Tillage & Cultivation
Part 1 – 76 | Unit 1.2
SUPPLEMENT 4
Field-Scale Row Spacing
Choosing the proper bed configuration/row spacing for your farm is one of the most
important decisions you will make as a beginning farmer. This decision is often dictated
by the wheel spacing on your tractor, depending on the tractor or tractors you use in your
operation (see Figure 1, below).
Row crop tractors are “adjustable” for a range of
row spacings but are only designed for “in row”
field operations such as planting and cultivation. The
challenge many small farmers face is that they can
only afford one tractor for both in row and tillage
operations, and most tractors designed for pulling
heavy tillage equipment (discs, chisels etc.) are not
suitable for in row field operations.
As a compromise, many small farmers in Califor-
nia’s Central Coast region use small 4-wheel drive
tractors for both tillage and in-row operations. This
can work, but because the wheel spacing cannot be
adjusted (or only minimally adjusted) on 4-wheel
drive tractors, the distance between the tractor tires
will dictate the row spacing.
The center-to-center spacing between the rear
tires is the most important thing to measure since
the rear tires are wider and they “lock” into the fur-
row. The front tires must fit within the footprint of
the rear tires. Many small 25 to 35 HP tractors are
set on rear wheel spacings ranging from 48 inches
“on center” to 60 inches “on center.” Larger HP
tractors (80 HP and up) typically used in larger scale
row crop systems are almost all set at 80 inches “on
center” (see Figure 2).Figure 1
Figure 2Supplement 4: Field-Scale Row Spacing