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Compact Tractors that offer Big FeaturesIt used to be that tractors were primarily used in larger scale farming and construction type applications, but with the coming of compact tractors a whole new world of usefulness has opened up to the average consumer. No longer does one need 100's or 1000's of acres to justify owning a tractor. Now, people with just a few acres (or even much less) can find use for these exciting new compact tractors. In general, these tractors range in horsepower anywhere from around 15-50HP. Some machines feature hydrostatic drive which allows to the driver to move the tractor without the use of a clutch. Other compact tractors feature standard straight gearboxes that utilize a clutch. Still others come equipped with a shuttle type transmission that is sort of a hybrid between a straight gear box and a hydrostatic transmission. In a shuttle type transmission, the operator can move a lever back and forth to change direction without touching the clutch. A hydraulically actuated clutch pack is automatically engaged and disengaged in a shuttle transmission and allows quick shifting in forward and backward directions. This type of transmission is ideally suited for front loader work where the operator may need to quickly move back and forth repeatedly.
The majority of these smaller tractors come equipped diesel engines. The diesel engine offers large amounts of torque at low RPM and therefore it is ideally suited for most tractor applications. In addition, diesel engines are typically more fuel efficient than their gasoline driven counterparts. Most of these tractors also come with a 3pt hitch out back that allows various implements and accessories to be used. Power is provided to these rear mount implements either through a PTO shaft or perhaps remote hydraulic hook ups that provides hydraulic fluid flow off the tractor's hydraulic pump system. There are many different brands of compact tractors. This is a good thing because it gives the consumer many different options to choose from! Companies like John Deere, Kubota, New Holland, Massey Ferguson, Jinma, and more produce a wide variety of different compact tractors. When faced with the decision about what to buy, it is good to start off by listing some of what you need to do in a tractor. Will you need to dig trenches? Will you need to mow large areas? Front loader work? Rear scraper box for leveling driveway? Write down all the things that you can think of that you plan to use your tractor for and then try your best to think about what other uses you might have in the future. Also, try to write down your budget that you have to spend on the tractor. Remember, you don't have to buy all the implements at once. If money is short, just buy the tractor and implements that you really need up front, and you can always add implements later as the need arises and money is more available. Once you have a list of all that you want to accomplish and your spending budget, then you can start to research the various models of compact tractors. Look at manufacturers that have a good track record of producing reliable machines, and a company that stands by their products. It is no fun to invest in a machine that later is out of commission for an extended period of time because the company does not have parts readily available or because they have poor customer service. Try to buy from a local dealer that can help support you and your tractor in the future. One of the big questions that may come up is: HOW MUCH HP DO I NEED? This is a big and important question. You don't want to get this wrong! It might be best to first determine which tractor implements you heed to run now and also anticipate running in the future. Find out how much HP it takes to run those various implements. Once you have figured out a maximum HP level that meets all your anticipated implement needs, take that HP number and shoot for a machine that is at least a little higher than that. Hard to say exactly how much higher because it will depend on what implements you might want to use in the future, but did not anticipate up front. If finances allow, go for at least 10-20% more HP than you anticipate needing. See what others recommend. Just keep in mind that once you have purchased a tractor, you are basically stuck with the HP level for as long as you own the machine. A slightly larger, more powerful engine will probably use very little additional fuel since these diesel engines are governed and if engine loads are kept low on a larger engine, then fuel consumption will be low as well. But, if you are ever in a situation where you need the extra power, the larger & more powerful engine will have more HP on tap to handle the extra load. Most of these tractors are governed to operate at engine speeds below around 3000RPM. Actually, closer to 2000RPM is probably a happier operating range for many of these diesel engines. These are not high revving gas engines. The diesel engines in most of these tractors are designed to produce peak power at low RPM's. For the sake of discussion, let's say you have 2 compact tractors that basically equal in size and weight with the only significant difference being engine power. Let's say one of the machines has a 30HP engine and the other a 40HP engine. From the outside, both of these compact tractors may look pretty much the same, but when the going gets tough then the differences will become more evident. Let's say you equip both machines with a large PTO driven brush cutter / mowing deck. Now let's say you have a field with some very heavy vegetation and brush to knock down. Maybe the vegetation is damp and heavy from recent rains. Now let's also say that there are some sloped areas in the field that require you to cut while driving uphill. Perhaps on paper 30HP should be adequate for the size of cutting deck that you have, but given the conditions of heavy brush and vegetation and the need to climb uphill while cutting... all these factors might put your 30HP engine close to the edge of the limits of what it is able to do. On the other hand, the 40HP tractor might be able to handle the same conditions with relative ease. Under those conditions, it could even be conceivable that the tractor with the more powerful 40HP engine could get better fuel economy than it's 30HP counterpart! Reason is that running the 30HP engine at it's limits may require running at a higher RPM to help prevent the cutter from stalling out under heavy loads. Even if engine RPM's are set no higher on the 30HP than the 40HP, the engine governor will load down the 30HP engine more at the same RPM in order to try to maintain constant forward speed and PTO shaft RPM. As a result of all this, the smaller engine may be operating outside of it's peak efficiency range, and therefore it might get worse fuel economy than a slightly larger engine that is allowed to run under lighter engine loads because it has the extra HP and torque needed to keep things moving more easily. Not to mention, operating a smaller engine under heavy loads and near it's design limits of power output will probably result in shorter engine life and potential for greater costs of maintenance and repair in the future. All that to say, if it is possible for you to afford it, try to look at compact tractors that have a little more horsepower than you anticipate needing today. If you don't need the extra power in the future, then the engine will run under lighter loads and probably live an longer and happier life. If you ever encounter a situation where you need the extra power, you'll sure be glad you have it!!
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