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Earl: While I agree with much of what your saying, I don't think you are 100% correct in blaming the new equipment. Yes, I agree trucks are no-no on fields. The truck lbs. per square inch far exceeds any tractor or combine, plus the design of the tires are very soil unfriendly. Having said that, I think what your seeing is more an acumulated effect rather than modern day equipment. Your problem is more a people problem than an equipment problem. Back about 30 ago we had quite vicious discussion on this matter that actually led to weighing a couple of tractors. My Farmall Super A complete with wheel weights and calcium chloride and my 1066 with no added weight on 20.8x38 duals. I forget the exact figures but the lbs. per square inch of the SA was substancially higher than the 1066. Now, you take those duals off the 1066, load her up with weight and you have a whole new story. One excessively wet year I had more corn than I needed for my dairy herd requirments. My neighbor needed some corn for silage thus I agreed to sell him standing corn. There were two fields as close to him as me, and one had poor drainage. The agreement was he having a 90 hp 4x4 tractor on singles was to open all fields, as I wouldn't stand a chance taking my duals off. He took what he needed and left the wetter field of the two complete with ruts 2' deep, where he opened it up. I went in there with 1066, duals, NH890 on flotation tires and pulled silage wagons behind. The biggest problem I had was keeping my front wheels out of his ruts the first couple of rounds. Once I got clear of his ruts I harvested the rest of the field leaving hardly a mark. Here comes the kicker, for five years, I continued to be plagued by his ruts and mess. I'm betting that 90 hp 4x4 tractor of his was heavier than my 1066. He told me it was a puller with chloride in all 4 tires, plus rear wheel and front end weights. I dare say he could have out pulled me on hard ground. He certainly didn't in that corn field. I could clearly see he had another tractor on ahead, and his hired man told me they were doing half loads. The hired man also told me his boss, laughed when I showed up and headed down through his ruts. He said to the hired man,"we'll be going to do a tow job shortly." Man was he disappointed. This problem has been ongoing and accumulating for the past 75 years. Trying to gain traction from weight rather than more rubber on the ground. Added weight works fine on hard roads, but what does it really gain you in the field. Then you've got the guys that added the duals and coupled that with even more weight. What did they gain; more severe compaction, and higher repair bills. Yes I do agree with you, but lets put the blame where it belongs, square in the laps of people, not big equipment.
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