Lawn Tractors, Garden Tractors, Sub-Compact Tractors

Wondering if you need a sub-compact tractor, compact tractor or just a garden tractor?

Here's a guide to help you decide.

Lawn Tractors

Designed to cut grass and pull some light duty attachments, lawn tractors are light duty machines. With no ROPS it's easier to slip under trees and around shrubs while you trim the lawn. They're perfect for large residential lawns, but there's not much you can do with one besides cutting the grass.

Garden Tractors

These are built heavier than a lawn tractor, with more substantial axles, transmissions and frames. You also have the option of operating larger and heavier duty attachments. Designed to pull cultivating tools through the soil, they work well on estates up to 5 acres.

Sub-compact Tractors

Sub-compacts have the versatility and strength of a larger tractor on a smaller frame, and are most appropriate when you have a small acreage to manage. Usually, a sub-compact tractor is run by a two- to three-cylinder diesel engine with 15 to 25 HP, not very different from a lawn tractor. But because sub-compact tractors usually come with a three-point hitch, you can customize them with a variety of attachments and applications, making them far more useful than lawn tractors.

And of course, with a mowing attachment, you can mow everything. You can also use them for gardening: tilling, seedbed prep and weed control. A hydraulic tiller attachment mounted on the back of the tractor can handle all these gardening tasks efficiently.

You might also consider adding a box scraper, a blade, or a cultivator. These little tractors can do nearly everything a larger tractor can do, but they fit your acreage and lifestyle.

With four-wheel drive, they are easy to access and operate, and are ranked between garden tractors and compact utility tractors. Compact utility tractors usually have diesel engines and are quite serviceable on small farms (less than 20 acres.)

But Isn't A Lawn Tractor be Easier to Use?

If you have less than five acres to manage, but your land is more pasture or rough land than lawn, a sub-compact will provide more service than a lawn tractor. And if you're going to be landscaping your place and transporting multiple tons of rock and moving a huge amount of topsoil, you really need the versatility of the sub-compact tractor. This is also true if you're going to have to move large amounts of snow every winter, grade your road, or dig post holes.

Lawn tractors are designed primarily for mowing, although you can find attachments for them that suit your other needs. And while you can certainly pull a ground-engaging tool behind a lawn tractor, it's going to have to be a very beefy lawn tractor to do the job year after year. That's why a sub-compact, built like a larger tractor but scaled to fit your acreage, will give you better results and longer years of service when properly maintained.

Believe it or not, a sub-compact tractor can lift approximately half its weight and carry a weight greater than its own. In fact, a sub-compact tractor can push or pull several times more than its own weight.

Or course, proper maintenance will help ensure that your tractor lasts for years and gives you the most for your money. Here are some tips on how to extend your tractor's working life.

Livestock On Your Place? A Sub-compact Makes Chores Easy

Have animals on your property? Then you know you're going to have to manage manure removal, weed control, and general pasture maintenance. That's another asset of the sub-compact, because the right attachments will enable you to do everything from moving feed to clearing manure with one machine. Plus, the sub-compact is very maneuverable, making it easy to work in tight spots, both in the barn and in the barnyard or corrals.

Massey Ferguson has partnered with Woods Equipment to offer a wide variety of attachments for the

Massey sub-compacts. Massey Ferguson subcompact with Woods implement From rotary cutters and finishing mowers to rear-mounted snow blowers and landscape equipment, you'll find exactly what you need. Take a look at the Woods attachments here.

Compact Utility Tractors for Larger Acreages

For larger acreages, you will most likely need more horsepower to get all your work done. Compact utility tractors usually have a three- to four-cylinder diesel engine with 25 to 45 horsepower. Think you might need a more powerful machine? You can check out utilty tractors here.

Ultimately, your chore list will determine how powerful a machine you really need, as well as the attachments you'll need to get the work done.

And of course, there's the budget to consider. No need to buy more machine than you really need. Our experienced sales staff can help you choose the right tractor at the right price.