Provenance

Sources and specification conventions

Match the source to the question: a regulation for a legal requirement, a standard for an interface or test method, and a manufacturer document for a particular machine configuration. Keep the edition, model designation and measurement label with the figure.

Read the label before comparing the number

A rated operating capacity is different from a tipping load. The lift-capacity reference compares published Bobcat and Cat examples and explains the attachment and support conditions on a telehandler chart.

A manufacturer’s specification describes its stated configuration. A used listing describes a particular sale, and an owner discussion describes an experience. Keep those roles separate; a forum report does not establish the operating weight of every machine with the same model name.

Specified values, assumptions and calculated examples

The license reference identifies the federal classification tests and their scope. A calculator’s chosen fuel price, annual hours or resale value is instead an input assumption; replace it with evidence for the actual operation.

In the hourly-cost calculation, cost over the chosen ownership period divided by that period’s working hours is arithmetic, not a published market rate. Read the units and assumptions alongside the result before comparing it with a rental quote.

Find the applicable document

The references below identify federal agencies, standards bodies and test laboratories. The Tractor and compact equipment models: maker directory leads to model specification sources. Use the machine’s serial range and fitted equipment when choosing a manual.

For an error report, send the page address, disputed figure, model/configuration and supporting document through the contact form.

Standards bodies publish their documents commercially, so ASABE and ISO standards are listed by designation without a link. The regulations are freely available and are linked directly to the current text.

A working-range figure belongs to one arm configuration

The Kato HD512III catalog lists maximum digging depths of 5220, 5620 and 6130 mm for its short 2.10 m, standard 2.50 m and long 3.00 m arms with the 4.65 m boom. Copying “HD512III digging depth” without the arm can select the wrong figure.

Keep model suffix, configuration and measurement label together when quoting a specification. A maximum digging depth also cannot be substituted for the lifting capacity at that depth.

Federal regulations and agencies

Federal rule Truck Size and Weight, Route Designations: Width limitations: U.S. Government Publishing Office (eCFR), 23 CFR § 658.15.
Federal rule Truck Size and Weight, Route Designations: Weight limitations: U.S. Government Publishing Office (eCFR), 23 CFR § 658.17.
Federal rule Equipment-trailer cargo restraint: general federal requirements: U.S. Government Publishing Office (eCFR), 49 CFR §§ 393.100–393.114.
Federal rule Securement of heavy vehicles, equipment and machinery: U.S. Government Publishing Office (eCFR), 49 CFR § 393.130.
Federal rule Determining assembly WLL under the federal tiedown rule: U.S. Government Publishing Office (eCFR), 49 CFR § 393.108.
Federal rule FMCSA explanation of cargo-restraint duties for road transport: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Federal rule Control of Emissions from New and In-Use Nonroad Compression-Ignition Engines: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency / eCFR, 40 CFR Part 1039.
Federal rule Control of Emissions from New and In-Use Nonroad Compression-Ignition Engines (Tier 1–3): U.S. Environmental Protection Agency / eCFR, 40 CFR Part 89.
Federal rule Regulations for Emissions from Nonroad Vehicles and Engines: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Federal rule Roll-over protective structures (ROPS) for tractors used in agricultural operations: Occupational Safety and Health Administration / eCFR, 29 CFR § 1928.51.
Federal rule Guarding of farm field equipment, farmstead equipment and cotton gins: power take-off guarding: Occupational Safety and Health Administration / eCFR, 29 CFR § 1928.57.
Federal rule Occupations in agriculture particularly hazardous for the employment of children below the age of 16: U.S. Department of Labor / eCFR, 29 CFR § 570.71.
Federal rule Commercial Driver's License Standards: definitions and vehicle groups: U.S. Government Publishing Office (eCFR), 49 CFR §§ 383.5, 383.91.
Federal rule Exemptions for covered farm vehicles: U.S. Government Publishing Office (eCFR), 49 CFR § 390.39.
Federal rule General Compliance Provisions for Highway, Stationary and Nonroad Programs: prohibited acts: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency / eCFR, 40 CFR § 1068.101.
Federal rule Tampering and Aftermarket Defeat Devices: National Compliance Initiative: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Federal rule Certification: vehicle certification label, GVWR and GAWR: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration / eCFR, 49 CFR Part 567.
Federal rule Bridge Formula Weights: Federal Highway Administration.

Published standards

Standard Three-Point Free-Link Attachment for Hitching Implements to Agricultural Wheel Tractors: American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, ASABE S217.
Standard Rear Power Take-Off for Agricultural Tractors: American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, ASABE S203.
Standard Earth-moving machinery: Skid-steer loaders: Hitch dimensions: International Organization for Standardization, ISO 24410.
Standard Agricultural tractors and machinery: General-purpose quick-action hydraulic couplers: International Organization for Standardization, ISO 5675.
Standard OECD Standard Codes for the Official Testing of Agricultural and Forestry Tractors: Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Standard Rated Operating Load for Skid Steer Loaders: SAE International, SAE J818.
Standard Earth-moving machinery: Loaders and backhoe loaders: Calculation of rated operating capacity and test method for verifying calculated tipping load: International Organization for Standardization, ISO 14397-1.
Standard Earth-moving machinery: Basic types: Identification and terms and definitions: International Organization for Standardization, ISO 6165.
Standard Hydraulic fluid power: Flush-face type, quick-action couplings for use at pressures of 20 MPa (200 bar) to 31,5 MPa (315 bar): International Organization for Standardization, ISO 16028.
Standard Attachment of Implements to Agricultural Wheel Tractors Equipped with Quick-Attaching Coupler for Three-Point Free-Link Attachment: American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, ASABE S278.
Standard Slow-Moving Vehicle Identification Emblem: American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, ASABE S276.
Standard Lighting and Marking of Agricultural Equipment on Highways: American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, ASABE S279.
Standard Safety for Agricultural Field Equipment: American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, ASABE S318.
Standard Standard Specification for Diesel Fuel: ASTM International, ASTM D975.
Standard Standard Specification for Diesel Fuel Oil, Biodiesel Blend (B6 to B20): ASTM International, ASTM D7467.
Standard Diesel engines: NOx reduction agent AUS 32: Quality requirements, test methods, handling and storage: International Organization for Standardization, ISO 22241-1 to -4.
Standard Engine Oil Licensing and Certification System: service categories CK-4 and FA-4: American Petroleum Institute, API 1509.
Standard Engine Oil Viscosity Classification: SAE International, SAE J300.
Standard Hydraulic fluid power: Fluids: Method for coding the level of contamination by solid particles: International Organization for Standardization, ISO 4406.
Standard Performance Requirements for Determining Tow-Vehicle Gross Combination Weight Rating and Trailer Weight Rating: SAE International, SAE J2807.
Standard Safety Standard for Rough Terrain Forklift Trucks: Industrial Truck Standards Development Foundation, ANSI/ITSDF B56.6.
Standard Earth-moving machinery: Hydraulic excavators: Lift capacity: International Organization for Standardization, ISO 10567:2007.
Standard Earth-moving machinery: Dumper bodies: Volumetric rating: International Organization for Standardization, ISO 6483:1980.

Independent test laboratories

Test lab Nebraska Tractor Test Laboratory: OECD and Nebraska test reports: University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

Specification measurement guides Definitions and configuration examples for the figures in source documents.
Contact: Report an error Send document revisions and disputed figures.

Comparing catalogue configurations

A multi-model comparison keeps each named configuration in its own column. Sharing a guide does not establish identical equipment: read the model, market and edition beside the quantity. A dealer sheet may describe a different year or package.

Compare engine power on the same measurement basis, and lift figures at the same measurement point; horsepower alone does not establish hydraulic delivery, digging force or lifting capacity. The category coverage records describe the historical catalogue, rather than a promise that every product line is present.

The category directories exclude prices from their specification comparisons. Their counts describe coverage, not the number of machines available for sale. Current sale advertisements need their own dated condition, equipment and asking-price evidence.

Reading model evidence

A RitchieSpecs or TractorData listing is a secondary reference to published equipment specifications. It may describe a historical configuration rather than the manufacturer’s current machine. Use the model designation, measurement basis and document date together.

The model guides retain their named source links and the original observation dates; a dated listing is not a promise that every later revision is identical.

Asking prices are not sale prices. A market snapshot includes only the advertised machines shown by the linked source on its stated date. An absent price or hour reading cannot enter its range or median.

Compare the actual year, hours, attachments and condition before treating two advertisements as substitutes.

Linked forum threads are other people’s discussions. A title naming a machine shows what a person asked, not how frequently that machine fails. Topic counts can include the same title in several categories and are not failure rates.

Read the linked discussion and check its exact model before applying an owner’s account to a different configuration.

Shipping weight, operating weight and attachment weight describe different loads. Keep the stated measurement point and fitted-equipment condition beside each quantity. For published ratings and comparisons, the model’s source document takes precedence over a search-title match or a nearby model name.

Serial-specific operating question: fuel burn under the intended load. Source specifications describe their stated configurations; a table alone does not measure fuel consumption during a particular job. Owner accounts are reports rather than tested frequency estimates.

The historical opinion tables included a pro or con only when two reviewers named it; that inclusion rule is not a test of machine reliability.

Legacy comparison tables rank the records included in their stated brand and equipment group, descending by the named field: rank 1 is the largest recorded quantity, not the best machine. Their scope is the captured reference set, not a complete manufacturer range. TractorByNet review totals and averages describe the historical owner entries shown beside them, not this website’s reviews or a reliability test.