Garden Tractors

1. Garden Tractors So often, garden tractors are used solely to mow the lawn, something an ordinary lawn mower can achieve with ease. Garden tractors are built with more heavy duty work in mind. A garden tractor will have tires with good traction for working in a garden, a smallish (around 5 gallon) fuel tank, a PTO (this could be electric or engine powered) with a hydraulic clutch, and some offer 4WD. Depending on the specifications, garden tractors can be used with a full line of compatible attachments such as: dump cart, trailer, tiller, broadcast spreader, snow thrower, blade, roller, sprayer, spike aerator, disk, plow, cultivator and rotary broom. The Power Take-Off (PTO) shaft on your tractor allows you to use these pieces of equipment, but it also has the potential to cause major safety problems if you don't use it correctly. The PTO is a shaft on the rear end of a tractor that transfers power from the tractor to another implement or piece of equipment such as a manure spreader or planter. According to the Wisconsin Office of Rural Health, up to 20 percent of farm injuries occur as a result of PTO accidents. Therefore, operational safety of the PTO is critical. Make sure the PTO shaft on your tractor has a shield to minimize your chances of getting entangled in it. Never allow children near your tractor, especially if it's running. A lawn or garden tractor is handy for driving through barn alleyways and pens or for pulling a small manure or feed cart. It would be unsuitable, however, for routine fieldwork, arena work, or large-scale feeding or manure handling. Lawn tractors can be an expensive option for horsemen - by the time you buy a tractor, a cart, and other attachments, you might have reached the same price range as a compact tractor. You could end up with half the tractor for the same price. You might want to consider purchasing a lawn tractor for light duty or barn work if you are planning to buy two tractors.

2. The original garden tractors that appeared in the early part of last century were mainly two wheeled versions. As with most mechanical equipment of the time, they were large and heavy, in sharp contrast to modern tractors. After the 1950s, the popularity of 4 wheel drive garden tractors peaked and the four wheeled versions began to increase in popularity. TIPS WHEN SELECTING A GARDEN TRACTOR 1. The single most crucial aspect of purchasing a used tractor is condition. If you are in the market for a used tractor, and you find one in good condition (preferably with as many attachments as possible), buy it. 2. Look for a brand that is popular in your area, so you can pick up a few spares that will take the same attachments. 3. Select your horsepower carefully. Six horsepower is enough to power a small rider tractor, and half that for a two wheeler. 3. If purchasing an older tractor, stay away from automatic drive, the early ones weren't very efficient, and all of them are complicated. 4. Make sure the model you select is a real garden tractor, not a lawn tractor designed only for mowing grass. The majority of manufacturers make both types.