Cotton Growers have indicated the need to increase the overall tractive and energy efficiencies of higher horsepower tractors. Concerns have been expressed that the higher horsepower two wheel drive tractors have an excessive, amount of ground pressure concentrated on the rear main wheels, causing an undesirable interaction between the wheel traffic patterns and the soil. This can be further compounded by the utilization of heavy three point hitch mounted equipment. Most people fail to recognize that there is a proportional amount of weight which is transferred to the rear wheels of the tractor.

The advent of the new higher horsepower (140 + PTO HP) tractors with mechanical front wheel drive will offer some unique opportunities for Cotton Growers to increase their overall efficiencies.