- Compact Equipment Magazine
- Tractors
Tractors
From Mowing to Moving Hay, Compact Tractors Can Handle a Lot
The utility or compact tractor can be a versatile piece of iron. Ask any farmer, landscaper or large estate owner — a compact tractor is a great way to tackle that long must-do list hanging up in your garage or warehouse. Cut the grass, mulch the flower beds, bale hay, spread gravel, level a field, install that sprinkler system and then pick up dinner — it can tackle almost all of those labor-intensive chores. The diversity and approachability of compact tractors have made them big business in North America. Today compact tractors are often defined by their attachment system. The American Society of Agricultural Engineers (ASAE) defines compact tractors as small agricultural tractors equipped with a 540-rpm power take off system (PTO) and a three-point hitch designed for (mostly) Category 1 implements.
There are hundreds of model choices and unique features galore (from air-conditioned cabs to power transmissions), along with a zillion different implements (mowers, landscape rakes, augers, buckets, backhoes, hay bales, fork lifts, seeders, brush cutters and beyond). These implements can be attached on the front, belly or rear of the tractor and can be powered by PTO power of hydraulic power. Today’s compact tractors generally have a mass less than 4,000 lbs and use less than 60 PTO hp to run their attachments. Here are some examples of quality compact tractors:
John Deere Compact Tractors | Kubota Utility Tractors | Kioti Compact Tractors
