Tractor Sizing TRACTOR WEIGHT as ONE (1) CRITERION in TRACTOR SELECTION

   / TRACTOR WEIGHT as ONE (1) CRITERION in TRACTOR SELECTION #21  
All I can say is this. We borrowed a 5 yard dirt scoop. Guy that had it had a 100 hp tractor 11,000# and said he couldn't use it. We had a 55 hp tractor that weighed 15,000# and we could boil dirt over the top of it all day long. HP is not as important as putting power to the ground.
It also helps to be smarter than the machine you are operating.
 
   / TRACTOR WEIGHT as ONE (1) CRITERION in TRACTOR SELECTION #22  
It also helps to be smarter than the machine you are operating.
The other guy is upper 50's and raised on a commercial farm and has one himself. He knows what he's doing.
 
   / TRACTOR WEIGHT as ONE (1) CRITERION in TRACTOR SELECTION #23  
When you want to start discussion on a new topic, start a new thread.

There are several reasons for this, relating to searches of the T-B-N ARCHIVE.
Hey Jeff would you like me to remove my post and do that?
 
   / TRACTOR WEIGHT as ONE (1) CRITERION in TRACTOR SELECTION #24  
I’d like to hear why introducing the concept of power to weight ratios is a departure from this thread topic. The ratio quantifies the first two (and most important in his opinion) of the OP’s claimed criteria for tractor selection.
Other than my initial thought that the OP didn’t bring it up himself. That doesn’t count.
 
Last edited:
   / TRACTOR WEIGHT as ONE (1) CRITERION in TRACTOR SELECTION #25  
I’d like to hear why introducing the concept of power to weight ratios is a departure from this thread topic. The ratio quantifies the first two (and most important in his opinion) of the OP’s claimed criteria for tractor selection.
Other than my initial thought that the OP didn’t bring it up himself. That doesn’t count.
I was wondering the same thing as I thought it related to the original topic as well.
 
   / TRACTOR WEIGHT as ONE (1) CRITERION in TRACTOR SELECTION #26  
I was going to ask the question. Obviously, there is a sweet spot. A 1 HP engine couldn't move a 10,000 lb tractor. A 1000 lb tractor would just spin its wheels with 10,000 HP engine. If thrust to weight ratio is off the table, the discussion of weight is moot.

I love Jeff's passion for sharing what he knows. So when is more weight bad (law of diminishing marginal utility)?

There is probably a ratio of power to weight and width and center of gravity that one could scale from a small to giant tractor. It is basically math and physics. Unfortunately, I don't do complex math or any physics....my son is a chemical engineer. He could probably figure it out.
 
   / TRACTOR WEIGHT as ONE (1) CRITERION in TRACTOR SELECTION #27  
Can't we separate the need for weight from the need for power to some degree? If you want to throw heavy snow quickly, or road the tractor at decent speed on hills, you may need a huge amount of power but not much weight (in the latter case you might even need LESS weight). If you are trying to pull a stump, you may need a huge amount of weight but not much power. Like Torvy says, there's a sweet spot -- but the sweet spot depends a lot on what you're doing!

Overall trends and rules of thumb and experience are really helpful if you have a general mix of tasks to perform, including things next year you can't even imagine this year.

And, specifics can be really helpful if you have a narrow well known range of tasks to perform.
 
   / TRACTOR WEIGHT as ONE (1) CRITERION in TRACTOR SELECTION #28  
This whole thread should just be deleted...

No one person here is smarter than all of us put together.

Jeff seems to think he is the authority on tractors when in honesty, many of us farmers have driven far more than three, and disagree with him on many, many points.
I'm reminded of my mother's admonition "If you can't say something nice, don't say it at all."
I appreciate Jeff's passion for the subject, his willingness to share his thoughts, and best of all, his command of the King's English.
Broken Track - I'd be happy to read of the many points which you and many other farmers disagree with Jeff.
 
   / TRACTOR WEIGHT as ONE (1) CRITERION in TRACTOR SELECTION #29  
I'm reminded of my mother's admonition "If you can't say something nice, don't say it at all."
I appreciate Jeff's passion for the subject, his willingness to share his thoughts, and best of all, his command of the King's English.
Broken Track - I'd be happy to read of the many points which you and many other farmers disagree with Jeff.
It's not difficult to find posts that have identified inaccurate and misleading posts that Jeff has made.
 

Attachments

  • A599AE68-450B-4A3A-8CC1-430B2A552077.jpeg
    A599AE68-450B-4A3A-8CC1-430B2A552077.jpeg
    118.2 KB · Views: 61
   / TRACTOR WEIGHT as ONE (1) CRITERION in TRACTOR SELECTION #30  
Jeff seems to work in a narrow tractor brand that mainly involves hobbyist, road/yard maintenance or very small land holdings.

The Earning a living farm scene is a very different proposition.
 
 
Top