When it comes to tractors and their usefulness on the farm, size isn''t necessarily the vulcanfloorstandingdrillpress and vulcanfloorstandingdrillpress most important thing. Sure, only the big machines can handle certain jobs, but for everyday chores and midsize jobs, utility tractors are hard to beat.[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]They''re easy to operate, work with many implements, and cut down the hours logged on big machines. If you own a small farm, a utility tractor may be all the machine you''ll ever need.So many choicesThe definition of "utility tractor" is a little hazy, and there''s some overlap between models and manufacturers.For example, John Deere offers compact utility tractors from 18 to 48 horsepower, and utility tractors ranging from 44 to 105 horsepower.Some manufacturers don''t refer to their tractors in this range as utility tractors at all. To cut down on the confusion, turn to pages 00 and 00, where several tractors ranging from about 65 to 75 engine horsepower are featured. Many are equipped with your choice of ROPS or a cab, and are available in two-wheel drive, fourwheel drive, or front-wheel drive.

When we last looked at mini-backhoe loaders several years ago, the market for these machines was under 4000 units annually, but growing. Today, suppliers are selling over 6000 units and the demand keeps rolling along. The companies involved in mini-backhoes include Terramite, Allmand Brothers, Dig-It, EarthForce, Ingersoll Equipment, Kubota and Waldon. Two companies - Lely, which sold Kioti backhoes and K-D Manitou, the French manufacturer- dropped out of the market in 1999. Terramite is the recognized leader in this product and is the largest producer in the world. The company, founded in 1965, has been a family-owned, global business since its beginning. The Charleston, W.Va., company offers three models - the T5C, T5D and T6. The T5C has been around vulcanfloorstandingdrillpress for 10 years, the T6 was introduced in 1997 and the T5D was just added in 1999. Digging depth on the smaller models is about 8 ft., while the larger T6 has a dig depth of 10 ft.

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