Tillage & Cultivation
Part 1 – 78 | Unit 1.2
Basic tractor configurations:
Standard – basic 2 wheel drive (2WD) tractor in the
25 to 40 HP range
Row Crop – 2WD high clearance, adjustable tire
width, upright exhaust, 12-inch rear tires, 25 to 50
HP (occasionally with belly bar cultivators)
Compact Utility – 25 to 35 HP 4WD with front
loader, 16-inch rear tires, non-aggressive tire tread,
often hydrostatic transmission
Mudder – 80 HP 4WD “row crop,” front and rear
tires same diameter
Orchard – very wide tires, fenders, low clearance,
exhaust out the back
Vineyard – very narrow
Industrial – Front loader, 2 or 4 WD, painted yellow,
non-aggressive tire tread
Crawler – “caterpillar” or “track layer” tractor used
for high traction applications. Good stability on
steep slopes, minimal compaction, very expensive to
work on.
Many small-scale row crop operations (5–10
acres) use “Standard” and “Compact Utility” con-
figurations. Many medium-scale row crop opera-
tions (10–25 acres) use “Row Crop” configurations
and most larger row crop operations (25 acres and
up) utilize “Mudder” configurations.
Supplement 4: Field-Scale Row Spacing