[AT] Old tractor question

[Sebranek, Joseph G [AN S]]

No doubt the advantage of a wide front for stability is somewhat a perception, however, in the hilly part of southwestern Wisconsin where I grew up, the farmers with steep hillsides seemed to prefer the wide fronts for stability. I know from personal experience of mowing hay across a steep slope that when the rear wheel on the downhill side drops into a badger hole, one gains a new appreciation for every little bit of stability that you can get. 

Joe

-----Original Message-----
From: AT <at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com> On Behalf Of Dean Vinson
Sent: Wednesday, February 13, 2019 11:09 PM
To: 'Antique Tractor Email Discussion Group' <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Subject: Re: [AT] Old tractor question

The tendency of narrow fronts to ball up with mud or (worse yet) sink hopelessly into the mud when you suddenly hit a soft spot is certainly a downside, and I can appreciate the other wide-front advantages folks have mentioned.

On the stability issue, as a veteran of various past ATIS threads on the same subject, I'll offer my bottom-line position that there's an inherent risk in believing "Oh, okay, I'm on a wide front tractor, and they're more stable than narrow fronts, so I can safely do stuff I wouldn't try if this
were a narrow-front version of the same make and model."   I can't help but
think the stability advantage of wide vs. narrow front is like saying the drive from Atlanta to Cleveland is shorter than the drive from Atlanta to
Kansas City.   It's no doubt shorter, but not so much that it would feel all
that different.

As to why they're more popular in some areas than others, I wonder if one of the big factors is just regional preferences for "what tractors are supposed to look like" ?

Dean Vinson
Saint Paris, Ohio

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