Which Tractor is the Right Tractor for your Job?

*Last Updated November 2020

Tractors are often used in the construction and farming industries to move and load materials like wood chips, sand, rock, recycled material, raw minerals, logs, gravel, dirt, debris, and asphalt into another machine such as a conveyor belt, dump truck or hopper. However, to know what tractor is the right one for you it is important to consider the factors and purposes when hiring a tractor.

Factors to consider when hiring a tractor

Tractor size

There are two things to consider when figuring out the tractor size - the horsepower and size of the area. A smaller horsepower tractor is more useful for smaller properties with lighter tasks. Whereas a higher horsepower tractor is capable of doing more in larger areas as well as having more lifting and pulling capacities for a wider range of tasks.

2-wheel or 4 wheel tractor

Four-wheel drive tractors are versatile and have more dynamic movement under different soil conditions. With the power of all four wheels creating better traction they can be used for loader applications, haulage, slashing, tillage, livestock operations and mowing. Two-wheel drive tractors manoeuvre by a powered and propelled single axle and are ideal for dry farming conditions and used for fertiliser spreading, pasture topping and seeding.

3-point hitch

Considered an essential piece of equipment the three-point hitch is used to attach implements to the tractor, which can be found at the back of the tractor. The benefit of using a three-point hitch is it gives more usable traction as it transfers the weight and resistance of an attachment to the drive wheels of the tractor. Therefore, hiring a tractor with a three-point hitch makes your tractor versatile as practically any attachment can be joined.

Type of drive

There are two types of tractors, tracked tractors, and those with wheels. Tracked tractors have no wheels and are popular for earthmoving, and are similar to bulldozers as they have immense pushing power. Whereas wheel tractors are used for agriculture purposes as they have faster speeds and fitted tyres to absorb a certain amount of field shock.

Different types of tractors

The type of tractor you need to hire depends on your job and purpose, the different types of tractors for hire we have on iSeekplant are:

Earthmoving tractors

They come in both tire and track types and are quite strong and extremely heavy. They're mainly used on construction sites or working on quarries and dams.

Tractor loader

With a front-mounted square wide bucket they're designed to carry and mount many different types of attachments.

Industrial tractors

Used to pull loads thanks to a drawbar instead of a three-point hitch. Industrial tractors are often fitted with crane booms so the loads are easy to lift.

Rotary tiller tractors

Commonly used in smaller fields to get into small spaces and over hills with ease. It is essentially a motorised cultivator that works the soil through the alternation of blades.

Row crop tractors

An all-round tractor that can perform nearly any task with many advantages. Row crop tractors are user-friendly, have good row-spacing capabilities and easy attachment hitches.

Utility tractors

The utility is a general-purpose machine with the ability to use a wide range of attachments. They have low-to-medium power engines and are mainly used to pull auxiliary attachments.

Does a tractor need attachments?

Tractors are also hired to tow attachments in the construction and agriculture industries. Tractor attachment hire is an important part of tractor hire and generally a job needs a tractor to perform more than one task. The selection of attachments offered with tractors range from buckets and rakes, posthole diggers and trenchers, forks, pallet forks and add-ons, grapples, hay handling and concrete equipment. Within these main categories is a vast range of attachments that all provide a vast variety of purposes depending on the task.

Hire a Tractor today!

We have many reputable tractor hire suppliers based in all Australian major cities from Brisbane to Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Perth, Darwin and Adelaide. If you’re still unsure which type of tractor is the best choice for your job, get in touch with the iSeekplant team on 1300 691 912 or projects@iseekplant.com.au. Alternatively, use our Get a Quote tool to receive the best tractor hire rates for your project.

To keep up to date with all of the latest industry and project news like the best tractor brands, subscribe to iSeekplant's Flapping Mouth blog below!