Different Types of Tractors Used in India

Tractors have various applications in agriculture as well as construction, and people in all industries nowadays rely a lot on tractors for various uses. Therefore, it is critical for individuals to buy a tractor that caters to their specific requirements.  

This article highlights the various types of tractors and the best tractor brands for each type so that one can make the best pick. First, let’s delve into the different types of tractors that can be used for agriculture. 

1. Utility Tractors

In India, most farmers either engage in small or medium-scale farming. As a result, it becomes difficult for these farmers to afford various heavy-duty implements to perform several tasks.  

Among the different types of tractors in India, utility tractor serves the purpose of these farmers effectively. This machinery generally operates on either gasoline or diesel and delivers a power of 45 HP to 140 HP. 

Key Features:

• Large, spacious cabs
  
• Sturdy frame
  
• Large rear wheels
  
• Can manage heavy loads without losing balance on rough terrain
  
• Versatile
  
• Fuel-efficient 

Applications:

Farmers can combine utility tractors with other types of equipment, such as harvesters, tillers, hay cutters, threshers etc., and can use them for a variety of agricultural tasks like:  

• Ploughing
  
• Cultivating
  
• Mowing
  
• Digging trenches
  
• Livestock management
  
• Transporting piles of dirt or gravel
  
• Supporting heavy implements
  
• Landscaping 

Top Brands:

There are 3 brands that develop top-quality Utility tractors: 

• John Deere
  
• Escorts Kubota
  
• Mahindra and Mahindra

2. Row Crop Tractors

source: deere

Row crop tractors are multipurpose machines. Although row crop tractors are more expensive than utility tractors, they deliver superior performance, and greater power which ranges from 145 HP to 400 HP. 

Another advantage of row crop models is they can work effectively in all weather conditions. 

Key Features:

• Specially designed for row crop planting
  
• User-friendly
  
• Greater ground clearance
  
• Good row spacing
  
• Narrow wheels
  
• Easy steering
  
• High horsepower 

Applications:

Row crop tractors can be used for controlling weed, ploughing, and harrowing. Also, farmers can use it for primary tillage and cultivation. In addition, cultivators can use this tractor to push and pull heavy equipment. 

They can also be fitted with attachments like threshers, water pumps, sprayers, and heavy-duty implements, making row crop tractors all-rounder engineering vehicles. 

Top Brands:

There are 3 brands that develop top-quality Row-Crop tractors: 

• John Deere
  
• New Holland
  
• Massey Ferguson (TAFE) 

3. Garden Tractors

source: deere

Garden tractors possess engines with power ranging between 1 HP to 20 HP, which are generally powered by either diesel or gasoline. As the name suggests, these variants are made for small lands, especially for homeowners or hobby farmers.  

These models are small and have thinner wheels compared to other types of tractors, thus, they are most suitable for residential or small-scale commercial use.

Key Features:  

• Weigh less than 1900 kg with about 40 PTO HP
• Smaller, less powerful
  
• Can be easily manoeuvred in any direction
• Tires are like a scooter’s but with much thicker treads for better traction and durability 

Applications:

You can use these tractors to mow grass, make the flower beds, and take care of your garden, as they come with attachments like mower deck, bagger, lawn sprayers and sweepers, tow-behind carts and spreaders, spike and plug aerators.  

Moreover, garden tractors can be used to move snow, spread grass seeds in the lawn, and spray weed control, fertilise, dethatch, and aerate a lawn.

Top Brands:

There are 3 brands that develop top-quality Garden tractors:

• John Deere
  
• Swaraj
• Massey Ferguson (TAFE)

4. Orchard Tractors

source: swarajtractors

Cultivators prefer these types of tractors as they help them to sit and navigate comfortably through the narrow rows of trees in an orchard and even pick fruit while remaining seated.  

Orchard tractors come with an engine capacity ranging between 8 HP and 40 HP. 

Key Features:  

• Can be easily manoeuvred in narrow fields
  
• Customisable cab options
  
• Tall, narrow, and uncovered
  
• Shield on tyres to resist punctures
  
• Consume less fuel 

Applications: 

These tractors are designed for vineries and orchards. The machinery is designed to allow maneuvering and navigation in small fields.  

They are used in pruning, mowing, and harvesting in orchards and vineyards, and for easily plucking fruits from trees. 

Top Brands: 

There are 3 brands that develop top-quality Orchard tractors: 

• John Deere
  
• Mahindra and Mahindra
  
• Massey Ferguson (TAFE) 

5. Implement Carrier Tractors

source: mahindrausa

Implement carriers are widely used by farmers in India as they can be used for multiple tasks when attached with different tools.  

They have a specific design which makes carrying and mounting different implements quite easy. These variants are available in multiple sizes and designs.  

Key Features:

• Extended chassis frame between the front and rear wheels
  
• Easily carry, haul, and mount heavy implements
• Serve multipurpose uses

Applications:

These tractors can easily mount and carry implements such as sprayers, rotary-sweepers, drills, loaders, and more. Thus, cultivators use it for spraying fertilisers and pesticides, drilling, loading, rotary sweeping, and drilling seeds, among other uses.

For example, mid-mount mowers implement can be attached to the tractor to maintain lawns, orchards, parks, etc.

Top Brands:

There is no particular company that specialises in these types of tractors. However, you can look for top brands, such as-

• Mahindra
• John Deere
• Escorts Kubota

6. Rotary Tiller Tractors

Source: deere.co.in

Rotary tiller tractors break up soil clods, incorporate residue, and prepare the seedbed for crop planting. It works best with horticulture, cash crops, plantation crops, and food grains. 

It further encourages greater seed germination by breaking up lumps, removing all clods, and tearing down the soil's thickness.

Key Features:

⦁ High Durability

⦁ Enhanced Productivity

⦁ Low Maintainance cost

Applications:

A rotary tiller is an excellent tool for preparing soil for planting, whether working in an established garden or transforming undeveloped terrain. Rotary tillers are used for both primary and secondary tillage, which involves breaking up clods.

Top Brands:

The top Brands that manufacture Rotary Tiller Tractors are:

⦁ Mahindra

⦁ John Deere

7. Two-wheel Tractors

Source: deere.co.in

Tractors with one axle, which can pull and power a variety of farm implements, such as a plough, a trailer, a cultivator or harrow, or several seeders and harvesters, are commonly referred to as two-wheel tractors or walking tractors in the United States and certain parts of Europe. 

Key Features:  

⦁ Can be manoeuvred with ease in confined spaces

⦁ Less powerful and smaller

⦁ Consume less fuel 

Applications: 

For soil operations, we use rototillers, moldboard ploughs, disc ploughs, rotary ploughs, and root/tuber harvesting ploughs. These ploughs are used for harvesting, mowing, cultivating, and snow removal. 

Top Brands: 

The following three companies make excellent two-wheel tractors: 

⦁ Ferrari

⦁ Mayfield Tractors

⦁ Kerala Agricultural Machinery Corporation (KAMCO)

8. Speciality Tractors

Source: kubota.ca

Crops have distinct needs, and speciality tractors are designed to suit those needs. Sugarcane, cotton, rice, potatoes—each presents its own unique set of difficulties. With features designed to maximise efficiency and productivity, these tractors are up to the task.

Key Features:

⦁ Compact Size

⦁ Less Expensive

⦁ Easy handling

⦁ Consumes less fuel

Applications:

They have multiple uses, including agricultural work such as slope mowing, cotton picking, potato harvesting, and speciality crop farming.

Top Brands:

The following are examples of well-known brands of speciality tractors:

⦁ New Holland

⦁ Kubota

⦁ John Deere

9. Sub-Compact Tractors

Source: deere.ca

Subcompact tractors, famous for good reason, have two—to three-cylinder diesel engines with fifteen to twenty-five horsepower, whereas compact tractors have three—to four-cylinder engines with forty-five horsepower or more.

These sub-compact tractors can push and pull many times their weight and are as versatile as their larger counterparts with a three-point attachment and four-wheel drive. 

Key Features:

⦁ Compact Size

⦁ Less Expensive

⦁ Easy handling

⦁ Consumes less fuel

Applications:

Levelling, loading, excavating, and trenching are all tasks performed by sub-compact tractors.

In addition, they are utilised for tasks such as shifting snow and mowing lawns.

Top Brands:

When it comes to manufacturing sub-compact tractors, some of the top brands are:

⦁ Massey Ferguson

⦁ Mahindra

⦁ John Deere

10. Compact Tractors

Source: mahindratractor.com

Mini tractors are ideal for smaller farms and orchards because of their manageable size, which makes them suitable for areas that larger tractors find difficult to access. These solutions are perfect for small-scale farmers because they are more economical. 

A compact tractor's horsepower can be anything from eleven to thirty-five.

Key Features:

⦁ Compact Size

⦁ Less Expensive

⦁ Easy handling

⦁ Consumes less fuel

Applications:

Compact tractors are used in fruit and nut yards and vineyards. They have numerous applications, including inter-cultivation, landscaping, and general maintenance.

Top Brands:

Some of the best brands in compact tractor production are:

⦁ Mahindra

⦁ John Deere

⦁ Sonalika

Now, let’s take a look at some tractors that one can use for the purpose of construction.

1. Industrial Tractors

source: tractordata

Industrial tractors, previously called tuggers, are explicitly designed to offer matchless power. For instance, steel grills are used on their body as a shield against rocks. You can find them in multiple designs and horsepower strengths.  

They are heavy-duty equipment as compared to agricultural tractors and can be easily customized with various attachments like backhoes, loaders, and bulldozer blades. Therefore, they are used on construction sites, and for various industrial and engineering purposes.

Key Features:

• Have drawbars instead of 3-point linkages
• Have construction tyres
• Have four-wheel drive, suitable for off-road use
• Offer robust power
• Support heavy loads
• Withstand harsh weather conditions and rough terrains
• Equipped with advanced safety features like roll bars and seat belts

Applications:

They’re specifically designed for pulling heavy loads like logs or other materials, and also lifting, carrying, and stacking heavy loads in industrial settings.  

They can be attached with cranes to lift heavy loads and can also be used for demolishing debris.

Top Brands:

There are 3 brands that develop top-quality Industrial tractors:

• Eicher
• Ford
• Escorts Kubota

2. Earth-Moving Tractors

Earthmoving tractors are primarily used in heavy-duty construction work. They have a heavy build and are, therefore, extremely powerful.  

Key Features:

• Heavy-duty and robust
• Equipped with both tyres and tracks
• Built to last
• Comparatively expensive

Applications:

• Relocating dust, mud, lumber, debris, and rocks
• Digging trenches or under waterbodies
• Demolishing buildings
• Levelling a surface
• Mining and drilling
• On construction sites, dam, or quarry 

According to their applications, earthmoving variants are categorised into-

a. Bulldozers

Bulldozers are equipped with large plates at their front to push rocks and clear land. The best feature of this machinery is it can maintain balance, regardless of the intensity of a task. They are best suited for clearing out a property located in all types of terrain, debris, or snow.   

There are different types of bulldozers designed specifically to carry out particular tasks on different terrains. Some come with easy manoeuvering feature, while some have plates, blades, etc. To carry out various tasks.

b. Excavators

source: tatahitachi

Excavators are significantly used for digging deep, shovelling dirt, demolishing, and lifting large objects. These variants come with a long bucket arm attached to a cab that rotates. Additionally, the seats are elevated for drivers to have a better visual field.

c. Backhoe Loaders

They are used for digging holes to break asphalt. This type of tractor features buckets at the back for digging and shovels at the front that can be adjusted as required.

Top Brands:

Listed below are some brands of earth-moving tractors:

• TATA Hitachi
• JCB
• Komatsu

1. Military Tractors

source: twimg

Military Tractors (or Field Artillery Tractors) are used specifically for military purposes. They have the same design as industrial tractors and have sturdy frames and undercarriages that allow them to work in areas of landmines and explosive devices.

Key Features:

• Multipurpose
  
• Rock-hard frames

Applications:

These are used in the military typically to tow guns and move other heavy military implements. However, nowadays, they are also used to perform different tasks like construction, demolition, and building temporary roads.

Top Brands:

There are 3 brands that develop top-quality Military tractors:

• BEML
• Ashok Leyland
• ACE

2. Driverless/ Autonomous Tractors

source: deere.co.uk

Autonomous/ driverless or electric tractors are self-driving tractors that can work and perform tasks without a human operator. They are operated by artificial intelligence.  

They use advanced technology including GPS, drone technology, and satellite to perform tasks. Therefore, a single operator can control several tractors from a single location.

Key Features:

• Equipped with AI and other advanced technology
• Reduced risk of accidents
• Reduced accidents by operator fatigue
• Comparatively very costly
• Multiple tractors operated by a single person

Applications:

Autonomous tractors have made their way to almost every industry now. So, depending on their type, driverless tractors can be used for farming, construction sites, and other industries as well, just like traditional tractors.

Top Brands:

There are 3 brands that develop top-quality Autonomous tractors:

• Mahindra and Mahindra
• Escorts Kubota
• John Deere

When planning to purchase this engineering vehicle, you can consider the list of tractors and their uses given above. However, it is advised that you also take a few other factors into account, such as the following:

Requirement

Every type of work requires a specific type of tractor. So, first figure out if you are working on a construction site or need to move heavy loads, you might need an earthmoving tractor. If you are working on a farm or small garden, you might need a utility or garden tractor.  

Engine Type

One of the critical aspects of a tractor is its engine capacity. However, this capacity varies with each type of tractor. For instance, the horsepower of John Deere's utility tractors ranges from 50 to 135. Therefore, to make the best purchase, consider the engine power according to your requirement.

Price

A top-quality row crop tractor may cost around ₹3 lakhs. On the other hand, the price of a backhoe tractor can be around ₹5-6 lakhs. Therefore, it is imperative to compare the prices of various tractors and explore the available options before buying one.

Brand and Service Network

The other factors to consider before purchasing a tractor are its brand and service network. Therefore, you must find options that come with a reasonable warranty period and servicing facilities.  

Also, brands such as Mahindra, John Deere, and Eicher are some of the top tractor brands in India in terms of these parameters.