HOW TO SELECT A COMPACT TRACTOR
April/May 2002
By Ken Burner
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PHOTO COURTESY JOHN DEERE
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COMPACT TRACTORS
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In 1996 my wife and I purchased a house on 15 acres in suburban Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The land, which had been neglected for many years, consisted of about two acres of lawn, another two acres of badly overgrown pasture, and the remainder was wild woods. We knew we needed a tractor to help us take care of it all, but what kind, how big, what features and how much were all questions we hadn't a clue how to answer. Since then we've learned a lot about tractors from friends, neighbors, tractor dealers and, of course, the Internet. We also learned we weren't alone: Lots of other people moving from a city environment to a rural one had many of the same questions about tractors. This article is condensed from the information we've learned about tractors over the past several years. I decided to gather the common questions and answers we'd discovered into a Web site called "The Small Tractor FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)." You are welcome to visit the Web site ( www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/kb13/TF_home.htm ), which contains links to tractor manufacturers, implement suppliers, tractor discussion groups and lots of other information and resources for and about small tractors.
What size tractor do I need for my number of acres?
That depends on what you want to do with the tractor and what your land is like. If you just want to mow grass on a fairly small, flat, level yard, a riding mower will probably be all you will need. On the other hand, if you want to plow a field, bale hay, pull stumps or exchange implements with neighbors, you'll need a more powerful machine.
Take a look at the "Tractor Selection Chart" in the Image Gallery to the right. Under "Characteristics," note the differences among the four tractor categories and decide which category best fits your work environment. Under "Uses," determine which tasks you will want to do with your tractor and note which tractor categories are capable of performing those tasks.
Which brands of tractor are good and which are bad?
Good and bad are relative terms. There are generally two types of lawn and garden tractor: light-duty and heavy-duty (see "Lawn and Garden Tractor Brands," in the Image Gallery).
Light-duty equipment is usually much less expensive to purchase, has low required maintenance, is made of sheet metal and plastic, is belt driven, has short-term parts availability and is designed to last for a short period of time.
Many failures on light-duty tractors simply can't be repaired, and used machines often can't be traded in for credit on new equipment. However, light-duty equipment is very popular, largely due to low purchase price. With proper care light-duty equipment can perform useful chores for many years.
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