← Tools and machinery H05-05 · Module 5 of 7 · Pages: 22 · Worksheets: 6

Compact tractors: when you need one and what goes with it

When a tractor pays its way, which one to choose, which attachments you need, how to prevent rollovers and PTO accidents, and what to check for registration and licences

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Compact tractors: when you need one and what goes with it

In short

  • A tractor makes sense from roughly 2 ha (5 acres) of cultivation or hay, plus woodland and haulage; below that a two-wheel tractor or a contractor is cheaper.
  • A ROPS (roll bar or cab) and a fastened seatbelt are the difference between surviving a rollover and dying in one.
  • Pull only from the drawbar or hitch point, never from high up; a high load and a slope are the road to an overturn.
  • The PTO shaft turns 9 times a second: all guards in place, engine off before you go near it.
  • For public roads you need registration, insurance and the right licence — check the rules where you live.

What's inside

Chapters

  1. When you need a tractor
  2. Types of small tractor
  3. Power, drive and hydraulics
  4. Rollovers and ROPS
  5. The PTO shaft
  6. Attachments for a small farm
  7. Registration, licences and insurance
  8. Buying a used tractor
  9. Maintenance and servicing
  10. Contractor, shared tractor or your own
  11. Common mistakes
  12. Printable checklist

Worksheets

  • Shopping list for tractor and attachments
  • Cost and payback calculator
  • Tractor service log
  • Tractor calendar
  • Pre-start checks and used-tractor inspection
  • Paperwork, deadlines and questions

Fields and checkboxes can be filled in with Adobe Acrobat Reader (desktop and mobile), and the calculator adds up by itself. Filling in may not work in some browsers. A print version comes with the screen PDF.

This guide in other languages:

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