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Tractor Talk Discussion Forum

wide vs. narrow front

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Chad Berberich

04-27-2005 14:23:58




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What are the differences (plus or minus) between a narrow front vs. a wide front tractor as far as for a general doing-chores-around-the-place tractor (i.e. no real crop farming, just ordinary chores and work)?




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Dave in Missouri

04-28-2005 09:33:35




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 Re: wide vs. narrow front in reply to Chad Berberich, 04-27-2005 14:23:58  
Narrow front ends don"t compact the soil as much as a wide front end all other factors equal. This used to be a big factor before herbicides came along since crops had to be cultivated frequently.
Not so today.



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paul

04-28-2005 11:02:59




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 Re: wide vs. narrow front in reply to Dave in Missouri, 04-28-2005 09:33:35  
I don't follow that.

Narrow front compacts the soil all at one spot not spread wide; often most weight is on one tire so more pressure per sq inch; I've run mid-mount row cultivators on both narrow front & wide front, the narrow front became helpless in mud much quicker than the wide front; as you drive with a wide front you leave 2 compacted tracks, with narrow front you make 4 tracks per pass which is compacting more surface area.

Not trying to agrue, just don't follow the logic or experience on your claim?

--->Paul

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paul

04-28-2005 09:16:26




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 Re: wide vs. narrow front in reply to Chad Berberich, 04-27-2005 14:23:58  
Narrow front: tigheter turns, mounted corn picker, less shed room, works with a narrow manure bucket, but: slightly more tippy, rougher ride, mud balls up in wheels.

Wide front: Gets through mud better, slightly more stable, smoother ride, easier steering.

I'd go for the wide front most of the time, but I sure like the narrow front Ollie with add-on power steering, very manuverable for making sharp corners & for backing up wagons.

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cdmn

04-27-2005 21:32:39




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 Re: wide vs. narrow front in reply to Chad Berberich, 04-27-2005 14:23:58  
Wide front tears up the sod in the lawn during turns. Narrow front plugs up with manure and freezes solid. Narrow front rides a lot rougher, that's why JD sold their patented roll front. Wide front breaks a path through the snow for the back wheels to follow. Narrow front allows you to drive up on a block so you can remove the other wheel. Narrow front drives into a two row corn-cultivator easily, wide front requires serious manhandling. Same for cornpicker. Wide front follows a plow furrow better.

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buickanddeere

04-27-2005 14:52:57




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 Re: wide vs. narrow front in reply to Chad Berberich, 04-27-2005 14:23:58  
Narrow front is easier to park in a shed half full of junk. Narrow front tramples less crop when using a mounted scuffler to weed crops.



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RAW in IA

04-27-2005 16:49:09




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 Re: wide vs. narrow front in reply to buickanddeere, 04-27-2005 14:52:57  
One more point infavor of narrow front, they are easier to maneuver around obstacles, like fences, buildings, etc., especially when backing up wagons, etc.



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Steve (Magnolia, TX)

04-27-2005 14:40:44




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 Re: wide vs. narrow front in reply to Chad Berberich, 04-27-2005 14:23:58  
1. Stability. For those days yer whippin' around at 90 mph and hang a hard left turn... you're less liable to roll 'er over with a wide front-end
2. Tractor height. I'll most likely prove my ignorance with this one, but... ALL (OK, most?) narrow front-end tractors will be row crop tractors, which have a higher clearance, therefore are further from the ground. Whereas SOME wide front-end tractors are "utility" tractors and don't have the clearance requirements of a row-crop and therefore are closer to the ground
3. Turning radius. In most instances (dare I say all instances?) you can make a MUCH sharper turn with a narrow front-end tractor than you can with a wide front-end... of course, therein lies a greater chance of you digging ruts with the front tires, too...
4. (and in my opinion the biggest factor) Personal preference. Some folks just like a narrow front-end tractor. Now take me, for instance. I grew up on IH/Farmall tractors, most of 'em were narrow front-end. And if you ask me, that's pretty much what a tractor should look like. However, I'm not doing any row cropping and just can't justify 2 tractors, so I'll just keep the Ford 8N that I bought about 8 years ago. I like it (a lot) and it's served me well, but it's a smaller tractor, with a wide front-end, and I suppose it looks a little "less-like-a-tractor" than what I grew up with...


HTH
Steve

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txgrn

04-28-2005 06:43:46




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 Re: wide vs. narrow front in reply to Steve (Magnolia, TX), 04-27-2005 14:40:44  
On your faster turning with the narrow, unless you are turning with the corresponding brake and letting the front swing on it's own, the faster turn in a utility environment is another cause for roll over.

And, in the stability, if a narrow hits a gopher hole your whole front end hit it and it could overturn. On wide, only half of it hit it. Like you said, stability.

And if you are running a loader, you have a rectangular shaped pattern center of gravity box, not a triangular one.

Mark

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MPK

04-27-2005 17:12:05




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 Re: wide vs. narrow front in reply to Steve (Magnolia, TX), 04-27-2005 14:40:44  
Wide front end is better if you have a loader on the tractor. With a heavy load on the loader it won't sink down in soft dirt so easy as a narrow front would. It's also much more stable with a load on the loader, not so tippy.



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