Truck vs Tractor TOW

[wkpoor]

I've often wondered what kind of a match up in a tug of war a full size 4WD truck would be against a tractor and what size tractor would it take to best the truck. Assuming the truck is pretty much stock and the tractor too.
Anyone actually done this before and what were the results?
Also I would think the test would be done on dry soil.

 

[Crash101]

The winner would be determined by traction, not power. Probably that traction would best come from weight. My money (depending on tires) would be on the heaviest vehicle.

 

[Charlie175]

YouTube - tank vs quadtrack

Youtube is full of these kinds of videos. Just look around.

 

[L4400]

Have a 96 F350 4x4 with a 7.3 powerstroke diesel and it would outpull my old L2500 Kubota. It was many years ago and don't even remember what I was pulling, but I do remember hooking up to the Kubota first, and then the truck and the truck pulled it. The truck does have aftermarket Truetrac limited slip carriers in both axles. This was on dirt. Just the other day, I was helping my neighbor clean up after a massive storm took out 4 trees in his front yard. He had a stump he wanted out and we hooked it up to his Toyota Tundra and it wouldn't budge it. The dirt around it didn't even get disturbed. I went home and got my new L4400 Kubota and was going to try digging it out. Just pushing up against it and rolling the bucket back with the toothbar on the stump, after 3 different angles of attack, it popped out of the ground. I think he was as shocked as I was. This was also on dirt.

As far as hooking both up to see for sure, haven't tried that.

 

[Egon]

It would sorta depend on the truck would it not. Hook on to one of these and you may have a problem with a tractor.

 

[Soundguy]

I don't know if this answers your question, but I've pulled a stuck car out of a soft dirt ditch using a 1975 ford 5000, 70hp.. tractor probably weighs in at 6000#, plus another 2500# for the 10' mower that was on it at the time. Ladies husband had a gmc 1500 with probably 5.3 engine, 4wd.. Problem was he was spinning all 4 tires. Not sure of his weight but would guess in the 4000# range??

I used low range, 1st gear, and idle, and just sliped the clutch out and the tractor moved like there was nothing to it... pulled the car out real easy and slow.. unhooked her husbands tow rope and went on my way..

soundguy

 

[LD1]

I think the determining factor is definatally ground condition. Trucks that weigh between 5000 and 6000lbs have way more HP than a 5000-6000lb tractor. But wether they can put it to the ground is the key.
For example: Tractor - Kubota 3400 Gear weight w/loader 3500lbs
Truck 2003 Chevy 1500 4x4 5.3L weight empty 5800lbs

On pavement Truck will out pull, On dry hard clay, probabally even.
On grass probabally tractor. And everything from damp to mud, tractor definatally wins.

Traction is definatally the key for trucks. We use the 3400 for cutting and hauling wood, and dragging trees out to cut. Mostly muddy woods conditions and the chevy would just burry itself. However, my old beater truck will pull circles around the l3400 in any codition. 85 dodge 35x16 boggers, limited slip front and rear, and two transfer cases for an extra low rang- weight 6000lbs.

Anytime we have a tree we cant move with the kubota, we use the dodge.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Don't forget gearing. A tractor has far lower gearing so you can put the HP/Torque to the ground without wheel spin. I have pulled out stumps and shrubs with my 28HP 4 wheel drive tractor that my neighbor failed with his Dodge Cummins.

Chris

 

[N80]

Right after I bought my F150 I got it stuck up to the frame rails in the slickest stuff I've ever seen.

I called my B-I-L to come unstuck me with his tractor. He showed up in his AM General 4x4 military pickup with a 350? Buick engine in it. It couldn't budge me.

He went back and got his JD 70 hp ag tractor and even though it spun a bit, it got me out.

What I've always wondered about these professional tractopr pulls is this: They use the jet turbines, P-51 Merlins (RR?), multiple blown car engines, etc etc. And they struggle with those sleds. Couldn't one of those huge Cat bulldozers pull that sled all over kingdom come with a lot less fanfare and noise? Sure, it would be kind of boring but it sure would make those 'tractor' contraption look silly.

 

[Egon]

And spoil all the fun. No smoke, no loud belching engines, no engine parts flying around??

Me, I don't understand the intrigue with tractor pulls etc.

 

[DmansPadge]

Of coarse everything will depend on the conditions. I will say though... just a few weeks back I stuck my little Kubota B7410. Equipped the way it was that day it only weighs in around 1800 lbs. I figured... no problem.. I'll hook my 2wd truck up to it and pull her on out. But that didn't happen.... I actually couldn't budge the tractor with my truck... I was a little surprised. Went to my neighbors and got his little Mahindra 2015 and it pulled it right out. The word tractor didn't derive from the words "traction engine" for nothing!!

 

[jimainiac]

LD1, how do you get two transfer cases in a pickup?

 

[Wombat125]

LD1, how do you get two transfer cases in a pickup?

That's an old trick for Toyota pickups. With a little adapter kit, you can take the gear reduction slice of one tcase and graft it to a second complete tcase. You get lots of levers poking through your tranny tunnel and lots of gear reduction options.

See Marlin Crawler

 

[LD1]

The truck came with a std transmission and a 205 (all gear) t-case. I just happened to have a rebuilt 727 and 203 combo out of a 79 dodge with a locked up motor laying around. I did some reading online and learned that it is pretty common to take the front part of the 203 (the gear reduction unit) and with proper adapters connect it to the 205 t-case. You can actuall buy the kits that come with the resplined input shaft for the 205 and the adapter to mate them but it was really expensive. I think they call them Doublers. So I took the two gaskets (for bolt pattern reference) to my cousin who works at a machine shop and had him make the adapter and I sent the shaft to moser axles to have it turned down to the correct diameter and resplined. It really suprised me that it only cost $85 to turn and respline the shaft.

Also had to shorten the rear driveshaft and lengthen the front. I also added one more crossmember to carry the extra weight.

It was a lot of work but it was worth it. The truck isn't the most reliable and never driven on the road, just for hauling/pulling wood, and for play.

 

[hosejockey2002]

Several years ago I got an F250 with stock tires stuck in a pumpkin field. The guy who ran the field had an F250 4x4 with large off-road tires, and an old 2wd Farmall gas tractor, not sure how big but probably 40 hp or so. When he pulled me out I assumed he would take the truck, but he said if he did that then we would just have two stuck trucks. That old Farmall pulled me out without spinning a wheel.

 

[ridefst]

From personal observation, I can tell you that on dry packed dirt a 1 ton chevy diesel SRW 4wd can outpull a 120HP Deutz-Allis until the tractor operator hits the push button 4wd. Then the chevy drops an axle.
Fortunately not my truck, (or tractor for that matter)

 

[Renze]

From personal observation, I can tell you that on dry packed dirt a 1 ton chevy diesel SRW 4wd can outpull a 120HP Deutz-Allis until the tractor operator hits the push button 4wd. Then the chevy drops an axle.
Fortunately not my truck, (or tractor for that matter)

I find it kinda funny how a less than 3 ton weighing truck, could pull off a tractor that has more than 4 ton on the rear axle...

 

[JSharp]

And spoil all the fun. No smoke, no loud belching engines, no engine parts flying around??

Me, I don't understand the intrigue with tractor pulls etc.

Those open class multi engine tractors are mostly noise and show.

I was a a tractor pull a few years ago and during the hot rod tractor competition the sled stuck all the way forward. They unhooked the multi engine hot rod and hooked a stock Cat Challenger to the sled.

The Cat pulled the sled off the track like it wasn't even loaded...

 

[ampsucker]

how you pull those sleds makes all the difference. the one and only tractor pull i've been to, it was funny to watch the souped up big boys try to pull the loaded sled forward. then, a little ford two wheel drive with front loader would sneak around back and pull it backwards pretty as you please to get set for the next heat.

amp

 

[ridefst]

I find it kinda funny how a less than 3 ton weighing truck, could pull off a tractor that has more than 4 ton on the rear axle...

I think it's mostly that hard pack dirt is a lot better for truck tires than the tractor tires; nothing for the bars to dig into. Given softer dirt, where the tractor could dig it better, I'm sure the truck wouldn't stand a chance.
However, before seeing it myself, I sure wouldn't have bet on the truck either...