Grassland tractors: A tractor for meadows and pastures

Anyone looking for a suitable tractor for grassland maintenance will quickly come across the term grassland tractor. However, the term grassland tractor does not actually refer to a specific design, but rather distinguishes the tractor from a standard tractor for field work. For this reason, the boundary between agricultural tractors and grassland tractors is often blurred: additional equipment features (e.g. tires) rather than the model range determine how well a tractor can be used for grassland maintenance. For this reason, almost all tractor models can be modified for grassland maintenance.

Features of a grassland tractor

Protecting the sward is a particular challenge when it comes to driving on grassland as opposed to typical field crop cultivation. For this reason, it is not surprising that most of the features that characterize a tractor as a grassland tractor have to do with protecting the sward. The tires in particular play an important role here: instead of coarse lugs for maximum traction and minimal slippage, grassland tractors tend to have a low lug profile that protects the soil. A wide contact area of the tire also enables soil-friendly driving. For this reason, many farmers use tire pressure regulation systems on tractors for driving on meadows and pastures. These allow the tire pressure to be adjusted in the field. This results in soil-friendly driving on grassland, but at the same time the tires are not worn down too much on the road.

However, the weight of the tractor also plays a role, as the tractor should ideally be as light as possible to protect the sward. At the same time, a powerful engine is important to provide the necessary power for attaching and harvesting machines. A front PTO and power lift are also generally required on a grassland tractor in order to be able to use attachments such as a front mower. Many farmers also appreciate it when their grassland tractor is particularly maneuverable, as this facilitates the flow of work in the field. In the past, it was also very important that the grassland tractor was very compact and had a low cab to allow access to small barns or hay stores. Today, however, this criterion has become rather insignificant on modern farms.

In which applications are grassland tractors used?

As their name suggests, grassland tractors are primarily responsible for the maintenance and management of meadows and pastures. They are suitable for all applications involving grassland management: Whether soil maintenance with rollers and harrows, reseeding, fertilizing or even harvesting with final forage collection - thanks to their comparatively high power and low soil load, they are ideal for protecting the sward as much as possible in all tasks.

Which brands offer grassland tractors?

Nowadays, tractors are rarely marketed purely as “grassland tractors”, because it is not the model, but rather the various configuration options that make a tractor a good choice for grassland. On closer inspection, therefore, almost all brands offer tractors that are suitable as grassland tractors. We currently offer tractors from the following brands:

Antonio Carraro

Kubota