Re: Why a tricycle front end?

Posted by paul on June 11, 2003 at 09:21:58 from (66.60.197.104):

In Reply to: Why a tricycle front end? posted by Steve W on June 11, 2003 at 06:14:47:

Narrow front end was cheaper (We are talking wars & depression, price _was_ an issue in going from horses to tractors. It's amazing they had the innovation they did, for the times & hardships of the era of these tractors.)

Corn pickers. You can't mount a cornpicker on a wide front tractor.

Front (mid-mount, really) cultivators. Some newer designs worked with wide-front, but early models only worked with narrow front. Also you could cultivate 2 rows, turn on the end & come back in the next 2 rows. A wide front could not turn short enough, often couldn't make it in 4 rows. Ran down more end rows trying to turn around.

Manuverablity. Can turn _much_ shorter with most narrow fronts compared to wide fronts. Try backing a 4-wheel wagon with a wide front - it's easy with a good narrow front.

Loaders. Those early hydraulic systems were poor. Used very small buckets for dirt & manure, all they could lift. So the narrow front could follow along behind the narrow bucket & get something hauled out. Wide front would be wider than the bucket, the wheels rode up on the sides & you couldn't get anything done.

Dependable. Early wide fronts were all thin & spidery & had all those tie-rod contraptions. Got a bad rep for falling apart, needing more attention. Added weight to the tractor.

Row crop is all about adjustable wheel widths to match the row widths & being tall enough to clear a growing crop. You obviously were not in row-crop country of the midwest. :) There really weren't many of those N tractors around here - they didn't turn short, they didn't have clearence for the crop to go under the frame, they couldn't fit a row crop cultivator..... I see a lot of support & fond memories of the N's in the south & east on these forums. Really much different out here in the midwest. In my region the H & M IHC tractors are the ones that hold fond memories for many. Ford was that little thing a few folks had that did some utility jobs, but not real work.

I'm not trying to start a color war, just trying to give you history on how it was. :)

--->Paul

Follow Ups:

• Re: Re: Why a tricycle front end? Steve (Magnolia, TX) 12:06:27 06/11/03 (0)

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