6 Best Tractor Submersible Pumps For Draining Flooded Fields Old Farmers Use
Discover the 6 tractor submersible pumps seasoned farmers trust for flood control. A look at the most reliable, high-volume, PTO-driven models.
There’s no feeling quite like looking out at a field you just planted and seeing it under six inches of standing water after a surprise downpour. Every hour the water sits is another hour your crop is suffocating, and your season’s hard work is washing away. In these moments, you don’t need a fancy solution; you need a powerful, reliable tool to move a massive amount of water, and you need it now.
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Why a PTO Pump Beats an Electric for Field Drainage
When your back field is a lake, the last thing you want to do is run hundreds of feet of heavy-gauge extension cord through the mud. Electric submersible pumps are great for basements, but they lack the raw, untethered power needed for serious agricultural work. You’d need a massive, expensive generator to run an electric pump with the same capacity as a standard PTO-driven model.
Your tractor is the solution. It’s a mobile power plant you already own, and a Power Take-Off (PTO) pump harnesses that engine’s horsepower directly. There are no cords to trip over, no generators to refuel, and no delicate electronics to fry in the damp conditions. You just back the tractor up to the water’s edge, drop the pump in, and engage the PTO.
Furthermore, PTO pumps are built for the abuse of farm life. They’re designed with heavy-duty gearboxes, cast-iron housings, and simple, robust mechanics that can handle muddy water and long, continuous run times. An electric pump might get the job done once or twice, but a PTO pump is the tool you’ll be relying on for decades.
Agri-Drain Torrent 6": The High-Volume Workhorse
This is the sledgehammer of field drainage. When your primary problem is a massive quantity of water on relatively flat ground, you need to prioritize Gallons Per Minute (GPM) above all else. The Torrent 6" and pumps like it are designed for one thing: moving a biblical amount of water as quickly as humanly possible.
With a wide 6-inch discharge hose, these pumps create a literal river, visibly lowering the water level in a flooded field in hours, not days. They are at their best in low-lying pastures or sprawling vegetable fields where the discharge point isn’t significantly higher than the water source. The goal here is pure, unadulterated flow.
The tradeoff for all this power is size and horsepower requirement. A pump this large needs a tractor with at least 40-50 horsepower to run effectively at the required 540 RPM. It’s also heavy and cumbersome, making it less than ideal for tight spots or small, localized flooding. This is for solving big problems, not minor puddles.
GatorPump Trash-Eater: Best for Debris-Filled Water
Floodwater is never just water. It’s a soup of floating crop residue, leaves, sticks, and mud. A standard high-volume pump will suck this debris into its intake and clog within minutes, forcing you to constantly stop and clear it out—a miserable job in a muddy field.
A "trash pump" like the GatorPump is the answer. These pumps feature a specially designed impeller and a wider internal cavity (called a volute) that can pass solids up to an inch or more in diameter. Instead of jamming, it simply chews up the debris and spits it out the other end.
This is the pump you need for draining waterlogged ditches, clearing out a choked-up pond, or dealing with a field where last season’s corn stalks are floating everywhere. While you might sacrifice a little bit of maximum GPM compared to a pure water pump, the benefit of uninterrupted operation is immeasurable. When the water is dirty, a trash pump is always the right choice.
Tuff-Pump PTO-Flex 4: A Compact & Versatile Choice
Not every water problem requires a fire-hose solution. Sometimes you need to drain a smaller, awkward area, like a waterlogged high tunnel or a swale between crop rows. For these jobs, a massive 6-inch pump is overkill and its heavy hose is a nightmare to wrestle into position.
This is where a more compact 4-inch pump shines. It’s lighter, more maneuverable, and the smaller hose is far easier to manage. Critically, it also demands less horsepower from the tractor, making it a perfect match for the sub-compact and compact utility tractors common on many small farms and homesteads.
The versatility of a smaller pump is its greatest strength. It’s big enough to handle a moderately flooded 5-acre field, but nimble enough to be used for other farm tasks, like transferring water from a pond to distant livestock tanks or irrigating a large garden. It’s a multi-tool that solves many different water-related problems.
IronHorse Field-Saver 500: Built for Longevity
Some tools are disposable; others are an investment meant to be passed down. Pumps built for longevity, like the IronHorse, fall squarely into the second category. They may look similar to other pumps from a distance, but the difference is in the materials and construction.
Look for features like a heavy cast-iron housing instead of aluminum, a grease-filled heavy-duty gearbox, and stainless steel components in critical wear areas. These are not flashy selling points, but they are what allow a pump to withstand the vibration, grit, and long hours of farm work year after year. A cheaper pump might save you money today, but it will fail you on the exact day you need it most.
This level of durability comes at a premium price. However, if you farm in a low-lying area and deal with water issues every spring, the math changes. The cost of a failed pump—in lost crops, time, and stress—is far greater than the initial price difference. Buying a well-built pump is buying peace of mind.
Workhorse High-Head 3: Pumping Uphill with Ease
Moving water across a flat field is one thing; pushing it up a steep hill is another challenge entirely. Most high-volume pumps are designed for flow, not pressure. If you try to pump water 20 feet up and over a roadway, a high-GPM pump will slow to a disappointing trickle.
This is a job for a high-head pump. These pumps are engineered differently, sacrificing maximum volume to generate the high pressure needed to overcome gravity. The "head lift" rating tells you the maximum vertical distance the pump can effectively push water.
Consider your farm’s topography. If your flooded area is a basin and the only safe place to discharge the water is significantly higher, a high-head pump is essential. It’s the difference between actually draining the field and just churning water at the bottom of a hill. They are also invaluable for pushing water over long horizontal distances through irrigation pipes.
Homesteader’s All-Purpose 4": Reliable All-Rounder
For many small farms, the water challenges vary from year to year. One spring it might be a waterlogged pasture, the next it might be a pond that needs to be lowered. Buying a highly specialized pump might not make sense. This is where a good all-around pump becomes the most valuable tool.
A 4-inch pump with a semi-trash design offers the best of all worlds. It moves a respectable volume of water, can handle some leaves and small debris without constant clogging, and is manageable enough for a single person to deploy. It hits the sweet spot of performance, versatility, and cost.
It may not empty a field as fast as a 6-inch monster or push water as high as a dedicated high-head unit, but it can do both jobs reasonably well. For the hobby farmer who needs a reliable and flexible solution for occasional flooding, this type of pump is often the smartest and most practical investment.
Choosing Your Pump: GPM, Head Lift, and PTO Speed
When you’re staring at a wall of pumps, don’t get distracted by brand names or flashy paint. The right choice comes down to matching the pump’s specifications to your tractor and your most common problem. Get this right, and you’ll have a tool that serves you well for years.
First, and most importantly, is PTO Speed. Your tractor’s PTO spins at a set speed, almost always 540 RPM on older or smaller tractors, with some larger models offering a 1000 RPM option. You must buy a pump with a gearbox that matches your tractor’s PTO speed. This is the absolute first filter in your search.
Next, analyze your land to decide between volume and pressure.
- GPM (Gallons Per Minute): This is your raw dewatering speed. If your land is flat and you just need to move a lot of water to an adjacent ditch, maximize your GPM.
- Head Lift: This is your vertical pushing power. If you need to pump water up and over a berm, road, or hill, the head lift rating is your most important number. A high-GPM pump with a low head lift rating will be useless in this scenario.
Finally, be honest about your water quality. If it’s full of last season’s corn stalks, cattails, or other gunk, a trash pump isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity. Choosing the right pump is about diagnosing your specific problem first, then finding the tool built to solve it.
A PTO pump is more than just a piece of equipment; it’s insurance for your crops and your land. By understanding the fundamental tradeoffs between volume, pressure, and debris handling, you can select a pump that perfectly matches the unique challenges of your farm. The right pump won’t just drain a field—it will save a season.
