Tracking Down the Right Tractor

A truly classic utility vehicle, familiar to anyone who's been to a farm, the tractor still has many uses today. If your business involves significant amounts of landscaping or agricultural tasks like plowing, mowing, and harvesting, you could benefit from the powerful, practical benefits of owning a new or used tractor.

The traditional role of the tractor has always been on the farm. Whether the job at hand requires heavy hauling or towing of implements like plows and harrows, a good farm tractor can supply the reliable traction and horsepower required. Leading makers of farm tractors include John Deere, Ford, Case, Allis-Chalmers and Kubota.

So popular are tractors among those who appreciate their functional design and rugged engineering that a sizable community of tractor collectors and restorers has emerged. Antique tractors from famous makers like Deere, International, and Ferguson are much in demand from collectors these days. Once restored, they are often put on display or sometimes even put back to work. You can find many old tractors and tractor parts for sale on sites like eBay.

Whatever type of tractor you're in the market for, you'll have no problem finding reputable tractor suppliers online. With the web at your fingertips, your next tractor is just a few clicks away!

Selecting a Skid Steer Loader

When it comes to moving large quantities of loose materials like gravel, dirt, sawdust, fertilizer, cement, or anything else you're likely to find at an agricultural or industrial worksite, you can't beat the efficiency and power of a skid steer loader.

A kind of engineering vehicle, skid loaders are self-propelled tracked or wheeled machines with a scooping and loading bucket attached to two lifting arms. The arms pivot upward to lift the bucket several feet into the air, allowing the loader to pick up high volumes of debris and deposit them on trucks, loading docks, or anywhere else they're needed.

A variety of skid loader makes and models are currently on the market. For the smallest loading jobs, consider a stand-on skid steer loader, which is operated from a standing position on a small platform rather than seated inside an enclosed cab. Stand-on loaders are just the thing for moving piles of dirt or debris at a home renovation site or landscaping job.

For larger projects, a full-size skid steer loader is probably the best choice. These generally include an covered cab in case of inclement weather, a bucket with substantial carrying volume, and lifting arms with long reaching abilities.

Skid steers can also operate a number of helpful attachments for a variety of different jobs, including clearing brush, blowing snow, grinding down trees, carrying pallets like a forklift, and turning an auger to drill holes. Whatever outdoor construction or agricultural project you're working on, it's likely a skid steer loader has an attachment for the job!

Commercial Mowing Equipment: Know Your Options

Anyone in the professional landscaping business can benefit from the advantages of an efficient commercial lawnmower for maintaining clients' grounds in a cost-effective manner by mowing the maximum area in the least amount of time. If you're considering investing in a commercial mower, you have a number of options to choose from.

If you're contracting your services to a golf or country club, a specialized golf course mower is probably your best choice. These are designed to provide extremely precise trimming of grass on putting greens and fairways to ensure a smooth, uniform golfing surface.

On the other hand, if you'll be clearing large stretches of rough, uneven ground covered in weeds and bushes as well as grass, check out an all-terrain, or ATV mower. These are designed large, deep-tread tires for plenty of traction, and have powerful cutting blades to chop through the toughest of underbrush. A related type of mowing equipment intended for similar jobs on less rugged terrain is the brush mower, which can quickly whack its way through tall, dense thickets of weeds and undergrowth.

Finally, if your professional mowing jobs include a lot of wide open spaces covering large areas of land, consider a towed mower rig. These are designed to cover lots of ground in a hurry, and include rotary, flail, and gang reel mowers, all of which can be towed behind a tractor and get a large-scale mowing job done in a hurry. And when you're in the commercial mowing business, the fast you get done, the fast you can move on to the next job and the next paycheck.

Utility Vehicles: A Cost-Effective Transportation Solution

If you need an efficient method for getting around short distances for a lot less than it costs to own and operate a full-size automobile, you may be in the market for a utility vehicle. Also known as UTVs, these compact conveyances are designed to move people, tools, and materials quickly to whereever they're needed.

Like their close relative the golf cart, utility vehicles come in both electric and gas powered versions. Which type will work best for you will depend on the amount of power needed and the types of conditions in which you'll be operating the vehicle.

Electric utility vehicles, just like electric golf carts, run off of a rechargeable battery that can be plugged into a convenient charger and recharged over several hours. They're very cheap to run and can get you around all types of paved and reasonably smooth unpaved surfaces.

For real power and offroad capabilities, however, you're likely to need a gas-powered utility vehicle. Manufacturers such as Polaris and Honda even make four-wheel drive, all-terrain editions capable of traversing the roughest of territory. For backcountry firefighting, construction, and mining operations, a gas 4x4 utility vehicle is one of the best ways to get personnel and material to and from the worksite.