When buying your first tractor, there are many things to consider.

Small tractors: Hauling and General Maintenance Around Your Property

Large tractors: General Farming - Plowing, Disking & Mowing

Horsepower should be one of your most important considerations. The bigger the scale of your project, the bigger engine you’ll require to get the job done right.

There are three types of horsepower that come into play when buying a compact tractor.

Engine horsepower (or brake HP) – this is when the engine is working by itself with no attachments or auxiliary parts, like a water pump or a gearbox.

PTO horsepower (power take-off HP) – the most common measure used to describe tractors. It’s the amount of power generated at the power take-off shaft – how much you have when spinning. To pull a cutter or mower through dense crops and terrain, look at PTO. Thick grass and hills eat it up. I believe this is a dying metric because people always want to quote the horsepower number that’s higher.

Drawbar horsepower (or draft HP) – the measurement of power generated by the tractor to the attachment, usually equal to about 85% of the tractor’s PTO HP. It represents the pulling power when a trailer is hooked up. Manufacturers use drawbar HP to describe power in tractors that don’t have a power-take-off shaft.

Remember this; when pulling weight, drawbar horsepower is most important. When bush hogging, PTO horsepower is most important.

The transmission on a tractor is a pretty big deal. In cars, the engine just has to propel the vehicle and its contents. Tractors, though, are designed to perform a multitude of tasks – hauling, dragging, tilling, etc. The transmission converts the engine power to the wheels turning at a much slower rate. They aren’t exactly designed for racing, just for the brute force necessary to drag heavy loads. You’ve got three basic options to choose from:

Straight gear drive – non synchronized

Gear transmission uses a clutch and manual shift change gears and speeds. Gear transmissions are lower cost than other options. You’ll recognize it by the grinding sound.

Hydrostatic transmission

Hydrostatic transmissions are often incorrectly compared to the automatic transmission in cars, and they aren’t really the same except in ease of use. With hydrostatic transmissions, there is no clutch or gears aside from the center, or neutral, position, disengaging the engine. You control the speed and direction (forward or reverse) with your foot.

Shuttle transmission – reverser transmission

Shuttle transmissions have a high and low range, gears 1  through 4 with a lever on the steering column. A key feature for shuttle is that there’s no hunting for reverse! The driver can go forward and backward at the same speed without ramping up. This is quite convenient for chicken house tasks where you don’t want to start in low gear. Shuttle transmissions come in two types: mechanical (clutch) and hydraulic (no clutch).

Other important considerations:

First Time Buyers

Purchasing a tractor with too much horsepower can end up costing you more. Not purchasing enough horsepower can lead to a tractor which is not capable of the tasks you need done, and can even end up damaging your machine.

(PTO) Horsepower Comparison Chart