Vintage Row Crop vs Farm Utility?

[ultrarunner]

I'm seeing Row Crop vintage tractors going for less to significant less than the same model in the Utility Version...

Not having any experience with Row Crop tractors I'm wondering why?

Also, why the need in the first place for a Row Crop vs similar in Utility format?

 

[LouNY]

The row crop usually had a taller tire which would allow cultivation, the rear tires usually were adjustable to fit the crop rows, if a wide front it was adjustable for the rows also, many times the draw bar and pto would be different for different applications. One of the unintended features was the higher seating for better visibility.

The utilities had shorter tires many did not have the amount of adjustment in the rear wheel, some didn't have the front axle adjustment, on most of the utilities you sit much lower on the tractor straddling the transmission, they do have a much lower profile that will and would get into buildings easier.

Originally many of the row crops where optioned out better then the utilities and new the utilities cost a bit less.
If you worked a utility hard on a summer day you would cuss the heat generated off the transmission.


As far as the utility bringing more then a row crop I would only believe it to be as the row crop was a more versatile working tractor so many more of them where sold so the utility is less common.

 

[ultrarunner]

Makes sense...

Are single wheel front tire or two single front wheels next to each other a problem for stability or tipping...

I guess what I'm trying to say are they may prone to upset and only designed for flat fields?

 

[goeduck]

Few crops back in the day were on slopes. Having said that a typical utility tractor still pivots at the center on the front axle, so little difference, but they do hit a travel limit so they are safer.

 

[MossRoad]

Makes sense...

Are single wheel front tire or two single front wheels next to each other a problem for stability or tipping...

I guess what I'm trying to say are they may prone to upset and only designed for flat fields?

Yes, tricycle-type tractors are more prone to tipping over than wide front end tractors.

 

[LouNY]

Yes, tricycle-type tractors are more prone to tipping over than wide front end tractors.

View attachment 569871

Few crops back in the day were on slopes.

MossRoad your little picture is incorrect your side lines for the wide front should be going to the axle center pivot.
There is only a small difference in the tipping factor between wide and narrow front tractors.
In the Northeast a great many acres of rowcrops (corn) were grown on sidehills.

 

[MossRoad]

MossRoad your little picture is incorrect your side lines for the wide front should be going to the axle center pivot.
There is only a small difference in the tipping factor between wide and narrow front tractors.
In the Northeast a great many acres of rowcrops (corn) were grown on sidehills.

While the front axle may pivot in the center, the wider distance between the tires makes the center of gravity stay within the tip-over point better than narrow wheels. A foot or two of distance on either side is huge.

 

[LouNY]

I'm going to have to disagree with you on this, there is almost no difference in the tip over on side hills in practical use.
I have put many hours on tractors on sidehills, narrow front and wide steep enough that your implements where traveling down hill and it would require brake dragging
to travel and the tractor itself would have a bit of crabbing going on. This was mostly on row crop tractors, the emergence of 4wd tractors was major factor in the safety
on side hills. Even with 4wd everything tends to crab across these nice side hills.
Years ago probably 40 or 50 there was a study done on this subject using actual comparable tractors I have looked for it a couple of times and haven't seen it.
This is a discussion which has been going on as long as tractors have had front ends.

 

[bcp]

A wide front pivots on the center point until it hits the stops.

Then there are the old tricycle tractors with long, tall FELs.

Bruce

 

[LouNY]

If you are on a sidehill and you pivot to the stops on a wide front you have gone over.
On flat ground with a loader lifting a rear tire and tilting it to the stop you will be cleaning out your drawers.

Then there are the old tricycle tractors with long, tall FELs.

And they where considerably appreciated over the alternatives.