a small tractor…
…in Southern Norway…
John Deere 1140 4WD…
A small member of a good family, with the right colors and all. Just the right tractor for
this farm.
It isn't exactly getting overworked around here, but it does show signs of having been run hard and into objects at times. We always try to keep it well oiled and ready to run at short notice, since despite its small size and moderate engine-power it is the largest and most powerful farm-machine we have.
It is especially important
that this tiny contraption is in good shape during the late-winter storms we regularly experience around here, when it
has the pretty tough task of keeping the roads open while the snow piles up a couple of meters in less than an
hour in places. It isn't possible for any tractor to drive through such snow-piles, so we have to attack them
from whatever side we happen to be on and shovel the snow away and deposit it where there's available space
alongside the road.
Our tiny JD has ended up getting stuck in the snow outside the farm-roads a couple of times when the storms have been at their worst, and in those cases we've had no choice but to ask neighbors with somewhat larger tractors to help us out. They may then have to dig their way in, so helping us out isn't a quick job.
Normally our own tractor masters the snow storms just fine though, although it may take slightly longer for us to finish each farm-road-clearing round and neither it nor I get much of a break in between the rounds. A cup of coffee for me and a fill-up of fuel for the JD, and then we're at it again.
regular farm work…
Our tractor's normal role is to move round-bales (silage) from the outdoor storage to the barn twice a week, and to mix and spread manure a few days a year. It's certainly big enough for those jobs, and its small size is an advantage on the narrow road behind the barn. That road has limited width because there's a solid rock-face opposite the old barn, and we rather use a small tractor than move the mountain or the barn.
Its four wheel drive is of great help on steep and slipery roads and pastures, and also gets it out of trouble on soaced and muddy fields. Two wheel drive is not of much use around here except in very dry periods – which we may not have every year, so all our farm machines and even our cars have four wheel drive.
We have all the regular accessories for our tractor, so it can cut, prepare and transport grass and spread lime etc. There's also a heavy duty wire-winch for it if we want to haul out our own timber, and a wood-chopper for the firewood we may need during winter. Our tractor isn't doing these tasks very often or for long though, since these tasks don't fit into our farming-methods at present time. Good to have the equipment ready for it though.
During most of the summer our
JD is just standing there, ready to lend a length of wire and some
pulling-power in case one of our even smaller machines get stuck. Can't really say that a tractor is saving
energy by just standing there, but in a way it does since it certainly saves fuel. Not that is uses much fuel
anyway – except during those winter storms, since distances are obviously short and the
tasks are small on this small farm, and we rarely ever drive our tractor along the main roads.
not for show…
Indeed, our tractor is not very impressive, but it has a practical role to fill and isn't for show. It fits in quite well in our area, since although most other farmers have larger and newer tractors, they often use older and smaller number-two tractors for every-day farm work.
Our neighbors need their larger tractors for transporting large amounts of feed and whatever daily over long distances on the main roads, which is something we don't. We usually hire someone with a suitable vehicle the few times a year we need long distance transportation of large loads.
Our tractor suits our farm and farming-methods, which of course is the main reason we kept it after having looked at and tested a few medium sized old and new tractors of various brands. We bought this JD second-hand back in 1999, and have had few real problems with it since then.
My wish is that our tiny JD shall last at least as long as I do, so we can go into final retirement together. So, sorry all you tractor-sales people; no use entering our driveway, as we got all we want in a tractor right here on the farm.
When our JD gives up its spirit for good one day, then whoever walks these
fields and roads will probably want an even smaller tractor, or none at all. Such is life.
(No, life doesn't stink … that's the smell from the maneur-spreader trailing our tiny tractor. That
smelly brown stuff is pure gold on a farm.)
sincerely 
Hageland 30.jun.2008
last rev: 14.nov.2008
a small tractor…
