Tractors Made Simple

Most acreage owners would agree, there's nothing like having your own plot of land and being able to work it. Maybe you have fond memories of growing up on a farm or you love the charm and mystique of farm life and yearn to have a slice of it yourself; it could be a simple hobby farm or a full-blown money-making concern that you own or dream of owning.

If you already live on acreage, you undoubtedly own a tractor. It may have come with the property when you bought it, or you may have acquired it later. In any case, there likely have been times when you questioned whether it was a suitable size for your property and the work you do on it. On the other hand, it might be that you are taking the first plunge into this life and considering which tractor would work best in this new setting.

Let’s discuss the basic factors that need to be taken into consideration when choosing the "right tool for the job." Using the guidelines provided here, you may discover that you've got the perfect tractor already, or that another piece of machinery would be more appropriate for your acreage, or how to purchase your first and most important "toy" to begin your new and exciting lifestyle.

Basic Tractor Options

Your basic choices of tractors are small, medium and large, but there are also a variety of choices within those fundamental options.

The compact group includes all of the small machines right down to the utility tractor size, not much bigger than a riding lawnmower. The compact tractor is versatile and can easily switch from mowing and blowing to digging and hauling.

The medium-sized machines are known as mid-range tractors. They are a nice compromise between large and small, being nimble and easy to operate while still having the power to take on tough jobs.

The large, high horsepower (hp) units are the real workhorses of the tractor world, with the ability to pull heavy implements and roll through rough fields day after day with ease.

Other Considerations

So, which size is the best one for your acreage? As with almost all heavy equipment choices, that depends on the size of land you have and the use the tractor will be put to. For example, you would not need (nor want) the same tractor to log and clear 30 acres of woodland as you would to maintain three acres of lawn.

Besides the size, other important considerations are horsepower, power take-off (PTO) and load lift capability. As a general rule of thumb, all other things being equal, you would need a machine with between 25 hp and 35 hp for working five acres. This would be suitable for tasks such as cultivating, "bush-hogging," pulling implements and mucking out livestock pens.

For maintaining 10 acres, a larger compact with 35 hp to 45 hp would be more appropriate. These units are ideal for maintaining landscaping and leveling a road or driveway. A tractor with more than 45 hp would likely be the right choice if you will be keeping horses and/or cows and perhaps a large garden. Maintaining good-sized parcels like this will include plowing, ripping and leveling big agricultural parcels and will require large amounts of pulling power. High horsepower units are in their glory in that environment.

In a class by themselves, of course, are the big boys packing 50 hp to 100 hp. These are more suited to big commercial businesses and are likely out of the realm of interest of the typical readers of this magazine.

PTO and load lift capacity are like fine-tuning controls to help you hone in on the exact machine for you and within your budget, after having narrowed down the field up to this point. These are best discussed with your preferred tractor dealer.

Implements

Attachments, known as implements in the acreage world, are bolt-on tools that really stretch out the value and capabilities of the basic tractor. If you are buying a tractor for the first time or moving on to a different type of property, be sure to factor these add-ons into your budget. Over the course of time, most landowners discover that some accessories are necessary to effectively accomplish the kinds of tasks that the land requires, or to be able to do it in a more efficient or cost-effective way.

Among the most popular and often-used implements are front-end loaders, brush cutters, rotary tillers and finish mowers. Those will accomplish most basic jobs on small-to-medium farms. With the versatile front-end loader, you can dig, pick up and haul just about anything, including dirt, gravel, rocks, log bolts and yard waste, among other things. Brush cutters, colloquially known as "bush hogs," can be used to clear rough ground, rotary tillers can prepare land for crop-growing or gardening and finish mowers are great for mowing small or large sections of lawn and other landscaping duties.

Other accessories to consider are box and angle blades, backhoes and post hole diggers. The grading blades are great for cutting in and maintaining a driveway. If you need to do a lot of trenching, ditch cleaning, tree planting or demolition, a backhoe accessory is indispensable. Installing fencing is often a big part of farm life, and a post hole digging add-on will make the job easy and fun.