Tractor Sizing TRACTOR WEIGHT as a SINGLE CRITERION IN TRACTOR SELECTION

[Tractor Dell]

The title of this thread is: TRACTOR WEIGHT as a SINGLE CRITERION IN TRACTOR SELECTION.

If I understand what you are saying, it is that weight should be one factor you are looking at, not the only factor? If this is true, then I think several people are looking at this the wrong way. You still need to look at HP, lift capacity, ground clearance, the design, etc.

In your posts, you are saying you need a tractor to weight X pounds to do Y job. While that may, or may not be true, it is one thing you need to look at. Along with that, you need to look at the ground you are working. What you can do with one tractor in Florida, may not even touch what you need in Colorado. Besides, time is also important. I can probably do a lot of the jobs with my BX, that people can do with their L series.... it just takes me longer, as I need to move smaller loads, or use smaller implements. General statements, in most cases, don't relay the entire picture.

 

[jeff9366]

GirlWhoWantsTractor, another subcompact tractor owner/operator, agrees with your thesis so you are not alone.

The strength of Tractor-By-Net lies in the diversity of opinions offered.

T-B-N is a marketplace in a way. Readers will retain information they find relevant and pass over the remainder.

 

[/pine]

...The strength of Tractor-By-Net lies in the diversity of opinions offered.

Only if you're able to discern the wheat from the chaff...!

 

[Egon]

Only if you're able to discern the wheat from the chaff...!

Did you say Chaff?? Mild comment!

 

[/pine]

Did you say Chaff?? Mild comment!

See post #8

 

[searcyfarms]

weight is king regardless - unless you are trying to minimize damage, compaction, or keep from getting stuck ;-)

if weight wasn't king caterpillars wouldn't be required to do the work they do and be heavy to do it

if weight wasn't king they would let feather weights fight heavy weights

 

[GirlWhoWantsTractor]

weight is king regardless - unless you are trying to minimize damage, compaction, or keep from getting stuck ;-)

....or have tight spaces, or a tight budget, or you just don't need a big, heavy tractor for your tasks.

If only we could magically transport one of y'all's big tractors to my land, and then try to work it. You would understand instantly. Your big tractor couldn't make it around the hairpin turn on my road down the ravine (mine can, just barely), plus the road is grass so that would get torn up. You couldn't cross the yard to the garden without making an ugly road through the lawn, couldn't turn around in my one flat turnaround space, couldn't mow my slope because it requires a very sharp turn at the bottom to avoid pitching over the ravine. You couldn't fit between the barn and the bank next to it, and on the other side is basically a cliff, so to get to the other side of the barn you'd have to turn around in a very small area and take a long detour through the LAWN. And you couldn't fit through any of my trails. A large tractor saves you no time if you need to do a bunch of 3- or 6-point turns. So in my case, you'd literally have to rework the land to fit the tractor. I sized the tractor to fit the land.

I get it: for YOUR land, which I suppose is not so steep and/or has a lot more wide-open spaces, bigger is unquestionably better.

 

[atsah]

we're rarely talking about weight any more even with large field tractors.

That is where dealers are mistaken.. We hay 200 acres of hilly sometimes wet terrain and if we didn't have a very heavy tractor pulling a baler with a 300 bale wagon behind it we wouldn't get it done safely.. For a lot of people on this forum and in general these days, the weight of a SCUT or CUT has little effect for the home owner, hobby farm projects but for people that use large field tractors weight is as important as HP..

You can add ballast to SCUT'S and CUT'S and get away with doing things but big tractors, No..

 

[atsah]

weight is king regardless - unless you are trying to minimize damage, compaction, or keep from getting stuck ;-)

if weight wasn't king caterpillars wouldn't be required to do the work they do and be heavy to do it

if weight wasn't king they would let feather weights fight heavy weights

Exactly right..

 

[GirlWhoWantsTractor]

JMO but I believe equally important factors include:

1. The scale of the use: farming, logging, and other large-scale commercial use vs homeowner, hobby farmer, and small landowner use.
3. The TYPE of land: mountain vs farmland, open vs tight, rocky soil vs sandy loam, just to mention a few.
5. The "need for speed": For some folks, time is money, or their working time is limited, so bigger means faster, and faster is better. Other folks may be retired or just not in any particular hurry, preferring to relax and take their time.
7. Personal preferences: Not everyone enjoys working large equipment. Not everyone wants/needs to tame every inch of their property. Not everyone desires to tackle every job themselves rather than hiring out. Not everyone can afford a large tractor.

This IMO is the flaw in Jeff's otherwise useful writings. His guidelines may be quite useful for some, not for others. According to his guidelines I need a tractor with a bare weight north of 3,000 lbs and I have to laugh picturing anyone trying to work my land with that thing. Nor would I want to operate one. Nor could I afford one.