What is a tractor?

Greg1959 · Jul 19, 2015

The reason I ask is, many times I look on CL and see JD, Ford, Massey, Kubota, etc., listed as
"tractors" for sale. When I click on the posted ad(that is titled 'tractor') and view the
picture...I see a riding lawn mower. How is a riding lawn mower considered a tractor?

mj · Jul 19, 2015

(quoted from post at 20:02:22 07/19/15) The reason I ask is, many times I look on CL and see JD, Ford, Massey, Kubota, etc., listed as
"tractors" for sale. When I click on the posted ad(that is titled 'tractor') and view the
picture...I see a riding lawn mower. How is a riding lawn mower considered a tractor?

Quicker to type than 'riding lawn mower'?

jeffcat · Jul 19, 2015

And or people are idiots. Tractor is a powered unit that is able to push or tow another wheeled or towable unit. That is as simple as you can put it. Lawn tractor is tiny. Garden tractor is bigger and better. My Gravely falls in here somewhere. Landscape tractor field tractor ETC. Also trucks, airport tugs are tractors and on it goes. Most likely LAZY.

john in la · Jul 19, 2015

Well when the dealer sold them the mower they called it a tractor
So why would the owner know and different

RBoots · Jul 19, 2015

That mower is hideous lol

Ross

pete 23 · Jul 19, 2015

Most likely the garden tractor thing carried over into the riding lawn mowers. My cub cadet is a garden tractor because it can have a tiller or other implements mounted on it as well as the lawn mower, but the John Deere 110 automatic we have is strictly a riding mower often called lawn tractor.

504 · Jul 19, 2015

CL has no lawn mower listing only farm & garden so they are tractors. BTW you can change your settings(top of the CL page) and the pic will come up automatically.

Fatjay · Jul 19, 2015

Lawn tractor, garden tractor, farm tractor, Industrial tractor.

Each has a purpose and serves its function. My lawn tractor is a 20 hp twin that has the same rated horse power as the 8n. There is more than one tractor. It mows and does its job.

JD Seller · Jul 19, 2015

One, is that to many their lawn MOWER is LAWN tractor or even just a tractor. Then there are the ones that go all EBAY trained and put TRACTOR an all those brands in their ads so when you search for MF tractor their stupid lawn mower comes up. They think this gets them more hits which equals more chances of selling.

It just makes me skip their ad. I look at it this way: If they LIE in the ad to sell their item then they will LIE to my face to sell their item.

CenTex Farmall · Jul 19, 2015

A tractor will have separate left and right brake pedals.

oldtanker · Jul 19, 2015

The below is basically industry standards for classification of home owner units:

Riding mower is just that. A mower that is capable of pulling a small trailer at best.

A lawn tractor can do what the riding mower can plus can power something like a snow thrower.

A garden tractor can handle the above and use "ground engaging implements" like a plow, cultivator or dozer/snow blade.

I've found that you get much better results with most search engines if you are more specific if what you search for. Put in tractor and you will get anything with any mention of a tractor in the ad. Like "baler, requires XX HP tractor". So while entering "tractor" you get a baler ad.

Try something like (pick a brand or model) Ford, or 4000. Oliver or 77. It narrows a search.

Rick

Athol Carr · Jul 19, 2015

IHC 10-20, 15-30, F-12 etc did not have separate brake pedals, in fact F-12 and F-20 did not have brake pedals at all.

Bob · Jul 20, 2015

"A tractor will have separate left and right brake pedals."

HMMMMMMM.... interesting "logic", CenTex!

<img src = "http://www.gondtc.com/~blweltin/Bob/StuckOne.jpg">

If it were true, my 'ol 8630 would NOT be a "tractor"... and this lil 'ol 140 WOULD be a tractor!

<img src = "http://www.ihcubcadet.com/forum/messages/46301/214227.jpg">

(Yes, the 140 DOES have two brake pedals, AND a clutch pedal on the other side!)

Traditional Farmer · Jul 20, 2015

Chicken tractors are popular around here.

RalphWD45 · Jul 20, 2015

20 HP TWIN!! That sounds like a wheel Horse, At least that is what my C175 has on it. And being as it has had a FEL on it, and came with a working tiller, plow, and snow blade, I call it a TRACTOR. The previous owner kept the loader, to use on his 8 speed wheel Horse, and sold me the hydro version.

John B. · Jul 20, 2015

That question is like the question, "What's the difference between a fruit and a vegetable".

The word tractor came from two different words which were, "Traction Motor".

Pair-a-dice farm · Jul 20, 2015

I've wondered the same thing. In my opinion there should be a minimum weight to be called a tractor. My lawn mower has about the same HP as an 8N Ford but it lacks the weight to pull an 8N.

60 acre hillside · Jul 20, 2015

Kenworth road tractor? Walk behind garden tractor?

VADAVE · Jul 20, 2015

There are all types of people and it is really hard to tell what drives their thinking.
I had a smart young man come to work for me 10 or so years ago, really smart, got into management and has moved into the upper levels. Married a nice girl both drove nice cars, he had a Maxima she had a Mercedes. They had a couple of kids and now there wasn't enough room in either car for all the stuff. She kept her Mercedes he trade the Maxima for a Honda Pilot. Swore up and down that mini-van was a truck. I finally decided he didn't think it was manly to drive a mini-van. Refusing to acknowledge that he was driving a mini-van garnered a whole lot of teasing.
So you just can't tell what drives a person.

Geo-TH,In · Jul 20, 2015

Not all horses are created equal. Briggs got in trouble for over rating their engines.

After a class action, most small engines today are rated in CC's, not horses.

W_B · Jul 20, 2015

(quoted from post at 12:34:10 07/20/15) She kept her Mercedes he trade the Maxima for a Honda Pilot. Swore up and down that mini-van was a truck.

The Pilot is a SUV (and not a truck), the Odyssey is the Honda mini van.

Traditional Farmer · Jul 20, 2015

I wouldn't call an 8N a 'real' tractor(LOL) Tractor like beauty is apparently in the eye of the beholder.

NoNewParts · Jul 20, 2015

Manufacturers didn't help us out either.....
looking for parts for my 57 Deere 420 online, I have to wade thru
hundreds of parts ads for the Deere lawn mower...also 420...

tractor? maybe from the old days, it lingers on.
I have Wheel Horse RJ's and Suburbans from the 50's-60's
that I could probably tuck under my arm and carry....but they deserve the name...tractor.

part of it is marketing...had an older relative..city fella...that when he climbed on his lawn mower..wearing his JD hat..his face told all...It was a [i:fabfdcf902]tractor[/i:fabfdcf902] to him..lol

Eric in IL · Jul 20, 2015

Air Tractor

Dachshund · Jul 20, 2015

My wife's dad told me that he doesn't consider anything without a 3 point a tractor.....but then again, he's a BIT senile....

Donald Lehman · Jul 20, 2015

Yup, drive you bonkers doesn't it? Walk into the dealer and say I needs some parts for a 420 JD and the danged parts guys will pull up the stupid lawn mower every time..................And then I say, "No, the tractor", and the poor kids get that deer in the headlights look. I just smile and say, "1956 JD 420", and you just know they are thinking, "they made tractors in 1956????????????"

I'd like to get my hands around the neck of the fool at Deere who decided to model one of their lawn mowers after the real tractor!

Donald Lehman · Jul 20, 2015

Lol! When it comes right down to it, I wouldn't call my 1956 420 much of a tractor either.

The way I look at it is if your lawn mower has two larger rear wheels and two smaller front wheels, looks like a small tractor and can be used for towing garden trailers, small dump boxes other odds jobs besides just mowing the lawn, I'm am comfortable calling it a "tractor". Just look at some of the oddball stuff that were classified as tractors a couple of generations ago.

2underage · Jul 20, 2015

I here that term around here to. I don't know why that don't just call it what it is, a chicken coupe on skids!

CenTex Farmall · Jul 20, 2015

Ahhh!

That makes the 8630 the BIGGEST lawnmower of all time!

CenTex Farmall · Jul 20, 2015

THAT DOES IT!

New rule from now on....... I will not make any more forum replies.....while I'm half asleep!!!

(and I should know as we have both a -12 and a -20 in close family!)

Traditional Farmer · Jul 20, 2015

The 420 garden tractor has as much HP as you 420 'farm tractor'

Pair-a-dice farm · Jul 20, 2015

(quoted from post at 07:53:57 07/20/15) I wouldn't call an 8N a 'real' tractor(LOL) Tractor like beauty is apparently in the eye of the beholder.

Haha I can't argue with that, I had an 8n once that struggled to rake hay.

WIZZO · Jul 20, 2015

(quoted from post at 19:02:22 07/19/15) The reason I ask is, many times I look on CL and see JD, Ford, Massey, Kubota, etc., listed as
"tractors" for sale. When I click on the posted ad(that is titled 'tractor') and view the
picture...I see a riding lawn mower. How is a riding lawn mower considered a tractor?

The lawn mower dealers coined the phrase "lawn tractor" to make yuppies with an acre of lawn feel important and they are rich "farmers" with lots of acres to impress their friends.

ride-on lawn mowers are Ride-On Lawn Mowers
NOT tractors.

RN · Jul 20, 2015

tractor from 'traction' meaning capable of pulling something that needs a bit of traction. a quick, short answer for 'is it or isn't it' a tractor is the size of plow it can pull. If it can't pull a plow- even a 6 inch on a Brindley hitch- then it isn't a tractor.

donjr · Jul 20, 2015

I'd have to do some digging, which I don't feel like right now, but 'tractor' was a coined term. Back in the 1800's, the steam engine was king. They used belts to transmit power to different implements, and the belts required traction to work, hence the term 'traction engine. When the first gas engines became coupled to a machine to move them, a couple of slick salesmen, who I forget their names right now, coined the term to distinguish them from traction engines and gas engines. Hence, the term 'tractor' was born. As far as big tractor, little tractor, lawn tractor or whatever, I agree with you- I hate looking at 'tractor for sale' and see a lawnmower because some fool thinks its a tractor. Maybe using the term 'lawn tractor' or 'garden tractor', just to classify it, but about anything smaller than a cub ain't no 'tractor'......

What is a tractor?

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