Is bigger ever a problem?

[rutwad]

I have just noticed that it becomes easy to push a machine to it's limits. So is bigger always better, or does that just mean I would likely tackle larger tasks?

Maybe it's like never having enough money, but it's a power thing. What do you think?

 

[Robert_in_NY]

You need multiple tractors in multiple hp sizes. They all have their purpose and they all have their strong points and weak points. So depending on what you want to do would be if you want a bigger unit. If your only plan on using the tractor out in open fields then go bigger. If you are going to use it in and around buildings then go smaller. Or just buy one of each and be happy

 

[bigshovel]

In my case bigger would have been a problem. I needed primarily a mower and the ability to move some material around which I would have previously done by hand. A bigger machine would have put ruts in the yard and the wife on my a$&. So I have the mindset that smaller mechanical means is better than a shovel. If I need bigger equipment I'll rent it.

Brad

 

[ScottK]

I would love bigger for more HP - but then I wouldn't get much done because I have forest which would be impossible to navigate with a larger tractor. Someday a second, larger tractor I hope, but I will always need the small one for my current property.

 

[greggh]

Basically, I think that those that have responded means "it depends". That is one of the reasons that so many different variations of tractors are made. No one tractor large or small can flt all needs. The choice that remains is the operation, what is the tractor used for the most. Purchase for that need, rent or borrow for the occasional use. But even this statement does not cover all possibilities. Good luck.

 

[Z-Michigan]

Bigger can be a big drawback sometimes. Bigger:
-costs more up front
-costs more to maintain
-uses more fuel
-weighs more and therefore compacts soil more (if mowing or tilling)
-can't fit in smaller spaces, like inside a moderately sized barn, or a garage
-is clumsy to use for tight turns, for instance mowing inside a 1-acre fenced pasture (or a 10-acre pasture if you're talking JD's 9xxx series and similar)
-doesn't necessarily take less time if the size relative to the task makes it clumsy

The drawbacks of smaller are pretty obvious, I think.

So, yes, it depends! But picking the right size for the job, or for the most common job, is the way to go.

I have a small utility (bigger than a CUT). It's the smallest I'd want to use for moving round bales, but the biggest thing that will fit inside the barn where we store those bales. It's also somewhat bigger than I need for mowing, way bigger than I need for snowplowing, pretty much just right for the tilling I do, and about right for the FEL work I do (including bales). Something smaller would do most of my tasks, but would be scary or inadequate for round bales. Larger would be too big for the barn, and useable but silly for my mowing and snow tasks. So, I feel good that I got about the right size the first time.

 

[Surewhynot]

Robert has it right, two tractors, one big and one small

 

[RalphVa]

I went with the smallest tractor that is fully commercial and supports full 3ph capability. It's great! Only uses 0.45 gallons/hr of fuel. THAT's the mail drawback of using a big machine nowadays. Ya gotta feed it no matter how much you need it. Same as having too big an engine in your car, one that you NEVER push the pedal too far on, but it still uses more fuel than a small one where you have to push it to its limit every so often.

Ralph

 

[POC]

I have a somewhat relavant question here.
I use my dad's Ford 600 tractor (34hp?) for most things around here currently. I am planning on getting another tractor, but don't know which way to go, bigger, or smaller. The old Ford has no FEL, so it is not greatly useful. I bushhog with it, and scrape the driveway, sometimes yard some logs. I'd like a tractor that I could load logs with, on a small trailer, nothing bigger than 20" with forks.
I have big hills that are wet a lot on the place here.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[AndyMA]

Robert has it right, two tractors, one big and one small

I agree, at least 2. Possibly more.

Andy

 

[knute_m]

First, yes. Bigger can cause all kinds of issues, depending on what you might be doing.

But, primarily, I think a lot depends on your age.

When I was young, I couldn't afford big unless it was old. In the middle I could afford more, but I began to see that finess outwits size, anyday. Now that I'm old, I don't need big. Actually, small is really great.

My little tractor does all I ask of it. I maintain about 32 acres with a little 20 hp 4WD diesel. My property includes over a half-mile of steep driveway.

My knees were bothering me with my last two tractors, but my present tractor is low, and has lots of leg room. My knees don't bother me anymore. My little tractor, which includes a front end loader and backhoe, plus all the normal implements, like post hole digger, box blade, grader blade, plow, disk, brush hog, etc., always fits where a bigger tractor can't. I do a lot of logging with it. It is also real stingy when it comes to fuel.

Knute

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Let's be sure that all is in perspective. small is not always less $$$$. Here is an extreme example. Let's say that a person has 10,000 cubic yards of soft dirt to be moved a short distance to fill in a large crevasse in their property. While a 20hp tractor will do the job in x amount of days and use x amount of fuel, I am fairly certain that a very large loader that uses 20 times more fuel per hour will get the job done using less fuel and countless times faster. Every machine has its intended purpose. That's not to say that one won't work where another one does. Just that one may be better at it.

I have several tractors, but for this example I will use my Mahindra 7520 vs my Sears garden tractor. To grade around my storage trailers and sea container I could use my Sears garden tractor only and get the whole area real nice, in about 3-4 hours. Or I can use the 7520 to get the open areas and use the garden tractor to get in close to the trailers and sea container all in 60-90 minutes. Now this job can not be done with the 7520 alone, it simply is to big for some of the areas that I need to get into. I think that this is a good example of where 2 different sized tractors work well together. Yes the small one will do the job, if you have a lot of time and no the bigger one simply can not do the job because of its size. But two different sized tractors work well together.

 

[sandman2234]

I had a Ford 1100 4x4, that I trailered all over town, or put in the back of my p/u and hauled it that way. Same p/u will barely haul the newer JD 2555. It will not even attempt to haul the newest tractor, a Ford 7710 so in order to transport them, I have to pay someone, or buy a larger truck. So in my case bigger wasn't completely better.
David from jax

 

[john_bud]

I have just noticed that it becomes easy to push a machine to it's limits. So is bigger always better, or does that just mean I would likely tackle larger tasks?

Maybe it's like never having enough money, but it's a power thing. What do you think?

Bigger is a problem when you can't turn it around on the property!

Fuel use is about the same on a large tractor as on a small one, when doing the same exact chores.

So if you load an extra 5000# on a 30 hp tractor and mow with a 5' deck, it will use about the same fuel as a 60 hp tractor mowing with a 5' deck. It's a diesel thing as that can't be said with a gas tractor. Naturally, you wouldn't add 5000# extra pounds to a 30 hp tractor any more than you would use a 5' deck on a 60 hp!

Often, you will find that it is more economical to use a large tractor as you use it for less time with a larger implement. Still, it's best to size the tool to the job.

jb

 

[Soundguy]

I agree, at least 2. Possibly more.

Andy

For sure!

soundguy

 

[lawn_king]

Multiple tractors is the way to go if you can afford it!

 

[wolc123]

Multiple tractors is the way to go. I use 100 hp total with 4 tractors of aprox 10,20, 30, and 40 pto hp, from a little Farmall cub, up to a JD 4120 and they do a near optimum job at any task I require at my place. I wouldnt want to cultivate sweetcorn with the JD, and I wouldnt want to run a 6 ft rotary mower with the little cub, so tractors of every size have thier place. Using a tractor too large for a task is difficult or impossible at times and wastes fuel, while using one too small wastes time. There is a perfect size for every job and the more sizes you have, the better you can approach that perfection.

 

[MasseyWV]

I tend to look at things from a simple viewpoint so I will add my simplistic way of seeing it.

You could drive a thumb tack with a sledge hammer but you could never drive a railroad spike with a tack hammer.

You could empty a swimming pool with a teaspoon but a bucket would be faster.

It all depends on the circumstances. Smaller can sometimes do the job that bigger can do, it just takes longer. On the other hand, bigger is just too big, heavy or expensive.

I see the most important factors as being time, size, and cost.

 

[dillo99]

The other thing to consider is the cost of the implements. Bigger tractors require heavier duty implements and this will raise costs. That is not a problem if you need the power and the heavy duty implements but if you over buy on horsepower it will cost you every time you go to purchase an attachment - of course you will get the work done faster!

For me, smaller works well because about 25 of my 27 acres is wooded.

 

[HarryVanderpool]

Along with the fuel consumption of the tractor in question, if you are towing it around on a trailer you may want to think about the effect of the added weight on your trucks fuel consumption.
My new MF-1540 with forks on front and rear AND trailer combo weighs 8800#


I suppose I could have gone a bit smaller, but certainly do not need larger for my uses.

We still love our '42 Ford 2N for mowing ect....

You may consider finding a vintage tractor for utility use to keep the hrs low on the new one. Parts are REALLY CHEAP and repairs are easy and many if them are infinatlly rebuildable.