Narrow / Arrow Tractor Wheels for Orchards

Narrow tractor wheels (sometimes called arrow, high-crop or "skinny" wheels) are tall, slim drive and steering wheels fitted to a standard or specialty tractor to allow it to straddle row crops, cotton, sugarcane and orchard plants without crushing them while spraying, weeding or fertilising in-season.

Function

The taller, narrower wheel raises the under-axle clearance while keeping the wheel inside the inter-row furrow. Crops growing between rows are not crushed by the tyre footprint, and root-zone compaction is reduced. The slim contact patch is also less prone to slipping when wet.

Design and specifications

John Deere high-crop tractors offer up to approximately 33 inches of under-axle clearance with skinny tyres, marketed for cotton, broccoli and sugarcane in-season operation. Specialist orchard tractors such as the Antonio Carraro range and the John Deere 5075GL keep overall width and height below about 1.2 m, allowing operation in narrow orchard rows.

Operation

The wheel set is bolted on as a conversion in place of standard pneumatic tyres, or supplied as original equipment on specialty tractors. Operators must check overhead clearance under low orchard branches and reduce forward speed on uneven ground because of the higher centre of gravity.

Subsidy and adoption

Narrow-wheel conversions are sold as accessories under SMAM specialty-tractor implement categories. Adoption is concentrated in cotton, grape, mango, citrus and apple cultivation, often paired with a Mini Tractor or compact tractor and a Tractor Mounted Sprayer.

References

Specialty Tractors. John Deere.
Narrow vs Standard Tractor Tyres for Spraying. Firestone Agriculture.