University studies obviously can vary. The one I did myself as an ag engineering undergrad (meaning nothing was published) showed a measurable difference in favor of the wide front. The model for both narrow and wide front tractors had the machine setting on a three-point base - the two back wheels and a single point at the front. However, on the wide front the single point was elevated to the height of the axle oscillation point whereas on the narrow front it was on the ground plane. A line from this point to either rear tire defines the "tipping axis" of the tractor. A "stability index" of 100 was defined as when the loads on the rear wheels were equal (assuming the CG is located on the centerline plane) and an index of 0 was when either rear wheel became completely unloaded.
Having this front point elevated means that when turning the centrifugal force acting on the center of gravity has a shorter "lever arm" to work with about the tipping axis which results in less weight being transferred off of the inner wheel. Likewise, when the tractor is operating on an incline the CG point will cross over this tipping axis sooner if it is along the ground vs. being elevated. The farther forward the CG is the more stability benefit you get from a wide front.
Although it wasn't considered in the study the wide front also gives you a "last chance" to stop tipping when the axle pivot bottoms out. I personally experienced this once with a Kubota when backing up with the loader bucket full of rocks. One rear tire started climbing up a six inch high ledge and kept on heading up until the front axle bottomed out. Dumped the bucket and the tire came back to earth. In a higher speed situation, however, you may have enough momentum to flip the tractor on over anyway which is why this wasn't factored into the stability index equation.
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Today's Featured Article - Grain Threshing in the Early 40's - by Jerry D. Coleman. How many of you can sit there and say that you have plowed with a mule? Well I would say not many, but maybe a few. This story is about the day my Grandfather Brown (true name) decided along with my parents to purchase a new Ford tractor. It wasn't really new except to us. The year was about 1967 and my father found a good used Ford 601 tractor to use on the farm instead of "Bob", our old mule. Now my grandfather had had this mule since the mid 40's and he was getting some age on him. S
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