wide vs narrow front

kenbob

Well-known Member
I left the farm at 18. My dad only had narrow front end tractors and I never operated a wide front tractor. After I left the farm, dad bought a big tractor that had a wide front and had it changed to narrow. THis was an Oliver. I think he thought it did not turn short enough with the wide front, but I am only vaguely remembering this. I was just wondering if there were any good pros and cons or was it just user preference/prejudice. I have a vac narrow and a 351 wide. That 351 steers way harder than my vac but it is nice and stable at 25mph or what ever the top speed is. Just wonderin' on this cold winter night.
 
If he cultivated different row widths with the same tractor, with the narrow front tractor the rear wheels would be the only width adjustment. With the wide front they may also need adjusted for wide or narrow spacing. Or it may have been his personal preference too.
 
Wide fronts without power steering do steer harder than a narrow front. A narrow front will turn shorter. One is just as stable as the other. Many people think a narrow front is going to roll over upside down the minute they turn the steering wheel. Simply not true.

I think people get this idea in their head from when they were little playing on a tricycle. Sooner or later every little kid turns the handle bars too far and the tricycle tips over. They grow up and hear the term "tricycle front end tractor" and remember that toy tricycle tipping over with them on it.
 
If he used a mounted corn picker, a narrow front was required. Mid mount cultivators and bean pullers were easier to mount, in addition to the reduced turning radius already mentioned.
 
A wide front will ride a bit better, and in mud they are definitely better as the narrow front will push more mud. But the narrow does turn shorter and can get in places a wide front can't.
 
I grew up with all narrow front tractors and hated them. When going down the field they were always pulling either left or right depending on which wheel was closer to the row. I would dream about having a wide front with 2 wheels centered between the rows. Every stone or frozen lump that you would hit with a front wheel would jerk on the steering wheel. Got the first wide front tractor when I was about 14. Now have 17 tractors that are used on a regular basis and 1 has a narrow front only because it gets pulled around a lot with the narrow front on a small cart behind the pickup. I would never ever go back to narrow front tractors!!
 

I've got both kinds. I don't see a huge difference in stability at all. A narrow front does turn better. A wide fronts way better in mud/wet going as someone mentioned. For a loader, I like a wide front.
 
Grew up with narrow fronts with no power steering, VAC and then a 400. Then went to a 730 and 830 narrow fronts with power steering. Now with the 100 plus hp tractors there is no choice and tight turns in the field can cause deep cuts in loose dirt if you go to "sleep". Using a narrow front 630 to pull a drill is the cat's meow for planting wheat or raking hay. Have a wide front 300 that I asked about switching to narrow front on this forum but apparently no one has done it to give any tips. Wonder if narrow fronts will become a thing of the past?
 
One thing no one has mentioned is that a wide front is less prone to rollover. Liability or OSHA may be why no new narrow fronts are made.
 
Thanks for all the good input. We didn't have a mounted picker so that didn't drive the choices. YEs the narrow front could plow mud. Some tractors had a t bracket out back of the narrow front to clean the mud. Good stove top league discussion. Way back when they were doing all sorts of landscaping on the loess hills by the Sioux City airport. I remember them working the ground with old Johnnies with the front wheels and the rears out as far as they would go. I guess the lower center of gravity made them the tractor of choice for going around steep hills.
 
The thrust bearing at the bottom of the spindle on a wide front that steers hard may need to be replaced. And also grease the steering gears on top that helps.
 
Thanks, I might need some guidance on that. I know the box and all fittings are greased.
 
I will say my wide front 351 steers quite nicely if it is moving at all. Only hard to steer when at rest.
 
(quoted from post at 11:35:09 01/26/21) One thing no one has mentioned is that a wide front is less prone to rollover. Liability or OSHA may be why no new narrow fronts are made.

I don't think a tricycle is more prone to roll over in practical terms. I've seen idiots roll over both types. Same with people managing to wheelie a tractor over on top of themselves. Yeah, you can do it, but you need to have a Doctorate in Blatant Stupidity to do so. But, we have to legislate with those Phds in mind today...
 
I never understood the theory that narrow fronts are
significantly less stable since the wide front pivots in the
middle. By the time you get tipped over to hit the axle stops I
doubt they would stop the rollover anyway. They do have
other advantages, but I just don't see the stability one.
 
(quoted from post at 09:00:11 01/27/21) I never understood the theory that narrow fronts are
significantly less stable since the wide front pivots in the
middle. By the time you get tipped over to hit the axle stops I
doubt they would stop the rollover anyway. They do have
other advantages, but I just don't see the stability one.

I agree, you are absolutely correct.
 
(quoted from post at 10:00:11 01/27/21) I never understood the theory that narrow fronts are
significantly less stable since the wide front pivots in the
middle. By the time you get tipped over to hit the axle stops I
doubt they would stop the rollover anyway. They do have
other advantages, but I just don't see the stability one.

I think it's because most tricycle types tend to sit higher, so the motion is exaggerated.
 
When our 630 Deere was the loader tractor for the farm I took off the narrow front and put on a wide front mainly for the mud clearance. The wide front changed the tractor side motion from a sway to more of a straight side to side motion. The wide front did save tht e tractor from rolling on its side once when I had the loader up high carrying a long tree limb with the loader. The left rear wheel came up but the potential roll over was stopped when the front axle hit the stop.

So yes from my experience a wide front is more stable than a narrow front.
 
A tricycle will turn over easier than a wide front. There is a simple explanation why. The pivot point on a tricycle is at ground level. The pivot point on a wide front is higher. This changes the center of gravity. I always felt the tricycle would turn over easier from my experience growing up on hill farms using both types. An engineer explained the above explanation to me. I took a wide front and tricycle toy of the same model placed them on a board together and raised the board. The tricycle rolled over first every time.
Nick
 

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Back
Top