Row crop vs. Utility

If you've been reading my posts over the last month or so you know I'm looking for a new old tractor. I'm getting close to pulling the trigger on an IH 574 diesel. One thing I wanted to get some input on are the advantages/disadvantages of a row crop tractor vs. a utility. The 574 is obviously a utility and I got rid of my JD 2010 with is a RC. I definitely want a loader to move manure around. I also use the tractor to brush hog and plow snow. I may also use it to work my hay fields next year. Given what I need it for does that push you towards RC or utility or is it just a preference?

Thoughts? Thanks.

Jason

I'm not familiar with the 574 but in general a utility will do everything a row crop will do except accept a front mount culitvator, and there are exceptions to that. It will be more stable with a loader, and due to the swept back front axle, more manuverable than a row crop with a wide front. Speaking of the 2010, I have spent considerable time on a 1530 and a 2020, both utilities, used for relatively light tillage (no plowing) planting and cultivation (rear mount). No loaders, I liked them.

CNKS is correct. Go with the Utility. JimN

It"s called a "row crop" because it has enough clearance to cultivate row crops such as corn without knocking the plants over. If you aren"t going to be cultivating a utility is always better because it has a lower center of gravity and so is less tippy.

I am mostly a IH man but my corn sheller is a JD #6 with M&M drags and a few other pieces of equipment. That being said I do like 10/20 series (4010 4020 ect.). So what ever possesed you to get rid of your 2010? I don't think you will be happy with that ih. Armand

for loader work a utility is superior hands down. They're just set up better for that type of work. Certainly smaller and not as powerful, but that has its advantages too.

Cute little dickens ain't they?

Don't know what I'd ever use one for, but it just might suit your needs to a tee.

Good luck with it,

Allan

A 574 diesel is very good on fuel and has lots of power for its size, only weakness is the front casting that holds the front axle, do not abuse it if you put a loader on, they will break, been there as I have worked on a couple. If you use it normal and dont over load it it will be the cats meow, good luck.

The only reason I have a loader on a row crop 504 is that I had a row crop 504 (Farmall). Would an IH 504 or Farmall 2504 be better on a loader, yes... Go utility.

Charles

I have two 574s. One is Utility with the swept back front axle like Allen's pictured below. The other has the straight& higher front axle which gives it a longer wheelbase, and 16.9-30 rear tires I guess it is a row crop. The RC nearly feels like one size bigger tractor. They both handle the best and are geared just right. Sip fuel, yet peppy. The 16.9-30 one is just kind of my most handy tractor on the farm. It plows the gardens in the spring and it raked 225 acres last summer. Just a sweet ride.

Wolfman, the second one is a "Hi-Utility." Basically, a utility with the row crop front axle and adjustable rear wheels.

I do know a 350 Hi-Utility is fairly rare. Dunno how rare a 574 Hi-Utility is.

Grew up with various RC tractors made from the 20s to the 50s. Never drove a utility til I got an old Ford 2N and used it around the place, mostly with a mower for a big lot. More recently, bought a little Ford 1100 for the same kind of work. The old 2N had some drawbacks (like those awful brake pedals--one is to the left of the clutch and completely unavailable for a tight turn while you're feathering the clutch--Ford engineers probably had never done much farming!). Still, I liked the old bird a lot, and the newer tractor even more, because it has a much more comfortable place to sit, better placement of pedals, a very good hydraulic system, 10 speeds forward, and so on. These utes are short and have very tight turning radiuses, and they are low to the ground and very easy to get on an off compared to a tall RC tractor. The 3-point hitch was a revelation to me, as all the old stuff either required a pin through the drawbar or bolting stuff to the tractor. The low-to-the ground stance should make the utility safer on slopes, too.
Not tryin' to sell Fords to anybody! They just happened to be available when I was looking, and the prices were good on both of them. I still have a very warm place in my cold, cold heart for the red stuff that I spent so much time on--up through Super H and Super M. After that, I'm afraid I'd have to look up any IHC tractor with a number higher than 140, just to know what it looked like. You can't see the embarrassed blush as I write.