Narrow front configuration

Anonymous-0 · Dec 29, 2012

Question for you guys, I'm at a family gathering here and my fatherinlaw brought up an accident from decades ago where a JD B (I believe) overturned killing a local farmer. His dad was an insuarance agent and was on the scene shortly after it happened. I have a narrow front at home, and my sister in law started asking me questions about it.

As far as I know NF's were extinct by the late 70's....is this correct? Also, was this a safety consideration from the manufacturers that ended this or was this a federal law that halted their production?

Carlyle hoffman · Dec 29, 2012

No, the tractors became to heavy on the front ends . I believe from the factory, 4230 was last avail. Course you could mount anything as a owner.

MikeinKy · Dec 29, 2012

Neither' they quit making them, because farmers quit buying. I think you could special order one until the mid seventy's. I have a 74 IH 766 narrow front and John Deere still could be ordered with narrow fronts on the 4030 and 4230's. New weed control methods and less need to cultivate meant the end of narrow front tractors. Also younger farmers with little experience with narrow fronts were wary of them. Other than cultivating, spraying, and maybe planting, wide fronts handle better.

D-C-741 · Dec 29, 2012

Case 970's Were the last that Case made, But had to be Ordered .

tomstractorsandtoys1 · Dec 29, 2012

Another reason was that mounted cornpickers were replaced with combines as more switched to narrow rows.We have several narrow front chore tractors(2510,3020 and 4020) and would not want to be without them.I have heard of a few 4040 narrow fronts.

gene bender · Dec 29, 2012

Farming changed no mounted pickers and chemicals did away with lots of old tillage practices. Three pt stuff was the big fad. You have upsets today more than in the past because of heavy loads on front loaders driving down the road with load up in the air. But you can upset anything due to driver error. Look at the cars going wrong way on a divided road operator error.

Adirondack case guy · Dec 29, 2012

No Fed regulation ever. The narrow fronts just became unpractical. In the early days they were produced to be manuverable in row crops, because "standards" didn't steer short and didn't fit the row spacings with fixed front axles.
The narrow/tricycle fronts were a bit more unstable than standards, because rowcrop farming required more crop clearance and the tight turning radius. When they were equiped with a FEL they became tippy for odvious reasons. Modern tractors of the 50s onward had wide adjustable front axles that turned much sharper, and wern't prone to mud and snow clogging them up in wet and snowy conditions, thus causing them to become stuck more often. Also when farmers became aware of compaction issues, front tractor tires which were aligned with the rears reduced compaction.
Loren, the Acg

Anonymous-0 · Dec 29, 2012

Narrow fronts were never outlawed on tractors you are thinking of the ATV 3 wheels were replaced with 4 wheels I still have a three wheeled Big Red Honda.

notjustair · Dec 29, 2012

I was a little late in life - I was in the field when three point implements were being used. I wouldn't give up my narrow front tractor for anything. It is like having zero turn on a tractor. I know, loader tractors with a narrow front are dangerous. I don't care. There are lots of things on this farm that could kill someone with only half a functioning brain. Or a whole brain and a distracted pair of eyeballs. Or a whole brain and a tight time schedule. You get the picture - you've got to use the brain the good Lord gave you and keep your eyes open.

I love my Farmall M with a narrow front and I will use that as my light duty chore tractor until the very last part is available for it. Then I might have it gilded and put it in the living room.

BushogPapa · Dec 29, 2012

Properly set rear wheels and properly weighted, the only limiting factor to having a NF with Loader was the NUT behind the Wheel...

NF tractors, with loaders..same as wide front tractors are only as safe as the Operator that sits in the Seat..One, no more than the other..

Ron..

VicS · Dec 29, 2012

A Country Company Insurance agent, brought a toy tractor (560 IHC with a electric motor) and a loader. Plus a plywood hill with numbers as it got steeper. It was like a side hill. He would run the Tractor and loader with the bucket low, and record where it turned over. then raise the loader to the top and record where it turned over. Didn't get very far with the loader to the top. Then filled the bucket with 3/4 nuts. with the bucket low it would actually go farther than when it was empty. Then one of the guys in our club said, But that tractor has a narrow front. The agent said, I was waiting for someone to notice. He plucked the narrow front off and put a wide front on the 560. Then did all the combinations over again. There was no difference in how far the little tractor would go before it turned over. except the wide front might have turned over a tad quicker a couple of times. All you have done with a wide front is raised the pivot point. which is good. but actually the narrow front is a foot wide and will stand alone. The real difference is if you run off into a hole big enough for both tires. bad deal on a narrow front. Of course a new 6430 JD with suspension on the front will keep the tractor from turning over. Vic

fixerupper · Dec 29, 2012

Another reason narrow fronts lost popularity was narrower row widths. Row crop cultivating 30" rows with a rear mount cultivator gets a little tricky when the tractor has a narrow front. Those two wheels side-by-side don't leave much wiggle room. Jim

oldtanker · Dec 29, 2012

(quoted from post at 18:45:42 12/29/12) A Country Company Insurance agent, brought a toy tractor (560 IHC with a electric motor) and a loader. Plus a plywood hill with numbers as it got steeper. It was like a side hill. He would run the Tractor and loader with the bucket low, and record where it turned over. then raise the loader to the top and record where it turned over. Didn't get very far with the loader to the top. Then filled the bucket with 3/4 nuts. with the bucket low it would actually go farther than when it was empty. Then one of the guys in our club said, But that tractor has a narrow front. The agent said, I was waiting for someone to notice. He plucked the narrow front off and put a wide front on the 560. Then did all the combinations over again. There was no difference in how far the little tractor would go before it turned over. except the wide front might have turned over a tad quicker a couple of times. All you have done with a wide front is raised the pivot point. which is good. but actually the narrow front is a foot wide and will stand alone. The real difference is if you run off into a hole big enough for both tires. bad deal on a narrow front. Of course a new 6430 JD with suspension on the front will keep the tractor from turning over. Vic

Actually a study was posted on here a while back that shows that in all but one modes of operation one is just as stable as the other. The NF will become more unstable going downhill with a load (loaded silage or grain wagon type load) on behind because of the pushing action of the load. Another place whre there could be problems (I know several old timers who turned over NF tractors because of this when they were youngsters) is going to fast and hitting something with a rear tire The WF will start to tip and the stop on the pivot may save it but with NF there is nothing to keep it from going over.

Rick

johndeereman · Dec 29, 2012

I have two fel one on each style front ends. The only advantage to the wide fronts is in the mud. Actually the narrow front feels a lot more stable plus more maneuverable By the time you hit the stops for the wide front your over centered so it will roll anyway.

ss55 · Dec 29, 2012

Wide fronts handle bigger flotation tires, don't pack with mud and freeze as easily, add extra front end weight, stradle crops and forage windrows better, and they ride a little smoother than narrow fronts.

Narrow fronts are more compact, more manuverable, easier to back implements with, work better with front mounted pickers and cultivators, and they cost less. They were not as advantagous as tractors and implements got bigger so demand for narrow fronts dropped off.

Anonymous-0 · Dec 29, 2012

acg and the rest of the fellas below stated all what i was gonna say to the above responses ,and i concur , bottom line , the feds did not kill the tricycle front ,,. btw , in 1971 at the indy state fair i saw the only 1070 case with a tricycle front ,never saw one since! ,and my brother and i still swear it had a rollamatic front end that was only put on jd. seeing that, and that Winning 1070 edging out all the stiff competition on a level playing field ,, we thought case was really getting it together . but what do 14 yr old dreamer kids know , when they are watchin their 1st honest tractor pull

JMS/.MN · Dec 29, 2012

No Federal law.....only reason to continue the narrow fronts was mounted corn pickers..........simply can't mount a picker on a wide front. As farmers went to combines...no need for narrow fronts. Same thing with cutting hay with a moco- narrow fronts drive over the previous windrow- not good. Yes, narrow fronts turn shorter than wide fronts....have a slight tipping advantage, but you can tip either one.

JMS/.MN · Dec 30, 2012

Way easier to follow a plow furrow with a properly set wide front! More snooze time, going down the row! Don't have to battle the wheel, cranking to the left.

Anonymous-0 · Dec 30, 2012

NF's were phased out, due to changes in farming economics. In actuality, they do tip over easier than WF's. Someone did a center of gravity study, using a weight suspended on a string, weight held at a fixed point, in 2 scenarios. First weight is suspended from a quadruped, like a WF, second is a tripod, like a NF. Only variable was slope aspect. As the hill increases in steepness, the tripod topples first. I'll probably take some flack, but the scientific proof is there, unlike with AGW! And I own 2 NF tractors, and use them on steep hills. Loose nuts behind the wheel cause most rollovers, if you ask me!

David G · Dec 30, 2012

I have one NF, a Farmall H, we use it to move wagons around and rake hay. It is very handy for that.

Narrow front configuration

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