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

[seasled]

You have to take into consideration guys like this think they have a bull dozer, a tractor with a bucket on it is made to move material. While you can do some light digging with a tractor with a loader it isn't a bull dozer, I have a small dozer and my tractor that's twice it's size doesn't stand a chance at digging compared to it..

What most people don稚 understand is that a loader on a tractor is ment to move processed materials, if you need to move unprocessed materials, you are better served using construction equipment . Many may disagree, but a tractor is to light duty to do the the job without possibly damaging the loader, can it be done , yes, effectively No!
Flame away !!!

 

[MossRoad]

About 1990 we had some land reforested. The forester showed up with a large tree planter and a very small 4wd ford tractor. Maybe 3000# with attachment at most. We have all sandy soil. My large IH2500b 8000lb 50hp 2wd tractor loader with full cab and loaded R4 tires had lots of trouble in that sand, so I was skeptical. I knew the forester since high school, so I trusted him. He said that in the past, they'd of had to bring in a very large tractor to do our job. With the advent of 4wd in small tractors, it really changed the way they started doing things. The smaller, lighter machine with 4wd gets excellent traction, yet causes significantly less soil compaction and ground damage.

That little 4wd ford easily pulled that tree planter through the soil up and down the steep sand dunes (the steepness of the soil was why we got the trees 75% paid for by the government: erosion control project).

I think engine HP, PTO HP, 4wd, tire selection, air pressure, gearing, ground speed, soil types, etc... have just as much if not more impact as the overall weight of a machine.

My current machine weighs just 1500# with me on it. It will run circles around a conventional tractor of the same weight and even much larger in tasks such as material moving, lawn mowing, brush cutting, snow plowing, etc.... what it won't do is pull stumps, pull a dirt plow, any brute pulling power tasks, because of the way it's geared. It only has one range, as it has hydraulic motors at each of the 4 wheels. If I changed the wheel motors to larger displacement, it would be a pulling machine, at the sacrifice of top speed. My point being, while weight of a machine is important, it's not as important as getting the power to the ground. There are lighter machines that perform better than heavier machines due to the things I listed above: engine HP, PTO HP, 4wd, tire selection, air pressure, gearing, ground speed, soil types, etc...

I agree that you need to first decide on the tasks you want to accomplish. Then you have to decide how much time you want to spend accomplishing those tasks. Then decide what size implements you need to do those tasks in said time. Then find a tractor that has enough features to move those implements in the given time. Then compare that to your budget, slap yourself in the head a few times, and downsize your plans! :laughing:

Tractor weight is important, however, it's not THE most important thing. It's just one part of the equation.

 

[Tractor X]

You have to take into consideration guys like this think they have a bull dozer, a tractor with a bucket on it is made to move material. While you can do some light digging with a tractor with a loader it isn't a bull dozer, I have a small dozer and my tractor that's twice it's size doesn't stand a chance at digging compared to it..

bingo! know your limitations. the right tool for the right job.

cheap vs frugal... buy once, cry once.

btw, why the hate on mr. jeff? brings up some good points. man dosent like spinning his wheels!

 

[Diggin It]

What most people don't understand is that a loader on a tractor is ment to move processed materials, if you need to move unprocessed materials, you are better served using construction equipment .

That's part of what I use the BH for. I dig and scrape/claw natural or compacted ground into a loose pile, then turn around and use the FEL to move it where I want it.

 

[Egon]

About 1990 we had some land reforested. The forester showed up with a large tree planter and a very small 4wd ford tractor. Maybe 3000# with attachment at most. We have all sandy soil. My large IH2500b 8000lb 50hp 2wd tractor loader with full cab and loaded R4 tires had lots of trouble in that sand, so I was skeptical. I knew the forester since high school, so I trusted him. He said that in the past, they'd of had to bring in a very large tractor to do our job. With the advent of 4wd in small tractors, it really changed the way they started doing things. The smaller, lighter machine with 4wd gets excellent traction, yet causes significantly less soil compaction and ground damage.

That little 4wd ford easily pulled that tree planter through the soil up and down the steep sand dunes (the steepness of the soil was why we got the trees 75% paid for by the government: erosion control project).

I think engine HP, PTO HP, 4wd, tire selection, air pressure, gearing, ground speed, soil types, etc... have just as much if not more impact as the overall weight of a machine.

My current machine weighs just 1500# with me on it. It will run circles around a conventional tractor of the same weight and even much larger in tasks such as material moving, lawn mowing, brush cutting, snow plowing, etc.... what it won't do is pull stumps, pull a dirt plow, any brute pulling power tasks, because of the way it's geared. It only has one range, as it has hydraulic motors at each of the 4 wheels. If I changed the wheel motors to larger displacement, it would be a pulling machine, at the sacrifice of top speed. My point being, while weight of a machine is important, it's not as important as getting the power to the ground. There are lighter machines that perform better than heavier machines due to the things I listed above: engine HP, PTO HP, 4wd, tire selection, air pressure, gearing, ground speed, soil types, etc...

I agree that you need to first decide on the tasks you want to accomplish. Then you have to decide how much time you want to spend accomplishing those tasks. Then decide what size implements you need to do those tasks in said time. Then find a tractor that has enough features to move those implements in the given time. Then compare that to your budget, slap yourself in the head a few times, and downsize your plans! :laughing:

Tractor weight is important, however, it's not THE most important thing. It's just one part of the equation.

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

Guess I’m one of those people that doesn’t know the importance of weight.

 

[Dranrab]

bingo! know your limitations. the right tool for the right job.

cheap vs frugal... buy once, cry once.

btw, why the hate on mr. jeff? brings up some good points. man dosent like spinning his wheels!

Jeff would be much more influential if he would substantiate his assertions. He became petulant when I asked him to. While I am new to this forum, I am far from being new to internet forums. Every forum has their version of Jeff. Experienced, highly opinionated, unnecessarily defensive and tends to the adversarial.

 

[Threepoint]

My apologies for a reply that may have come off as curt. I am grateful for the well thought out post you provided. My attention was divided while I was reading it and rather than wait and respond in full, I fired off a quick response to let you know I had read it and would follow your suggestion.

Looks like this is sorted out with Atsah. In case others haven't seen it, I thought I'd go ahead and link to your recent thread that reflects some of the additional due diligence you've already been doing in your tractor shopping. https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/buying-pricing-comparisons/416334-things-looking-orange.html

 

[MossRoad]

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

Guess I’m one of those people that doesn’t know the importance of weight.

I know I have excellent traction on my hikers due to weight.

 

[atsah]

I know I have excellent traction on my hikers due to weight.

Ya but is the weight over the hikers or out in front?

 

[MossRoad]

Ya but is the weight over the hikers or out in front?

More out front, I'd guess. A high center of gravity, too, yet still good on side slopes. I think its due to the size 13 tires.