Sanborn]

...My tractor is 24hp, 4x4 and weighs roughly 3,000lbs. Are light duty attachments a good match for my tractor.??

I drive a YM-21010D, similar in terms of weight and power. I have a small stable of Yellow TSC implements - KK; and I believe that these are well suited to tractors like mine. I have not had any issues whatsoever, and I use this equipment extensively. With about 250+ hrs on my Box Blade, SSoiler, Finish mower, RCutter, and Carryall, the equipment has performed admirably. I believe that this line is advertised as appropriate to use for up to 30 HP. I don't know about that, but it has handled my use very well.

As has been noted, there is little in the way of standards in this line of work, and some folks appear to be comfortable labeling all of company X or Y's equipment as 'good' or 'not good', without reference to the product line, or intended use. I have investigated other manufacturers sold in the area; there is a dealer who carries Great Plains and Woods, definitely premium manufacturers with a great rep, but honestly if you are comparing apples to apples on a product to product basis, there's little justification for me to pay 1.5-2x the price for essentially the same thing. While there were apparent differences in the finish of 3pt equipment, I was not impressed with the differences in material, weight and design to justify the cost difference.

I think in general terms, 3000 lb and 24 HP would be considered 'light duty' by most implement manufacturers, or at least it's at the bottom of their matrix for the equipment they design. For the most part, with 4-5' implements, there's only a few options for Medium or 'HD' implements on most product lines. If you were gong to use specific items in adverse conditions, or commercially, going to a Med or HD version may be warranted. And of course, these definitions are highly subjective. While I use my equipment responsibly, I also push it to do what needs to get done. I live in an area with rocky, hilly, difficult ground. Frankly terrain that many would consider difficult or crazy to even use a tractor in. Still, the "regular", 'standard', or 'light'
duty KK stuff has held up well.

On the other hand there is some equipment also labelled 'light duty', that is clearly designed and priced for intermittent use with lower-powered equipment. These tend to be knock-off brands or product specifically designed for use with BXs etc, and that light duty class might work well with a BX, don't know, but I suspect it would be compromised quickly with something bigger and heavier, regardless of HP rating.