Choosing a Small Tractor for Nurseries and Greenhouses

Nursery and greenhouse owners ask a different tractor question from arable farmers. In the field the question is “How much horsepower?”; in a greenhouse or nursery the real question is “Will this machine fit inside, can it turn between the rows, and can it work without damaging the plants and the covers?” The wrong machine either won’t get through the door or flattens a row of seedlings every time it turns.

In this guide we look step by step at choosing a small tractor for a nursery or greenhouse according to dimensions, the work and the ground. We use the 35 HP QD35 tracked tractor and its excavator-arm version as examples, but the measuring method we describe works whichever machine you have in mind.

Start with the jobs: what will the tractor do in the greenhouse and nursery?

Start with a list of jobs before you think about machines. Write down the jobs the machine will do over a year, together with how often they are done. In a nursery or greenhouse, a typical list looks like this:

• Soil preparation: Tilling the soil between crops and working manure and compost into it.
• Weed control: Regular weeding between the rows.
• Hauling: Moving pots, peat, manure, seedling trays and harvested produce in a trailer hitched to the drawbar.
• Digging: Trenches for drip irrigation and pipelines, holes for planting young trees, and lifting trees for sale with their root ball.

As you make the list, write next to each job who does it today and how many person-days it takes. The machine usually pays its way not through fuel but by covering the labour you can’t find in the busiest week of the season.

Let’s be honest — if your list amounts to nothing more than tilling a small greenhouse a few times a year, investing in a tractor may be premature; at that scale a small hand-guided tiller will also do the job. A tractor proves its worth as the area you work grows and as hauling and digging jobs are added to the list. We look at which machine to buy first, in order of priority, in our guide to machinery for a small farm.

Choosing a greenhouse tractor: door, row spacing, headland and height

In greenhouses and nurseries, dimensions decide the choice more than engine power does. The QD35’s machine dimensions in the specification table are 3,100 × 980 × 1,150 mm; in other words, a low machine about one metre wide. But what really matters is the size with the attachment fitted. Before you buy, fill in this list on site with a tape measure:

1. Clear door width: Measure the narrowest point, including the frame, hinges and bolts. Add clearance on both sides to the width of the machine and attachment; a machine that scrapes through the door will sooner or later damage the door or itself.
2. Row spacing and inside path width: Measure to where the leaves and branches reach, not to the plant stems. In a nursery, the usable width shrinks as the branches grow.
3. Headland: The space the machine needs to turn at the end of a row. Add the length of the attachment fitted and a margin for manoeuvring to the machine’s length (3,100 mm). The most reliable method is to mark out a boundary with string in an open area and do a test turn with the machine.
4. Lowest obstacle: What matters is not the machine’s 1,150 mm height but the head height of the operator sitting on the machine. Support wires, irrigation pipes, heating lines and low tunnel hoops must not be lower than this.
5. Floor transitions: Door thresholds, the step between concrete paths and soil, drainage grates and channel covers.
6. Where to change attachments: Will you change attachments inside the greenhouse or outside? You need a flat, firm area for this.

Example (hypothetical figures): If the narrowest point of your door is 1,300 mm and the attachment is narrower than the machine, a 980 mm machine has 160 mm of clearance on each side. If the attachment is wider than the machine, do the calculation with the attachment width. Work it out with your own measurements; if the clearance gets very tight, let’s discuss from the outset whether you need to widen the door or use a different attachment.

Diesel machines in a greenhouse: exhaust, ventilation and fuel

A greenhouse is an enclosed space, and a diesel engine produces exhaust gas. This gas can be a problem both for the people working inside and for sensitive plants. The risk grows especially in winter, when the doors are kept closed to hold in the heat. Keep the rules simple:

• While the machine is inside, open the doors and vents; get air flowing with the roof and side vents.
• Don’t leave the machine idling in the greenhouse. If you’re taking a break or changing attachments, take the machine outside.
• Refuel outside, in the open. Fuel spilled in a greenhouse means both a fire risk and soil contamination.
• Don’t plan long, uninterrupted working sessions; split the work into sections and ventilate in between.
• If other people are working inside, tell them the machine’s route and working hours in advance.

If your greenhouse is fully enclosed and poorly ventilated, assess this together with your health and safety adviser.

The ground: soft soil, concrete paths and mulch film

Greenhouse soil is usually loose and moist, and nursery soil is often soft too because of frequent watering. This is where tracks have a clear advantage: because the weight is spread over a wide area, the machine sinks less and leaves fewer marks. The QD35 weighs 750 kg, which makes it a light machine for its class.

But tracked machines have one habit: they scuff the ground when turning. A sharp turn on the spot digs a hole in loose greenhouse soil, breaks down the edge of the row and compacts the soil. In a greenhouse, make your turns on the headland wherever possible, in a wide arc.

• Drip irrigation pipes: Before tilling, gather up the pipes or move them safely out of the way; the blades of a rotary tiller will shred a pipe in seconds.
• Mulch film: In rows covered with mulch, work with the machine only between the rows; driving on the edge of the film tears it.
• Concrete paths: Try out how the tracks behave on concrete at low speed; wet, mossy concrete is slippery.
• Freshly filled soil: In greenhouses where the soil has been replaced or new fill brought in, the ground settles after the first few waterings; during this period, limit the machine to light work and keep away from the edges of the fill.

Special nursery jobs: planting holes, lifting trees and hauling

Unlike a greenhouse, a nursery also needs regular digging. That is why the choice of machine splits in two.

Tillage and hauling only

If your work is limited to soil preparation, weeding and hauling, the standard QD35 is enough. Preparing beds before planting with the rotary tiller, keeping the space between rows clean with the weed-clearing attachment and hauling a trailer on the drawbar can all be done with the same machine. We explain the rotary tiller’s depth and speed settings in detail in our guide to soil preparation with a rotavator.

If you also need to dig

If lifting trees with their root ball for sale and digging planting holes and irrigation channels are regular jobs for you, the QD35 tracked tractor with excavator arm combines both jobs in one machine. The digging arm at the back digs holes and trenches, while the tractor side carries on with tillage and hauling. When lifting trees, push the bucket in around the root ball at a distance that won’t damage the root zone, and lift the ball without squeezing it.

In nurseries with very narrow rows and inside greenhouses, if most of the work is digging, the 1.2-tonne R10 mini excavator is also worth considering. A digging arm mounted on a tractor only works behind the machine, while a mini excavator can reach any point around it by slewing its upper structure. We look at working with a mini excavator in confined spaces in our guide to using a mini excavator in greenhouses and tight spaces.

Choose for your peak workload

In nurseries and greenhouses, work isn’t spread evenly over the year. Soil preparation piles up between crops, lifting and planting usually in the plants’ dormant period, and weed control in the growing season. Choose the machine not for an average day but for the busiest week.

There’s a simple way to work out the capacity roughly: divide the area to be worked by the machine’s hourly work rate, then add a margin for turns at the ends of rows, attachment changes and hauling. The QD35’s work rate in the specification table is about 2 decares per hour; this figure applies to an open, regular plot.

Example (hypothetical figures): In a 12-decare nursery, soil preparation at the table capacity means about 6 hours of pure working time. But on a plot with short rows and frequent turns, turning and manoeuvring will make this noticeably longer. Do the calculation with your own area and row length; if you note down the actual times in the first season, the next year’s plan will be far more accurate.

Factor hauling into this calculation too. Reversing with a trailer in narrow greenhouse aisles is difficult and takes time. If possible, set up a one-way loop through the greenhouse: go in through one door and out through the other, or load the trailer outside, at the end of the aisle.

Comparison: which machine for which job?

The figures in the table are the machines’ starting prices; ask us for current attachment prices. The full list of attachments that fit the QD35 is on the tracked tractor attachments page.

Common mistakes when choosing

• Looking only at the machine’s dimensions: Fitting an attachment changes the length and width; the machine gets through the door, but the attachment doesn’t.
• Buying for today’s row spacing: As young trees grow, the space between rows shrinks. Think about the branch spread a few years from now.
• Forgetting the operator’s head height: In low tunnels and greenhouses with support wires, the real obstacle is not the machine but the driver.
• Not allowing for ventilation: Planning long sessions with a diesel machine in a greenhouse that is kept closed in winter.
• Thinking of digging as an “occasional” job: In the lifting and planting season, digging is a daily job; rather than buying a second machine later, consider the excavator-arm option from the start.
• Skipping the service and parts question: A machine that breaks down mid-season throws your planting schedule off. Ask about the warranty, parts stock and access to service before you buy.

At EKSFORK, machines come with a warranty of 2 years or 2,000 working hours; 382 spare parts are available from stock with same-day shipping, and we deliver to all 81 provinces, villages included. On delivery we also provide setup and basic operator training.

Summary

• Start with a list of jobs: tillage, weeding, hauling and digging.
• Measure the door, row spacing, headland and lowest obstacle including the attachment and the operator.
• When working with a diesel machine in a greenhouse, open the vents, don’t leave it idling and refuel outside.
• Make wide turns with a tracked machine; protect drip lines and mulch film.
• If digging is a regular job, consider the excavator-arm version or a mini excavator from the start.

You can find all the machine’s technical specifications on the QD35 tracked tractor page. Send us your door, row spacing and headland measurements on WhatsApp, together with your list of jobs, and we’ll check together which machine and attachment set-up will fit your greenhouse or nursery.