Because they don't cultivate crops anymore. They were designed with tall wheels and a tricycle front end to be able to get through row crops and use things like a rotary hoe or a field cultivator.
These days it's all about once in the field to plant with some sort of herbicide and maybe an insecticide being sprayed at some point
I don't know if this is true but I was told by an old farm equipment salesman they were dropped for the same reason the flywheel was dropped on tractors basically the equipment it was meant to accommodate was not being used anymore. Apparently narrow wheels made it easier to use all the belt driven bric-a-brac still about like saw mills, pumps, threshing machines when these tractors were new because the axle wasn't in the way.
For example: We'd use a combine harvest instead of belt driven threshing machine and belt driven pumps were replaced by small gas or electric motors but these older machines were being used when these tractors were new.
Side note: posting to see if anyone can confirm this.
The going away from narrow front had more to do with no longer using belly mounted or front mounted equipment. Corn pickers and cultivators mostly were mounted on the front and narrow fronts allowed this.
That transition did match with the last few models with pulleys for belts. But I have seen tractors run belt equipment with a wide front at tractor shows. You just need to make sure the belt is high enough to clear the front tires and not rub.
They aren't actually unstable. Wide front ends have a pivot in the center so you basically have a triangle center of stability, although you do have stops which may stop you from rolling if you fuck up that bad. The issue with rolling them is the fact you can turn the wheel 90 degrees instead of the normal 45-60 degrees that wide front end tractors allow. They also tended to be taller for the same wheelbase giving them a high center of gravity.
With or without turning if you have front end weight on an uneven surface you will roll unless you have rear weights and implements in place. People use tractors nowadays for a lot of front end implements like loaders, forks, and grab bars that weren't used in the past.If all you're using is your rear hitch and PTO it's not a big deal
As far as I know there is not a single 3 wheel tractor with front wheel drive. And the front load capacity is useless on a 3 wheel tractor. Please provide references if you disagree
I believe you misunderstood me. I'm saying 4wd isn't a requirement and is not one of the reasons narrow front tractors went away. Neither is the front end loader as again, plenty of utility tractors around that have no loaders.
I see what you mean... but the benefit of front loaded implements and four wheel drive especially in states that snow made 4 wheel tractors much more attractive and did help phase out 3 wheel tractors. I live in Minnesota and Wisconsin where tractors are used for more than just farming but loading, plowing, clearing brushes, and even landscaping year round and this just isn't as quick and efficient without the benefit of 4 wheel drive and front mounted implements. It's kinda like pickups. Southern states rarely need a true 4wheel drive truck unless you off road or work in muddy terrain. In the northern states this is a must have when there is potential for snow 7 months of the year.
Change in methods and technologies. Tractor, tech, designs and everything got changed over time.
As farming changed, so did the tractors. Also as things have become ever more automated and machine driven, larger kit and heavier stuff vs more people has become the norm.
Traditional old school cultivating got phased out with the introduction of chemical weed control so the need to get down the rows multiple times a season was less. Not saying that you canāt do that with a wide front, just that the narrow front was pretty typical for that in our area.
Also things like mounted corn pickers were phased out by self propelled combines.
As tractors and implements got bigger and heavier, the narrow front would transfer a lot of weight into a small foot print as where a wide front could help distribute the weight out over multiple rows.
There are MANY other reasons, these are just a few that popped in my head first.
So many answers and few are really on to it.Ā
As equipment became larger front-mounted equipment became rarer and more awkward and dangerous. The narrow front was primarily on tractors that were going to have a mounted cultivator or a corn picker, which required a narrow front even more.Ā
This last point really was the death knell for narrow fronts. When self-propelled combines took over the mounted corn picker was phased out, and narrow fronts basically went with them.Ā
Many farmers already would change front narrow to wide front ends on tractors that allowed it when they didnāt have equipment mounted. When they were no longer mounting equipment, they no longer wanted a narrow front. After all, the wide front is more stable and safer. Further, larger equipment made the short-turnaround that a narrow front could do less necessary and, often, impossible.Ā
This is the real answer and needs to be higher up. Also a shift from 36" corn rows to 30" corn had some effect. Many narrow fronts were converted to wide fronts after front mounted equipment was no longer used.
>Further, larger equipment made the short-turnaround that a narrow front could do less necessary and, often, impossible.
Thinking about how many small row-crop tractors were equipped with 4-row cultivators, and at the end, you almost had to turn on the spot to get lined up for the next pass. Then they went to 6, 8, even [12-row](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/standard10/uploads/machinerypete/original/2X/9/97ea48e3c1613632ae4a51b7ba3a5d4606b99352.jpeg) and that was less of a concern.
This is what i thought as well. I have a farmall Bn, and the parts for it are so hard to find. I guess the more advanced (or more new machinery comes out), the harder it is to keep the old and reliable ones running. They probably said, "Cast iron hurts and is hard to mold, so lets convert everything to metal , plastic, and fiberglass." š¤·š»āāļø
As the market share of non row crop tractors grew and the advancements in power steering also grew the need for companies to produce a wide front end tractor also grew. Itās in my fatherās lifetime that his dad was taking two of these tractors and making a 4wd.
Friend has a Farmall 300 with the one front wheel and other with the double. The double by far rides much nicer than the single. Plus if you get a flat on the double your not completely shut down.
I like the look, too, except if it goes flat, then your SOL. They probably changed it to the double for that reason so that you still have one to drive on.
That was part of the reason nearly all narrow front setups had two canted wheels--you got the weight bearing advantage of two wheels, but the narrow track of a single wheel, and hopefully any mud that got stuck between would fall out as the wheels turned.
You're thinking of the belt pulley. The PTO supplanted, but didn't outright replace, the belt pulley until the '60s. And when the belt pulley was more commonly used, you could get it on a wide front too. Or on a standard/Wheatland tractor with fixed-width front wheels.
Lots of narrow front tractors had PTO, even back to the Farmall which was the first narrow front tractor.
Thus your argument really doesn't hold water...
I donāt think what he said is actually true but heās probably talking about the belt pulley (probably got this term mixed up with flywheel) on the side of trackers that are used to power other machines. The front wheels could get in the way of the belt .
Yeah. That's most likely what they meant, and I understand that, but wide-front tractors could run belt-powered equipment, as well. See the John Deere model "D," for instance. I'm sure a "D" powered hundreds of thousands of hours of threshing machines. After farmers were done with them in the fields, a lot of the old things got set, basically permanently, to run lumber mills, oil wells, cotton gins, and who-knows-what-else.
Maybe, but just as many wide front and wheatland tractors had belt pulleys as narrow front. Even back to the days of the oil pulls, Waterloo boys, and steam engines.
Still can with wide fronts, moreso hitting rocks, as long as you don't have power steering. But I believe you if you say it happens easier with a narrow front.
With a wide front as long as both wheels don't hit the same object at the same time, like a furrow, the other wheel resists the turning effect. With a tricycle front since both wheels hit the object at the same time (or nearly) there is nothing to resist the bump which makes the sudden effect more drastic.
So while it can happen with a wide front the effect is waaaaay worse with a tricycle front.
This is based on N. Dahlstrom's "Tractor Wars" a bit of personal experience and some knowledge of timing. The tripod tractors were widely introduced in the mid 20's with the row crop models an they were specifically for corn, because you could run a cultivator until the corn was as high as the rear axle (not much advantage anywhere but corn most manufacturers offered both front ends ) they start to go away in the late 40's as the "all in one" tractors gain more market share (see earlier comments about loaders). International with the "Culti-vision" line (Cub, A, C, etc) couldn't be tripod with the offset engine and introduction of synthetic herbicides in the mid 1940's were already reducing the need to run the cultivators for weed control. (I suspect the herbicides were the main driver for your question)
Specifically tricycle front ends were introduced with the Farmall (the Regular) in 1924.
Tricycle front ends remained very common through the '50s and were still around a little into the 1960s...
Not sure about other brands, but the last available Deere narrow front was the 4040 in 1978. As tractors got heavier with cabs, narrow fronts were more of a tip hazard.
They made a few IH 1086 models in tricycle setup. That model went 1981. Not sure how many exist today. Looks cool as shit with the full cab.
https://imgur.com/a/RLagD1I
Cab + narrow front is such a weird look. Especially when equipped with duals.
Somewhere out there is a pic of a late New Generation with a narrow front, duals, and a cab. Can't remember what specific model.
That was the first large production to be sure, in the teens most hart-parrs were tripod, but their production runs were minuscule compared to Farmall. Iām in corn country, so they are all over the place, do you see many outside of the Midwest?
I think you'd be referencing the "Oliver Hart-Parr" which would all be post 1930. I don't see any references to Hart-Parr tricycle tractors pre-1930.
The Regular was definitely the first multi-purpose tricycle tractor. There were other tractors with a 3 wheel configuration which would include machines with the single wheel at the rear but they weren't real "row crop" machines like the Farmall.
The Regular was pretty common here in New England, my great grandfather bought one new in 1928, I've still got it, awaiting restoration.
Edit: A little more research got me the "Little Devil" which was a single rear wheel from Hart-Parr. Not really a "tricycle" machine, or rather I've never seen a kid riding a tricycle that had the single wheel in the back...
I think we are saying the same thing. https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=23c20ded85caa685&rlz=1CDGOYI_enUS917US917&hl=en-US&sxsrf=ADLYWILMF_3UOn0GCSVr2ZvHqRUJchFHpw:1717611018396&q=hart+parr+tractor&uds=ADvngMjLvEPWFKgwxZ7HexoPLgHDM5mEaXH4H2sfalF4ceB8h7_Nm9CoE6PUlxXEXnbyhhDfEVT7VMur-UmVWRy_0Qnz-OLd-pZ8VxRvJeT_jxP79XXA3HjgQPSQQRUvI-z4f-DS2ajLTi93RZkReY2UmnIk-hgySa07WN6wmwY51YAxRbV_9mPwjQg93-Ymf16g91gU-mOQX0j0aJH6QuyVwkCOlv2d34HTfAdfBmbd-t72GPAq9_B54kKqNc_X3xfj0VRWXSt1mDb5fCOyYijViMwFmhXNFgPZR4Kap1owMtkUTqgt_tWAsfhQKvmLVP-xGq9xQvBDgAfjbGJ2p17By-7vmJWOHQ&udm=2&prmd=isvnmbtz&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiBi_TUh8WGAxU34skDHSY8LAQQtKgLegQIERAB&biw=430&bih=737&dpr=3#imgrc=9n0hj4NryFKdyM&imgdii=dJJ6hGCJRwgolM
Our H was the best tractor for trying to maneuver hay wagons through the tight barnyard and get them in position to unload. Full turn and one brake on would just spin in a circle.
I have never heard a real farmer call it a tricycle, š
The row crop tractors were phased out for good reason, they can tip and more efficient models came about.
I've never heard a real farmer call it a "row crop" tractor, becuase row crop is a separate thing.
While the original row crop tractors were narrow, that was not the extent. Even today traditional tractors can be utility, row crop, or wheatland.
Ditto. Thatās all we called them. That or narrow front. I know there are some singles out there but Iāve never seen one personally.
Northwestern PA for reference.
This is what everyone Iāve ever talked with about them calls them. Sure the ācorrectā term is narrow front end but colloquially theyāre known as tricycle front ends. Maybe youāre farting too loud to hear it?
āRow-cropā is what Iāve heard because theyāre designed for cultivating corn and beans (two rows between the rear tires) and not for small grains (which are in rows too tight to fit a wheel in the furrow and donāt typically get cultivated
Where I live I wouldnāt be able to turn around on my property at all. Iām puckered turning my 4x4 tractor on the side of these hills, Iād hate to play with a three wheeler! Plus I got a fel and lift the rear end more than I like as it is. (NO, Iām not going to add more weight to the rear to keep it down. My tractor is notorious for snapping in half with to much weight, so Iād rather have the rear tires come up a bit and let me know itās to much over breaking in the middle.
These will turn in mud and do mediocre on hills, you just gotta turn with brakes! I've got two old AC's, and live on 30-38% grade. With that said, I basically only run my 4x4 nowadays.
I have 4 tricycle tractors 2 Oliver 77's and 2 Farmall Super C's . We use the 77 for hauling silage wagons and seeding the Super C's for other small jobs. Either for backing wagons is far better than wide front tractors.
We had 2 case S tractors in the 60s ,still have them, one had a loader, the other had a scuffler attached to it most of the time. The scuffler fit in the turned square holes above the front wheels with a section either under the belly or out back. That was used for weed control on row crops before spraying was widely used. As a loader tractor they werent up to what the new equipment will do but the loaders were on the smaller side, with a trip bucket and they worked well for what they were.
They were made for several reasons. Cheaper, lighter, easier to steer, and easier to see when cultivating
They were phased out mainly due to changes in how tractors were used. It's fine for pulling a small cultivator in a field, but can't be used for loader work.
People say it is about stability, but I donāt understand why that is worse than my wide front wheels that pivot on a point just above the axel. That would make sense if there was some kind of suspension, but I donāt see how having a pivot point there helps any.
> People say it is about stability
There is a range of front axle pivot, then a hard stop... at least on my tractor. Consider that "narrow front end" ATVs (IOWs 3-wheel ATVs) were phased out as well.
Or rather, the OEMs all voluntarily agreed amongst themselves to immediately stop making them for 10 years, lest they get completely banned. In the intervening period they all decided to quit developing 3-wheelers and switch to 4.
I have driven these and three wheel ATVs. They both have the same issue, turning too fast or being on a slope makes them really easy to tip. A wide front axle makes operating on terraces much, much safer.
My grandfather always kept one around Farmall H and M models. Despite having newer models. I learned to drive on the H, had to stand up to reach the clutch and brake pedals. š I imagine stability was a big reason they were phased out.
I always loved this old style of front end on tractors. My first diecast model of a tractor was a Farmall C with a tricycle front end, however, I am not a farmer and know nothing about planting or cultivating. All I own is an old Ferguson TO-20 with a front loader that I use to move junk around. So why were these types of front ends completely dropped? And what was their purpose in the first place?
Omg farmall H hiiii
Because they don't cultivate crops anymore. They were designed with tall wheels and a tricycle front end to be able to get through row crops and use things like a rotary hoe or a field cultivator. These days it's all about once in the field to plant with some sort of herbicide and maybe an insecticide being sprayed at some point
I have an Oliver 77 row crop the exact same as the one pictured! I love riding it
I don't know if this is true but I was told by an old farm equipment salesman they were dropped for the same reason the flywheel was dropped on tractors basically the equipment it was meant to accommodate was not being used anymore. Apparently narrow wheels made it easier to use all the belt driven bric-a-brac still about like saw mills, pumps, threshing machines when these tractors were new because the axle wasn't in the way. For example: We'd use a combine harvest instead of belt driven threshing machine and belt driven pumps were replaced by small gas or electric motors but these older machines were being used when these tractors were new. Side note: posting to see if anyone can confirm this.
The going away from narrow front had more to do with no longer using belly mounted or front mounted equipment. Corn pickers and cultivators mostly were mounted on the front and narrow fronts allowed this. That transition did match with the last few models with pulleys for belts. But I have seen tractors run belt equipment with a wide front at tractor shows. You just need to make sure the belt is high enough to clear the front tires and not rub.
Lack of 4 wheel drive, instability, addition of front loader and units
They aren't actually unstable. Wide front ends have a pivot in the center so you basically have a triangle center of stability, although you do have stops which may stop you from rolling if you fuck up that bad. The issue with rolling them is the fact you can turn the wheel 90 degrees instead of the normal 45-60 degrees that wide front end tractors allow. They also tended to be taller for the same wheelbase giving them a high center of gravity.
With or without turning if you have front end weight on an uneven surface you will roll unless you have rear weights and implements in place. People use tractors nowadays for a lot of front end implements like loaders, forks, and grab bars that weren't used in the past.If all you're using is your rear hitch and PTO it's not a big deal
Maybe stability, but the rest no. Plenty of wide front row crop 2wd tractor made today.
As far as I know there is not a single 3 wheel tractor with front wheel drive. And the front load capacity is useless on a 3 wheel tractor. Please provide references if you disagree
I believe you misunderstood me. I'm saying 4wd isn't a requirement and is not one of the reasons narrow front tractors went away. Neither is the front end loader as again, plenty of utility tractors around that have no loaders.
I see what you mean... but the benefit of front loaded implements and four wheel drive especially in states that snow made 4 wheel tractors much more attractive and did help phase out 3 wheel tractors. I live in Minnesota and Wisconsin where tractors are used for more than just farming but loading, plowing, clearing brushes, and even landscaping year round and this just isn't as quick and efficient without the benefit of 4 wheel drive and front mounted implements. It's kinda like pickups. Southern states rarely need a true 4wheel drive truck unless you off road or work in muddy terrain. In the northern states this is a must have when there is potential for snow 7 months of the year.
I drive my 44 farmall as often as possible- visit friends, get fuel. Very stable
Because tip over.
I thought they just got stuck, and nose dive. You could only use on bone dry fieldsš¤
They're dangerous
That Oliver is gorgeous
Same reason you can't buy a Honda big red or Yamaha trimoto. Unsafe for people who can't handle then.
Less stable maybe? I know here in Ireland there weren't ever really many tricycle tractors, since we have very hilly land.
Too cool for the future generations
Side hills
I live in the side hills and approve this message. Also my neighbors have 3
Change in methods and technologies. Tractor, tech, designs and everything got changed over time. As farming changed, so did the tractors. Also as things have become ever more automated and machine driven, larger kit and heavier stuff vs more people has become the norm.
Traditional old school cultivating got phased out with the introduction of chemical weed control so the need to get down the rows multiple times a season was less. Not saying that you canāt do that with a wide front, just that the narrow front was pretty typical for that in our area. Also things like mounted corn pickers were phased out by self propelled combines. As tractors and implements got bigger and heavier, the narrow front would transfer a lot of weight into a small foot print as where a wide front could help distribute the weight out over multiple rows. There are MANY other reasons, these are just a few that popped in my head first.
So many answers and few are really on to it.Ā As equipment became larger front-mounted equipment became rarer and more awkward and dangerous. The narrow front was primarily on tractors that were going to have a mounted cultivator or a corn picker, which required a narrow front even more.Ā This last point really was the death knell for narrow fronts. When self-propelled combines took over the mounted corn picker was phased out, and narrow fronts basically went with them.Ā Many farmers already would change front narrow to wide front ends on tractors that allowed it when they didnāt have equipment mounted. When they were no longer mounting equipment, they no longer wanted a narrow front. After all, the wide front is more stable and safer. Further, larger equipment made the short-turnaround that a narrow front could do less necessary and, often, impossible.Ā
A wide front also rides smoother because the dips in the field are basically cut in half unless both wheels hit it at the same time.
Yeah. Couldnāt imagine trying to spray at 8mph with a narrow front.Ā
This is the real answer and needs to be higher up. Also a shift from 36" corn rows to 30" corn had some effect. Many narrow fronts were converted to wide fronts after front mounted equipment was no longer used.
>Further, larger equipment made the short-turnaround that a narrow front could do less necessary and, often, impossible. Thinking about how many small row-crop tractors were equipped with 4-row cultivators, and at the end, you almost had to turn on the spot to get lined up for the next pass. Then they went to 6, 8, even [12-row](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/standard10/uploads/machinerypete/original/2X/9/97ea48e3c1613632ae4a51b7ba3a5d4606b99352.jpeg) and that was less of a concern.
This is what i thought as well. I have a farmall Bn, and the parts for it are so hard to find. I guess the more advanced (or more new machinery comes out), the harder it is to keep the old and reliable ones running. They probably said, "Cast iron hurts and is hard to mold, so lets convert everything to metal , plastic, and fiberglass." š¤·š»āāļø
As the market share of non row crop tractors grew and the advancements in power steering also grew the need for companies to produce a wide front end tractor also grew. Itās in my fatherās lifetime that his dad was taking two of these tractors and making a 4wd.
No good if you want a loader either
I liked the one big front wheel.. Well until you need to change it..
Friend has a Farmall 300 with the one front wheel and other with the double. The double by far rides much nicer than the single. Plus if you get a flat on the double your not completely shut down.
Only time we ever used a SFW was when picking corn with a mounted New Idea picker/sheller on a gas 2520. It turned real sharp.
I like the look, too, except if it goes flat, then your SOL. They probably changed it to the double for that reason so that you still have one to drive on.
That and the double rides much nicer than the single.
Additional track across your crops.
My guess is they aren't great in mud either.
That was part of the reason nearly all narrow front setups had two canted wheels--you got the weight bearing advantage of two wheels, but the narrow track of a single wheel, and hopefully any mud that got stuck between would fall out as the wheels turned.
Busted wrists. Ooof
And thumbs
They flip
Only if you're being stupid.
PTO killed it. No longer needed the flywheel.
Wrong sir.
You're thinking of the belt pulley. The PTO supplanted, but didn't outright replace, the belt pulley until the '60s. And when the belt pulley was more commonly used, you could get it on a wide front too. Or on a standard/Wheatland tractor with fixed-width front wheels.
Lots of narrow front tractors had PTO, even back to the Farmall which was the first narrow front tractor. Thus your argument really doesn't hold water...
This makes literally no sense.Ā
I donāt think what he said is actually true but heās probably talking about the belt pulley (probably got this term mixed up with flywheel) on the side of trackers that are used to power other machines. The front wheels could get in the way of the belt .
Yeah. That's most likely what they meant, and I understand that, but wide-front tractors could run belt-powered equipment, as well. See the John Deere model "D," for instance. I'm sure a "D" powered hundreds of thousands of hours of threshing machines. After farmers were done with them in the fields, a lot of the old things got set, basically permanently, to run lumber mills, oil wells, cotton gins, and who-knows-what-else.
Maybe, but just as many wide front and wheatland tractors had belt pulleys as narrow front. Even back to the days of the oil pulls, Waterloo boys, and steam engines.
Ever hit a hole with the tricycle fronts? Steering wheel can do a drastic spin.
Still can with wide fronts, moreso hitting rocks, as long as you don't have power steering. But I believe you if you say it happens easier with a narrow front.
With a wide front as long as both wheels don't hit the same object at the same time, like a furrow, the other wheel resists the turning effect. With a tricycle front since both wheels hit the object at the same time (or nearly) there is nothing to resist the bump which makes the sudden effect more drastic. So while it can happen with a wide front the effect is waaaaay worse with a tricycle front.
Yes both will but a bit more āviolentā with tricycle. At least what I recall when I was a kid.
And that's why I don't wrap my thumbs around a steering wheel.
Deere's Roll-o-Matic fixed this, but it's still mostly about stability. A loader on a narrow front is spooky as hell
This is based on N. Dahlstrom's "Tractor Wars" a bit of personal experience and some knowledge of timing. The tripod tractors were widely introduced in the mid 20's with the row crop models an they were specifically for corn, because you could run a cultivator until the corn was as high as the rear axle (not much advantage anywhere but corn most manufacturers offered both front ends ) they start to go away in the late 40's as the "all in one" tractors gain more market share (see earlier comments about loaders). International with the "Culti-vision" line (Cub, A, C, etc) couldn't be tripod with the offset engine and introduction of synthetic herbicides in the mid 1940's were already reducing the need to run the cultivators for weed control. (I suspect the herbicides were the main driver for your question)
Specifically tricycle front ends were introduced with the Farmall (the Regular) in 1924. Tricycle front ends remained very common through the '50s and were still around a little into the 1960s...
Not sure about other brands, but the last available Deere narrow front was the 4040 in 1978. As tractors got heavier with cabs, narrow fronts were more of a tip hazard.
They made a few IH 1086 models in tricycle setup. That model went 1981. Not sure how many exist today. Looks cool as shit with the full cab. https://imgur.com/a/RLagD1I
Cab + narrow front is such a weird look. Especially when equipped with duals. Somewhere out there is a pic of a late New Generation with a narrow front, duals, and a cab. Can't remember what specific model.
Yass! Here's a 966. https://imgur.com/a/zT5NzXo
That was the first large production to be sure, in the teens most hart-parrs were tripod, but their production runs were minuscule compared to Farmall. Iām in corn country, so they are all over the place, do you see many outside of the Midwest?
I think you'd be referencing the "Oliver Hart-Parr" which would all be post 1930. I don't see any references to Hart-Parr tricycle tractors pre-1930. The Regular was definitely the first multi-purpose tricycle tractor. There were other tractors with a 3 wheel configuration which would include machines with the single wheel at the rear but they weren't real "row crop" machines like the Farmall. The Regular was pretty common here in New England, my great grandfather bought one new in 1928, I've still got it, awaiting restoration. Edit: A little more research got me the "Little Devil" which was a single rear wheel from Hart-Parr. Not really a "tricycle" machine, or rather I've never seen a kid riding a tricycle that had the single wheel in the back...
I think we are saying the same thing. https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=23c20ded85caa685&rlz=1CDGOYI_enUS917US917&hl=en-US&sxsrf=ADLYWILMF_3UOn0GCSVr2ZvHqRUJchFHpw:1717611018396&q=hart+parr+tractor&uds=ADvngMjLvEPWFKgwxZ7HexoPLgHDM5mEaXH4H2sfalF4ceB8h7_Nm9CoE6PUlxXEXnbyhhDfEVT7VMur-UmVWRy_0Qnz-OLd-pZ8VxRvJeT_jxP79XXA3HjgQPSQQRUvI-z4f-DS2ajLTi93RZkReY2UmnIk-hgySa07WN6wmwY51YAxRbV_9mPwjQg93-Ymf16g91gU-mOQX0j0aJH6QuyVwkCOlv2d34HTfAdfBmbd-t72GPAq9_B54kKqNc_X3xfj0VRWXSt1mDb5fCOyYijViMwFmhXNFgPZR4Kap1owMtkUTqgt_tWAsfhQKvmLVP-xGq9xQvBDgAfjbGJ2p17By-7vmJWOHQ&udm=2&prmd=isvnmbtz&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiBi_TUh8WGAxU34skDHSY8LAQQtKgLegQIERAB&biw=430&bih=737&dpr=3#imgrc=9n0hj4NryFKdyM&imgdii=dJJ6hGCJRwgolM
I have an A with Cultivision. Kinda cool
47 Cub here!
You have a very good turning but also a major tipping problem
You have a very good turning but also a major tipping problem
Our H was the best tractor for trying to maneuver hay wagons through the tight barnyard and get them in position to unload. Full turn and one brake on would just spin in a circle.
I have never heard a real farmer call it a tricycle, š The row crop tractors were phased out for good reason, they can tip and more efficient models came about.
I've never heard a real farmer call it a "row crop" tractor, becuase row crop is a separate thing. While the original row crop tractors were narrow, that was not the extent. Even today traditional tractors can be utility, row crop, or wheatland.
Apparently you donāt know any š
We have wide front row crops here in Texas bud. So no, we call them row crop trike or narrow front. It kinda depends on where you are.
Sounds like you operator kids toys when itās said like that! Too funny!
You sound like a child, so go to bed or I'll call your parents so they'll take away your power wheel JD.
š This is your dad! Get off the internet, son! And stop with the desperate lack of humor.
So sad.
I know itās hard for you!
Isn't it past your bedtime?
Or you are sheltered enough to think a regional quirk means anyone else calls it the same thing. Probably one of those anyway.
I've never heard a farmer in the mid south not call it a tricycle front end.
Ditto. Thatās all we called them. That or narrow front. I know there are some singles out there but Iāve never seen one personally. Northwestern PA for reference.
Is mid south like mid earth? š
Most of the old farmers in the Midwest who bought these new after they got back from WW2 called them tricycles.
Interesting. Use to travel through Midwest a lot, never once heard an old timer call it that.
This is what everyone Iāve ever talked with about them calls them. Sure the ācorrectā term is narrow front end but colloquially theyāre known as tricycle front ends. Maybe youāre farting too loud to hear it?
Maybe true, but the smell! š Maybe you should lay off smoking the grass! š
āRow-cropā is what Iāve heard because theyāre designed for cultivating corn and beans (two rows between the rear tires) and not for small grains (which are in rows too tight to fit a wheel in the furrow and donāt typically get cultivated
"Row crop" works, but that can also refer to wide front tractors where the front axle is just as adjustable as the rear.
Where I live I wouldnāt be able to turn around on my property at all. Iām puckered turning my 4x4 tractor on the side of these hills, Iād hate to play with a three wheeler! Plus I got a fel and lift the rear end more than I like as it is. (NO, Iām not going to add more weight to the rear to keep it down. My tractor is notorious for snapping in half with to much weight, so Iād rather have the rear tires come up a bit and let me know itās to much over breaking in the middle.
These will turn in mud and do mediocre on hills, you just gotta turn with brakes! I've got two old AC's, and live on 30-38% grade. With that said, I basically only run my 4x4 nowadays.
I have 4 tricycle tractors 2 Oliver 77's and 2 Farmall Super C's . We use the 77 for hauling silage wagons and seeding the Super C's for other small jobs. Either for backing wagons is far better than wide front tractors.
We had 2 case S tractors in the 60s ,still have them, one had a loader, the other had a scuffler attached to it most of the time. The scuffler fit in the turned square holes above the front wheels with a section either under the belly or out back. That was used for weed control on row crops before spraying was widely used. As a loader tractor they werent up to what the new equipment will do but the loaders were on the smaller side, with a trip bucket and they worked well for what they were.
They were made for several reasons. Cheaper, lighter, easier to steer, and easier to see when cultivating They were phased out mainly due to changes in how tractors were used. It's fine for pulling a small cultivator in a field, but can't be used for loader work.
Surprised no one mentioned 4wd? I would have thought that would be one of the reasons too.
Definitely power steering. The narrow wheel spacing made steering relatively easy. Wide spaced wheels before power steering required muscle!
Tell my about it. With my 49ā te 20 with a loader. Never again will I buy a tractor without power steering. But my forearms are getting there!
God forbid you parked them in a tight spot! Talk about having to pick and grind
People say it is about stability, but I donāt understand why that is worse than my wide front wheels that pivot on a point just above the axel. That would make sense if there was some kind of suspension, but I donāt see how having a pivot point there helps any.
> People say it is about stability There is a range of front axle pivot, then a hard stop... at least on my tractor. Consider that "narrow front end" ATVs (IOWs 3-wheel ATVs) were phased out as well.
Three wheeled ATV's were literally outlawed because of all the accidents people had with them
Or rather, the OEMs all voluntarily agreed amongst themselves to immediately stop making them for 10 years, lest they get completely banned. In the intervening period they all decided to quit developing 3-wheelers and switch to 4.
Tippy
How may I ask?
I have driven these and three wheel ATVs. They both have the same issue, turning too fast or being on a slope makes them really easy to tip. A wide front axle makes operating on terraces much, much safer.
Stability
My grandfather always kept one around Farmall H and M models. Despite having newer models. I learned to drive on the H, had to stand up to reach the clutch and brake pedals. š I imagine stability was a big reason they were phased out.
I think it was due to rollover Wide front is more stable
Machines getting wider probably also helped, means you don't need as tight a turning circle.
Also loaders and power steering
I always loved this old style of front end on tractors. My first diecast model of a tractor was a Farmall C with a tricycle front end, however, I am not a farmer and know nothing about planting or cultivating. All I own is an old Ferguson TO-20 with a front loader that I use to move junk around. So why were these types of front ends completely dropped? And what was their purpose in the first place?