If you don't operate a large farm, you might not think you need an actual tractor. You may be able to care for the lawn with a riding lawnmower and assume that this is enough, but you may also be struggling with certain chores around your homestead that can be addressed with the strength and versatility of a tractor. Note when it might be time to upgrade to a tractor and how they can do much more for you than just tilling and harvesting.

1. Hauling

If you need to haul anything heavy from one end of your homestead to another, whether that's bags of grain or fertilizer or a trailer with equipment, you don't want to rely on your riding lawnmower to do this. While some stronger mowers might have some towing capacity and come with a trailer hitch, you might be putting too much wear and tear on the engine and even the body of the mower. A heavy trailer can even weigh down the mower so that the back end is out of balance. 

You also may want to avoid using your truck to haul things around your homestead, as this might mean tearing up your lawn and then also having to empty the cab or unhitch a trailer when you want to use the truck on the road. To make it simple and ensure you have the hauling capacity you need, invest in a tractor.

2. Accessories 

There are many jobs around a small farm or homestead that are faster and easier to do with the right equipment, and a tractor can have attachments for that equipment. This can include hay baling or front loading for snow shoveling or removing manure, and even moving logs and fallen trees on your property. Rather than try to do these chores manually or invest in different pieces of equipment for each job, get a tractor that can work with all the needed equipment to get this work done.

3. Drive and transmission

If you find that your riding lawnmower is difficult to control on a very hilly piece of property, you might invest in a tractor that offers heavy-duty brakes, four-wheel drive and a manual transmission. The heavy-duty brakes are better able to keep you steady when driving downhill, and a manual transmission allows for more control when going downhill or uphill. Four-wheel drive also means more control in the mud or sand. If your property is anything but level and even and if you need to work in wet soil or sandy conditions, a tractor can be the better option than a lightweight lawnmower.