Tractors are a vital part of the fabric of our society and have had a massive impact on our social and economic development over the last hundred years, mechanising tasks traditionally done using horses or oxen.
From the first wheeled steam engines used to drive mechanical ploughs in the latter years of the nineteenth century, to today’s mega-machines, here is a list of the giants, including the largest tractor in the world.
The Biggest Farm Tractor in the World
There are big tractors, then there are the world’s biggest tractors. These huge and powerful machines aren’t just vastly impressive engineering achievements, but have become icons in their own right. Check out the list of the biggest tractors in the world.
Versatile 620DT
Weight: 24.4 tons | Price: From $613,000 | Max. power: 665hp
Versatile is one of the world’s biggest manufacturers of agricultural equipment and was the first company in the world to mass-produce articulated four-wheel drive tractors in the 1960s. The 620DT (delta-track) is one of the biggest tractors in the world. This huge machine has what’s believed to be the largest cab in the industry, with almost eight square metres of glass, and indeed one of the most plush. It has heated and ventilated leather seats, a rear-view camera, USB ports and satellite radio.
New Holland T9.670
A New Holland tractor in action (Photo: Ben Hasty/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images)
Weight: Max. 25 tons | Price: Approx. $400,000 | Max. power: 648hp
The 670 from New Holland is one of the world’s most advanced, efficient and powerful four-wheel drive tractors. Like most high-spec cars, it has leather-trimmed seats, climate control, active suspension and a top-of-the-range music system, as well as 360° night-time LED lighting for round-the-clock farming.
John Deere 9RX640
John Deere Tractors (Photo: SimplyCreativePhotography via Getty Images)
Weight: Approx. 25.5 tons | Price: From $470,000 | Max. power: 691hp
One of the world’s most famous tractor brands was in fact founded in 1837 by John Deere, for doing general repairs around his town and making pitchforks and shovels. Today 185 years later, the company employs almost 70,000 people and makes some of the world’s biggest tractors. The colossal four-track 9RX640 is powered by a 15-litre, six cylinder engine and has a maximum road speed of 40 km/h.
Case IH Steiger Quadtrac 620
Case iH 620 QuadTrac tractor on display (Photo: Lyle Setter via Getty Images)
Weight: Up to 26 tons | Price: From $660,000 | Max power: 682hp
Launched in 2013, the 620 is one of the world’s most fuel-efficient tractors. The 12.9-litre, two-stage turbocharged Fiat engine powers the four-track machine to a top speed of around 40 km/h and is certainly a contender for the biggest tractor in the world.
‘Big Roy’ 8-WD Versatile Model 1080
Weight: 26 tons | Launched: 1977 | Max. power 600hp
In the mid-70s, the competition to make the most powerful and biggest tractor in the world was hotting up, with Steiger, Big Bud and Versatile all competing for the top spot. Manitoba-based Versatile designed the eight-wheel drive 1080, which was destined for use on huge-acreage Australian farms. However, due to a number of issues it never went into production and only one was built. The 18.8-litre, 600hp, six cylinder behemoth was named after ‘Big’ Roy Robinson, the 6’4” larger-than-life, Stetson-wearing president of Versatile.
AGCO Challenger MT975B
Weight: 27 tons | Price: Up to $350,000 | Max. power: 600hp
One of the world’s heaviest and widest tractors, the MT975B is, by weight, the largest tractor in the world in current production. This fantastic farming phenomenon is powered by an 18.1-litre, six cylinder Caterpillar diesel engine. It’s so tall it takes six steps just to get into the cab!
16V-747 ‘Big Bud’
Weight: Up to 61.2 tons | Built: 1977 | Max. power: 1,100hp
The largest tractor in the world must be seen to be believed! Big Bud was custom-built in Havre, Montana in the mid-1970s by Ron Harmon for cotton farmers in California called the Rossi brothers. It was then sold to Robert and Randy Williams of Big Sandy, Montana who used it to pull a 24-metre cultivator which could cover an amazing 1.3 acres per minute. The stats of this absolute beast are remarkable –
Height: 4.3 metres | Length: 8.7 metres | Width: 7.8 metres | Wheelbase: 5 metres | Tyres: 2.4 metres diameter | Fuel capacity: 1,000 gallons
Big Bud was retired to a museum in 2009 but came out of retirement and returned to active service in 2020 on the Williams’ brothers farm and is a star turn at country fairs.
