Choosing the Best Agricultural Tractor for Your Farming Needs

Agricultural tractors are indispensable, when it comes to handling different kinds of farming tasks. As far as the variety and amount of these tasks vary from one household or business to another, it is crucial to know the difference between the major types of these vehicles and other aspects that may affect your choice.

Popular Types of Agricultural Tractors and Their Major Functions

Farm tractors are heavy-duty vehicles, which serve different purposes. They are extremely effective, when it comes to performing different farming tasks, including shoveling, digging, plowing, planting, lifting and transporting goods and materials etc.

While the tractors of old models mainly had three or four driving and steerable wheels, the modern ones generally come with eight wheels, articulated or caterpillar tracks, automatic control functions, GPS navigators and other options, which facilitate the accomplishment of all kinds of agricultural tasks, irrespective of their complexity.

The choice of the tractor that will work best for your agricultural needs mainly depends upon the jobs you have to fulfill on a regular basis. Thus, you may select from the following vehicles:

• High Crop and Row Crop Tractors

These tractors come with automated steers and adaptable treads, which make it possible for the vehicle to navigate through the rows of crops without any serious problems or harvest damage. They are widely used when there is the necessity to perform farming assignments with high growing crops and vegetables.

• Wheat Land Farm Tractors

Judging by the name, these tractors are indispensable, when fulfilling heavy field tasks on the vast land areas. They are manufactured with functionality and convenience in mind and enjoy popularity with the farmers across the globe.

• Utility Tractors

Utility tractors differ from the other agricultural tractors mainly by their small size. They are also used on smaller land areas and come with turf tires, which are much softer as compared to standard tires agricultural equipment is fitted with. In most cases, these tractors are used to handle tasks, which are not associated with farming. These involve gardening, excavation, planting, landscape management etc.

How to Choose an Agricultural Tractor for Your Farming Needs

The choice of the tractor should depend upon the amount and complexity of tasks you have to fulfill on a regular basis. Thus, if you do not own a large agricultural business and need a tractor that will help you handle your everyday farming needs, it makes sense to look for a small vehicle, which will feature a number of useful functions.

Let’s start with the size first. Again, it depends upon the complexity of the jobs you plan to do. For example, if you have a small piece of land less than 4 hectares, you should go for a small tractor, the horsepower rating of which will not exceed 25kW. For larger plots of land, it is recommended to purchase agricultural tractors with 50kW of horsepower and more. Correspondingly, more complex and serious farming jobs require the assistance of a professional contractor or even several of them, because you will hardly be able to cope with them effectively on your own.

Prior to shopping for an agricultural tractor, it is crucial to define whether you need a 2-wheel drive or a 4-wheel drive vehicle. The difference between them is quite substantial. Thus, the vehicles of the first type, which were mainly popular in the past, are not that reliable and may even damage the crop during the process of working. 4-wheel drive tractors, in their turn, can be used on vast plots of land and under different weather conditions, even when the soil is slippery, for example. They are also a perfect choice for the areas with lots of hills and other hindrances.

Finally, it is important to consider the transmission type of the tractor you are going to buy. Nowadays, you may find vehicles with manual and automated (or semi-automated) transmission. The latter tractors are a better choice for the farmers, who frequently activate the reverse and forward functions, when using the tractor. At the same time, you should understand that vehicles with automated transmission are more expensive, so you have to decide in advance whether you really need such a tractor or not.