What are the general rules of tractor sizes?

[sixdogs]

Decide how big of a tractor you want, then double it. :laughing:

You may laugh but this is the truth. Plus, add a cab and any function you think you may want later in life. Get it now.

Second item is never, ever, loan it and especially to a friend or relative.

 

[mopardude318]

I was looking at the MX5200 and Grand L 5460 and 6060 as my very first tractor. Never operated one before. I decided to listen to these guys and go bigger, I ended up with an M7060 and glad I went with that. It's a little light for plowing or discing, only maybe because I have R4's, my tires spin. I would love to see how it works with R1's. I can't have cast centers with the R4 rims, they are different . I can only add the 103 lb bolt on wheel weights, 3 per side...Will 600 lbs make much more of a difference? I don't know, but to do that it'll cost me a grand. Should have got those when I ordered, they are cheaper.

 

[sixdogs]

I was looking at the MX5200 and Grand L 5460 and 6060 as my very first tractor. Never operated one before. I decided to listen to these guys and go bigger, I ended up with an M7060 and glad I went with that. It's a little light for plowing or discing, only maybe because I have R4's, my tires spin. I would love to see how it works with R1's. I can't have cast centers with the R4 rims, they are different . I can only add the 103 lb bolt on wheel weights, 3 per side...Will 600 lbs make much more of a difference? I don't know, but to do that it'll cost me a grand. Should have got those when I ordered, they are cheaper.

Not cheaper when new but look for a dealer with some in stock that wants to get rid of them. Just use standard carriage bolts and there are some that have a fatter square part under the head. Use those fatter ones for successive weights and the standard ones for starters.

Yes, 600 lbs will help and ag tires will help more. Radial ag tires help the most as do some added front weights. The M7060 and M7040 are great tractors.

 

[AxleHub]

Sub Compact, compact, utility, ag -
What is the most agreed upon breakdown?

For instance:
View attachment 539683

Now I CAN'T tell HP from a distance but I can count steps.

I've a no-step 23HP
View attachment 539684

And a one step 50HP
View attachment 539685

And would like a two step

/edit
Apparently I wasn't clear in my question -
What is the general rule for what is a subcompact? under 25HP? little front wheels?
Or a Utility? Over 50 HP?
By Kubota's separation of classes Compact tractor covers everything from 17.5 to 62 HP, which entirely overlaps both their Sub-compact and their Economy Utility.

Newbury,

I'm a little confused. you've got 8800 posts and considered a supermember and you're asking a new member type of question ?? LOL

But to answer the question as best I can - I'd use the following thought process:

A subcompact tractor can be anything from 15 hp to 26 hp in today's standards.
It typically has up to a 6 or 7 inch undercarriage clearance
It typically is no wider than 54 inches at the rear wheels
It typically is a 3 cylinder diesel engine and a subcompact typically has a hydrostatic transmission and both a mid and rear PTO.

Because of its ground clearance - it has smaller tire/wheel combinations and its weight without fel or backhoe is typically under 1700 lbs

A Compact generally has 7 to 12 inch ground clearance, anywhere from 25 to 60 hp and is wider than 52 inches and heavier than th 1700 pounds without fel or back hoe.

A Compact may come in hydrostatic or gear transmissions.

Large compact and utility tractors (in my opinion) are typically 65 hp to 125 hp. They have large wheels and tires and clearance in the 13 to 18 inch area.
They are normally wider (60 inch or larger).

Ag tractors are everything else LOL - big and biggest.


Myself - I find a 25 hp scut to be all I need except if I were doing rough terrain activities - like brush hogging rough farm land or working in woods or lifting big weight (above 900 pounds with a fel) or dragging around farming equipment like big plows and cultivators and row cropping implements.

If you are working on hills and slopes and tighter access areas - or lawns - a scut is a great tool. If you have a 25 acre farm or a huge driveway - you want bigger or lots of tree removal work.

Many claim you should buy bigger than you need - and I claim you should properly access your needs first. If you have flat land having bigger doesn't hurt - but the idea of "big is better" is not a smart parameter if you have a few acres and a wallet that isn't just begging to be emptied.

My point is there are reasons for each and every tractor size - casually discarding those reasons and buying too big is just as silly as casually buying too small - both are filled with regrets.

One other opinion - TBN is a great place for information and a sense of friendship. But there is a large tendency to spend your money and for you to buy what others bought for themselves. You have to stick to your priorities and needs do lots of study and testing yourself - because on a forum - people can't "see" your desires or terrain.


JMHO

 

[Jstpssng]

General Rules? I thought that there was only one; whatever you get, you will always want something bigger.
Actually I spent several years looking before upgrading to what I have. It will most likely do everything I want it to, as long as I learn to use the 3 PTH backhoe with discretion. Although I am still thinking about bringing my father's 4400 Ford home. :laughing:

 

[airbiscuit]

I wish there was a standard nomenclature for Compact Utility size. Horsepower ain't it. Some say weight is the best differentiator. I prefer frame size which incorporates both weight and tire size (diameter), both of which affect traction. John Deere seems to have the best nomenclature for their different size CUTs. Here's how I would frame it (pun intended)

Acreage.. Deere.....Frame............................................Weight..R4 Tire Size
1-3 acres ........1xxx.........SCUT.................................................1,450..........26x12x12
3-5 acres,....2xxx .......Small Frame CUT.....................2,450.......14x17.5
5-10 acres..3xxx ......Mid Frame CUT...................2,900......15x19.5
10 acres+..4xxx ...Large Frame CUT.....3,770...17.5x24


Here are a couple of related threads ...

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...uide-shopping-sizing-tractor-development.html

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/kubota-buying-pricing/383854-compact-tractor-sizing.html

 

[bcp]

No matter where you draw the line between tractor categories, someone will point out a small tractor that performs over the line while someone else mentions a larger one that performs under the line.

There isn't a line between categories, there is a smudge.

Bruce

 

[airbiscuit]

True that.

 

[chim]

Enjoying the comments. Getting the right tractor is more important to me than having a name for it though. For example, our stuff always fell into a broad category. It could be laziness on my part, but these four classifications work for me:

Bike - Motorcycle or bicycle.

Car - Two or four door vehicle without a pickup bed. Small enough to reach the entire roof without a stool when washing it.

Truck - Pickup truck with any number of doors. Also includes the Tahoe because it's too tall to be a car

Tractor - Anything from riding mower on up. Two or four wheel drive, cab or open station.

What something is called can be quite subjective, and based on one's experiences. For example, I was a "town kid"" and was pretty happy when I bought a used store-branded MTD riding mower for our first property back in the 70's. I called it my tractor. After building out here in '89 I've moved up in size a few times. The most recent was an L3200 and I call it my tractor. When I bought it Wifey (a farm girl) told her cousin "Jim bought a new garden tractor".

 

[MESSMAKER]

Unless you have tight spots to get into get the biggest you can afford. Older farm tractors are great. I have a 130? Hp tractor and only have 25 acres. It is perfect for what I do. I have other equipment to get into tight spaces. If you do any plowing even on a hobby scale you will quickly find out that you need weight and HP to get anything done in a timely manner. My 130 hp tractor that weighs 15,000 lb and has dual rear tires can only pull a 10 wide chisel plow. I had it 12 wide originally and had to remove two shanks because it would stop the tractor. Now think about plowing up anything more than a small garden with 25hp and a 3000 lb machine. Sure it is doable but might take a week.

I have found aside from plowing most tractor things don稚 take much hp.

You pull a 10' plow with a 130 hp dual wheel tractor on a 25 acre farm. Impressive,overkill but still impressive