PTO Horsepower ?

[RioBlanco]

Hello all.

A sincere thank you to all who have taken the time and effort to answer so many questions from so many tractor fans.

After scouring over the discussions for days, I have decided on several tractor models that will meet my needs. The question I have relates to a dealers description of Tractor HP vs. PTO HP. I was comparing the JD 4115 (24HP with 20HP PTO) to the Kubota 7610 (24HP with 18HP PTO). My dealer felt I should really be comparing the JD 4110 with hydrostatic trans (20 HP with 17HP PTO). In large part because price wise the JD 4110 and Kubota 7610 were similar but the JD 4115 was significantly more. (Of note my dealer sells all three models)

Does the engine HP not make that much of a difference? Is it really all about the PTO? How does JD gear their tractors to only lose 3 HP from engine to PTO when Kubota loses 6HP? Does any of this really matter?

Thanks in advance

Peter

 

[755inNY]

Peter,

You ask a very good question.

Certainly PTO HP is important for the implements you want to run such as a mower or bush hog. These type of implements will specify the minimum HP required. You also must be concerned about the weight of the implement as it could require additional ballasting depending on your tractor size.

There will always be some loss between engine HP and PTO HP. The actual difference 3, 5, 6, etc HP is not that significant. That is, I would not base my tractor selection on it. Keep in mind that the HP ratings are not necessarily determined the same way by each manufacturer. Testing and test conditions may be different and some ratings may be estimates with no actual testing to back them up.

Jeff

 

[RoyJackson]

I've ran a 60" rotary cutter with 16 PTO HP with little problems. Not real fast, mind you..but it did the job. The cutter manufacturer recommended 20 PTO HP minimum, by the way.
My new tractor has 24 PTO HP, but the only difference I notice is when it bogs down, it recovers quicker then the 16 HP machine.

However...for a chipper, I'd stick pretty close to the manufacturer's minumum HP requirements

 

[RioBlanco]

Thanks Jeff and Roy.

As always the readers of this site are extremely helpful. A combination of practical advice and real world experience.

Exactly what I was looking for to guide me.

Many thanks

Peter

 

[Woodbeef]

With the smaller tractors you most often have to end up believing what the manufacturer states for pto hp. They do not test them at the Nebraska lab or OECD like Ag-tractors are. As for the losses from gross to pto,with out a true unbiased testing facility it becomes a crap shoot on who is closest to telling the truth(Manufacturer's estimated horsepower as it states in the brochures) But all tractors have some type of parasitic losses,some more than others.