Template talk:Infobox tractor

Potential improvements

It looks likely that the current proposal to merge this infobox with {{infobox automobile}} will not proceed. So, what are the advantages of that infobox that could be back-fitted to this one? I made a comparison for that discussion, and also copied the example from this template's instructions into the discussion, translated to infobox automobile.

The significant differences I noticed in infobox automobile could be considered for porting to infobox tractor if this community is interested:

1. Infobox automobile is wider, so the picture is bigger
2. Section headers to break up a long list of features
3. Shaded (grey) title banner
4. Infobox automobile warns (in edit mode) about mis-spelled/excess parameters Done
5. It is not clear in the documentation what should be included in "weight" for tractors
6. Infobox automobile has far more fields to describe the shape and drivetrain of the vehicle. If this template remains separate, similar parameters could be added, but with better labels for tractors (steering system, number of drive wheels, ground pressure etc).

--Scott Davis ^Talk 21:30, 3 March 2020 (UTC)

All of these proposed changes seem quite reasonable and are becoming increasingly common in infoboxes. The thing I did notice about your D9 example was that if we made changes to the width, and added headers, the infobox would be longer than it is now, but that's something we can look at as any changes are made. --AussieLegend (✉) 07:21, 4 March 2020 (UTC)

All of these advantages would or could be gained by merging the templates; for which action your post is a great arguement. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 14:00, 7 March 2020 (UTC)

I would not have proposed the merger, but had no fundamental objection, so supported it as I saw benefit for articles about tractors. I expect that sometime the TFD will be closed as don't merge (possible as no consensus, which results in maintaining the status quo). Given that, we might as well explore which of the differences above are worthwhile. To a reader, what are the differences between the infoboxes on Ferguson TE20[1] and Allis-Chalmers Model B[2], and which of those differences matter and would be improvements if added to this infobox. If the decision is a coloured banner and section titles, then tractors should have a different colour to automobiles; what colour should it be? --Scott Davis ^Talk 10:39, 8 March 2020 (UTC)

I have added the unknown parameter check.

There are currently 19 tractor articles using {{infobox automobile}} and 30 articles using {{infobox tractor}} out of a possible total around 197 tractor articles. There are also 16 articles that use this infobox but are not in any tractor category. --Scott Davis ^Talk 13:08, 8 March 2020 (UTC)

@ScottDavis: I've been using the infobox in my work on agricultural tractors, at this time mainly widely influential models from about 1920 to 1975, which have some significant distinctions from pure tractors/bulldozers. This template seems to be set up to suit construction equipment more than cultivation equipment. However, with optional fields, it could work for either. The additional fields that would be best for agricultural tractors would be:

• NTTL test: The standardized test for North American agricultural equipment at the Nebraska Tractor Test Laboratory to verify drawbar pull, belt horsepower, if applicable, and PTO horsepower, along with fuel consumption, operating features, etc. This is the stated standard for any tractor sold in North America and is the basis for worldwide standards. The NTTL field can just be the test number number linking to the NTTL report, all publicly available at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
• Belt horsepower: Older tractors were rated by belt horsepower
• PTO horsepower: PTO horsepower gradually superseded belts
• Drawbar horsepower: Very old tractors were rated and designated by belt and drawbar HP, i.e. McCormick Model 30-15
• Engine displacement: Displacement was generally more relevant than raw horsepower, which was somewhat theoretical in any case. This has changed over time, but for most of the 20th century, displacement gave a broad idea of torque.
• Transmission: Most tractors are hydrostatic or hydraulically operated now, older tractors had mechanical transmissions and torque amplifiers
• Configuration variants: Agricultural tractors were typically available as row-crop tractors (adjustable axles),standard tractors (fixed axles), narrow front axles, wide front axles, industrial, utility, orchard, vineyard, high-crop, rice-growing, etc. models
• Plow ratings - One, two (14" and 16" plows were distinguished in two-plow ratings), three, four, or five or more plows were common ratings for tractors up to the 1970s

These can all be optional categories. The inclusion of NTTL test numbers and results is the best guarantee that the template will be useful, as they are extensively quoted in published literature. Things like flywheel horsepower and gross power are citical for bulldozers, but aren't measured in those exact terms per the NTTL protocol. Acroterion (talk) 12:42, 13 September 2021 (UTC)

Not to whine, but this is a good example of why Wikipedia is intimidating to new users - one appears to have to be proficient in Lua to edit an apparently simple template. Certainly, there's no transparent means to make changes. Acroterion (talk) 00:23, 17 September 2021 (UTC)

Sandbox test for chnages

@Acroterion: (and anyone else interested) I have added a bunch of extra parameters based on the above. Please have a look at the third test case in Template:Infobox tractor/testcases. In particular, does it cover what is needed? Are the fields displayed in a sensible order? Should there be section headings added like in {{Infobox automobile}}? If so what and where? You can try it out in other articles by using {{infobox tractor/sandbox}} in the editor or by adding additional testcases. I skipped plow rating as it does not appear widespread in Wikipedia. I added drawbar power, but am uncertain if it is sufficiently different to drawbar pull? To copy the sandbox into the main template, the documentation will also need to be updated. --Scott Davis ^Talk 05:14, 4 October 2021 (UTC)

Thanks, I'll take a look this evening. Plow ratings died out in the 1960s, it's really only applicable to early tractors and isn't essential. Drawbar pull is measured in units of weight/thrust (i.e., lb/N). drawbar power is measured in terms of power (i.e. hp/kW) Acroterion (talk) 12:37, 4 October 2021 (UTC)

@ScottDavis: This looks good, I'll work with this and see if anything comes up, but it appears to cover everything I was looking for. Thanks for the help. How do I use this in an article, though? Acroterion (talk) 00:06, 7 October 2021 (UTC)

@Acroterion: Since nobody else has commented and I did not make any breaking changes, I have migrated the sandbox to the live template so you can use it now. I intend to update the documentation later tonight to include the new fields. --Scott Davis ^Talk 05:59, 7 October 2021 (UTC)