Special Purpose tractors have evolved from the earliest days of tractor production. They started off with Farmers or the local Blacksmith, dealer or engineer, adapting a standard tractor to do a particular job better or for a task that a tractor was not suitable for. As the market for some types has grown manufactures have built there own or often bought them in and badged them in the quest to offer a full line up of models.
The Line between being a special purpose tractor and a Self Propelled Machine is not clear cut.
Common Types[]
- Orchard tractors
- Vineyard tractors
- Tricycle tractors
- Low Ground Pressure
- High Clearance
- Crawler tractors
- Half-track
- Row Crop tractor
- Self Propelled Sprayer
- Tool Carrier tractor
- High Horse Power Articulated Tractors ( prairie tractors ) developed for ploughing vast acreages of American mid west and Canadian wheat belt, and in Australia.
- 4 Wheel drive (became main stream line in the 1970's)
- Winch tractors or Forestry tractor
- Mine clearance tractors - Fitted with Armoured cabs and bodies to protect the driver and a blade or a flail to clear the mines with.
- Bog or snow tractor is (type of Low ground pressure tractor)
- Life Boat tractors - water proof semi-submersible for launch and recovery of life boats
Manufactures and Models[]
(please add any omissions to list as well as models, when list grows sub divide manufactures into sections)
- Bray 4-wd conversions, Bulldozor conversions, Loaders
- County 4-wd conversions, crawler conversions.
- Doe Twin-tractor conversion, Specials like the Doe Triple D
- Roadless
- Landini
- Steiger (high HP)
- Versatile (high HP
- Fowler (crawler version of Field Marshall tractor)
- Bigland Preparations - builders of Life Boat tractors for RNLI based on several makes.
Some of major manufactures, "produced" specials by having 3 rd party products and badge engineering them to sell under their own brand.
Also See[]
- List of Tractor Manufacturers
- List of Engine Manufacturers
- Special Purpose Machines
- Tractor Pulling - sport of pulling a dead weight sledge with high hp tractors (customised)
References / sources[]