A lot of farms in Ohio and Indiana run a tractor for the field and borrow, rent or hire out the dirt work. Then a barn gets built, a lot needs regrading, or the manure pack needs cleaning every week, and the question changes: does the next machine belong on the ag side or the compact construction side? Sometimes the honest answer is both.
We sell and service John Deere agriculture, compact tractors and compact construction equipment, so we see this decision from both sides of the counter. This guide lays out where the machines overlap, where they don't, and how financing and service work when one operation runs both lines.
A compact or utility tractor is the better buy when the work is mostly PTO and 3-point jobs (mowing, brush cutting, tillage, hay) with loader work on the side. A skid steer or compact track loader is the better buy when the loader is the job: cleaning pens, moving material all day, grading, or running hydraulic attachments. Farms that do a lot of both usually end up with both, because a tractor makes a slow, hard-working loader and a skid steer can't run a rotary cutter off a PTO.
Here are three machines that often land on the same short list. Figures come from John Deere's published specs.
The 318 P and 317 P share the same horsepower. The track loader carries more weight and more rated capacity, and its tracks spread that weight out, which matters in wet lots, soft pasture and freshly worked ground. The skid steer is lighter, simpler to haul and easier on concrete and hard surfaces. For a deeper look at that choice, see our skid steer vs. compact track loader comparison.
The tractor is the only one of the three with a PTO and a 3-point hitch. That is the line that decides most of these purchases.
| Job | Compact or utility tractor | Skid steer | Compact track loader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mowing and brush cutting | Best fit (PTO) | Possible with a hydraulic cutter | Possible with a hydraulic cutter |
| Tillage, hay and 3-point implements | Best fit | Not suited | Not suited |
| Cleaning pens and lots most days | Possible | Best fit | Good fit |
| Wet lots, mud and soft ground | Possible | Limited | Best fit |
| Grading, building pads and drainage | Possible | Good fit | Best fit |
| Pallets, bales and material handling | Good fit | Best fit | Best fit |
| Snow removal | Good fit | Good fit | Good fit |
Read across the row for your most common jobs. If most of your answers land in one column, start there. If they split between the tractor column and a loader column, that is the operation that usually benefits from owning both.
If two or more of these fit, price the second machine before the next rental or the next round of hired dirt work.
Both lines can be financed through John Deere Financial. Promotional rates and cash offers are set by equipment line, so a compact tractor offer and a skid steer offer usually have different terms and different end dates. Before you sign either deal, look at both side by side on our current offers page and ask how a trade-in or the timing of each purchase changes the math. Our John Deere Financial page covers the application.
If you only need a loader machine for part of the year, renting or buying used can also make sense. Compare the cost of a few rentals against a payment before you decide.
A tractor and a skid steer share some needs (engine service, hydraulic filters, loader pins and bushings) and differ on others (tracks and undercarriage on a CTL, PTO and 3-point service on the tractor). Having one dealer that services both means one service history, one parts counter and one call when something goes down during a busy week.
Our technicians work on John Deere ag, compact tractors and compact construction equipment across Ohio and Indiana. You can schedule service for either machine, book an ag off-season inspection for the field equipment, and order parts for both through Koenig Marketplace with same-day local delivery or in-store pickup.
New equipment:
Used equipment:
Koenig Equipment is a John Deere dealer in Ohio and Indiana that sells and services John Deere agriculture equipment, compact and utility tractors, and compact construction equipment, including skid steers, compact track loaders, compact excavators and compact wheel loaders. When comparing dealers for a mixed fleet, ask whether the same stores stock parts and have technicians for both lines, and whether one salesperson can quote both machines together.
If the loader runs most days, a skid steer or compact track loader usually does that work faster and saves hours on the tractor. If loader work is occasional and the tractor's PTO and 3-point jobs come first, a well-matched tractor loader is often enough.
Tracks help most in mud, soft ground and wet lots. A 317 P weighs 8,423 lb against 6,542 lb for a 318 P with the same 65 hp engine, and carries 2,125 lb of rated capacity against 1,945 lb. On concrete and gravel, a skid steer is lighter and simpler to haul.
Both can be financed through John Deere Financial, but offers are set by equipment line, so each machine may carry different terms. Our team can lay out both options side by side.