SMTA tire size

I always said that if I ever bought another 100 hp plus tractor it would be 4x4 with rear duals. I think the larger tires of the 4x4 front plus fact on heavy draft they would be pulling. I think the tractor would be much easier on itself and indeed the front end. Having said that, if I were not doing pto work, I would go right to the articulated tractor. If your going to run 200 or more hp no point in having hassel of a steering front end.

In fact in this age I can't understand why we don't see articulated tractors down to 100 hp mark. If I were strictly cash cropping corn, beans and wheat as many are today, I would be looking for an articulated 125 hp tractor and not hydrostatic. The only reason I see anymore for buying a conventional tractor is if a substancial portion of work is pto work. I can see a couple of 150 hp 4x4 tractors right from my window. I don't think they have ever had a yoke on their pto shafts.

When I bought my 1066 for dairy farm my heavy work load was NH 890 forage harvester and a 12 ton manure spreader. I only plowed 200-250 acres per year, plowed with 656D as plowing and manure spreading went on at same time. My disc was 20' and cultivator 24', neither were a real heavy load for 1066. They were economical as tillage machines just a few feet wider were a lot more expensive with heavier frames, hydraulics, etc. As I mentioned before, 1066 had duals and those extra wide 15" front tires. Both on disc and cultivator, if you weren't right on brakes turning, I have seen the front wheel on side turning to go completely under soil surface. I had a lot of younger operators and needless to say a few spindles and other front end parts got broken up. Young fellows tend to get daydreaming a bit on long day of discing. I guess we all did that. If you take a good look at that front end and the wallop behind one of those big tractors at or near full throttle, 4 to 6 mph, they could snap that front end right off, if it hit something solid.

I remember one day, I was planting corn with 656. My dad was moving seed, chemicals, etc with 300, and just generally scouting around with pickup keeping things moving. I had a young lad on 1066 and cultivator. He was a great young lad, would go all day and night with you if demand was there. His only problem was he didn't know enough to shut down his social life during those times. My dad came to me said," Mike is in that 10 acre field behind that mobile home, his head is dropping from time to time, he is not being very systematic in aprach, I think he is asleep, he is turning near end of field." My dad was 65 at the time couldn't get Mike's attention, due to his age he didn't feel comfortable trying get on machine moving at 4-5 mph. I went over, didn't try to go in front of duals, I made for hitch area, got on and started thumping on back of cab. What a relief when he stopped. My dad took the tractor and cultivator and we sent Mike off for a sleep. Not without my dad's razing on trying to burn candle at both ends.

I notice farmers around here are moving away from those hopper grain wagons, going to B-train type aluminium grain trailers. Pulling them on fields with hitch dollies and 350 hp articulated tractors, they even have air brake controlls on them. If you look at the rubber on the ground with some of these rigs, probably lower ppsi on ground than grain wagon. I notice they are quite particular on keeping highway tractors off field.

I was at farm just recently, while there one of those 350 hp 8 wheel drive tractors rolled into shop. When he crossed the 3" high threshold that big tractor bounced just like a baloon would. No chloride in that one. There were wheel weights on rear, purely to give same pounds per square inch on ground on both front and rear tires. If those big articulated tractors were not balanced it would create excessive wear on one gear box.

If your goals are to pull heavy loads on hard ground as in tractor pulls keep the tire size down, now there is a limit. I farmed and in the 70s bought a 1066 with duals, no added weight of any kind. My heavy loads were pto. I was working a soil type very vulnerable to soil compaction. I almost never took those duals off. The one exception was hard frozen ground in winter. Those extra pounds per square inch on ground sure count when ground is hard and some frost, snow and ice to boot.