What are 80 to 120 hp tractors used for?

[jadk]

Hi,

I'm a grad student working on a research project focused on the north american tractor industry (with no previous experience in this area). I'm trying to break down the types of farms and the tasks that require tractors with 80 to 120 engine horsepower.

For example, operating a horse farm includes hay baling and a specific tractor for that task. What I want to be able to do is produce a table that indicates the tractor horsepower (in the 80 to 120 range) that would be needed for a specific task on a specific farm type.

Any help?

Thanks,
Jad

Note - I know that I should be looking at PTO horsepower which is less than engine horsepower. As long as I don't go outside the 80 to 120 engine horsepower range, I'm fine.

 

[Mark Page]

There is very little that a 45 horsepower tractor can't do that a 120 hp tractor can do, only on a smaller and less efficient scale.
80 to 120 horse power tractors can efficienly:
Pull a 6 bottom rollover plow, although not many farmers plow any more.
Pull 15ft. disc harrow.
Cut hay and straw
Windrow hay and straw
Bale hay and stray
Make big round bales of hay and move then with a front end loader
Plant row crops such as corn and soy beans
Harvest row crops although this job is best left to combines
Drive a large PTO generator
Move deep snow
Pull a five hundred gallon sprayer
Pull it's way through soft ground
Load a tall silo
Handle large quantities of manure
Pull an 18 foot bush hog
Pull a large manure spreader
Some times the manuverability of a smaller machine is adventageous. Cleaning out a horse barn or milking parler would, in most cases, be impossible with a large machine. Using a post hole digger with a smaller machine gives you greater visibility. Pulling a 6 foot bush hog or finish mower is efficiently accomplished with a 30 to 45 horse tractor. Tilling a vegetable garden with a 3pt rotatiller is easier.
You've really opened up a can of worms here. Farmers in different parts of the country have different ways of doing things. In the mid west they use very large machines with very large implements. I'm sure you've seen the pictures of 5 combines, one next to and one behind the other 5 across harvesting 1,000's of acres of wheat. Here on the east coast such a set up would be a waste.
We have a 20 acre hobby farm and breed horses. A 45hp machine does everything we need with out hitch.
This is really a loaded question, I'm sure you'll get numerous replies.

 

[Jerry/MT]

Hi,

I'm a grad student working on a research project focused on the north american tractor industry (with no previous experience in this area). I'm trying to break down the types of farms and the tasks that require tractors with 80 to 120 engine horsepower.

For example, operating a horse farm includes hay baling and a specific tractor for that task. What I want to be able to do is produce a table that indicates the tractor horsepower (in the 80 to 120 range) that would be needed for a specific task on a specific farm type.

Any help?

Thanks,
Jad

Note - I know that I should be looking at PTO horsepower which is less than engine horsepower. As long as I don't go outside the 80 to 120 engine horsepower range, I'm fine.

Tractors in this horsepower range are often used on ranches for mowing, conditioning, and round baling hay, moving large round bales with loaders, feeding the bales, snow removal, and smaller tillage operations.

 

[Soundguy]

yep.. bigger tractors.. bigger implements... my 95hp pulls a 15' mower.. etc.


soundguy

 

[Egon]

A lot variables to play with.

In many cases the tractor is chosen for that job requiring the most HP. It may be used for many less demanding jobs.

In many areas the HP. being researched would not be considered as a viable tractor.

 

[super55]

I would try to include this point for the 80-120. This class of tractor is almost used exclusively for the person that makes a living off the land. Why do they use these things? Because Farmers are always pressed for time during planting and harvesting.

Look at it this way. When you work 1000-2000 acres (many farms are much larger now) and your livelihood depends on getting a seed in the ground. You can't control the weather for ideal planting but you can control the rate you get it in when the conditions are ideal. The same goes for harvesting, If grain moisture is low and prices are up these farmers are doing everything in there power to get the crop off the fields. A lot of times you will see these large tractors (I'm including combines as tractors) running 24/7 until all the planting or harvesting is done if the farmers' know inclement weather is coming.

Having a crop get in a month late due to wet conditions or having to run the dryers on crops such as corn to get the moisture at an acceptable level can cost a farmer thousands easily in there overall profit so it makes sense to try and run the largest tractor possible within his/her means. Farming is a tough occupation it always seems it's either too dry or too wet. Can you do a lot of the same tasks with a smaller tractor? Absolutely, but when time is of the essence you want to be able to use the largest implement available to get the job done.

Good luck on your paper you hit the right spot for resources. :thumbsup:

 

[Groo]

An 80 hp tractor will do anything a 60 hp tractor will do, but do it faster and or easier, plus haul heavier loads.

It is sort of like asking what can a V10 truck do? Anything a V8 can do (and quicker) and then a little more. I felt like I was killing my 1/2 ton V8 hauling a heavy trailer across the state, that the new 1 ton V10 did with ease while burning about the same amount of gas doing it.

 

[jinman]

Hi,

I'm a grad student working on a research project focused on the north american tractor industry (with no previous experience in this area). I'm trying to break down the types of farms and the tasks that require tractors with 80 to 120 engine horsepower.

Any help?

Thanks,
Jad

Surely, you can give us more info than you provided. What type of graduate degree would require you to get statistical data of this type of equipment with ZERO experience? That sounds absolutely bonkers to me.:confused2: As a matter of fact, I'd expect such an off-the-wall project to come from some government bean counter who was trying to cut costs and find justification for his austerity measures. Instead of throwing out a broad range of tractor horsepower with no info on use or configuration, you need to ask a better question. You will never get good definitive info with your method. Everyone has their opinion based on their own particular usage and configuration. For example, are you aware that most tractors used in construction fall within those specs?

I'm just asking that you clarify what graduate program you are in, the purpose of your research, and give us a specific task related to these tractors. The answer to your question is far too wide ranging for a detailed analysis here. If you have a specific question relating to a specific farm job, it would make sense. For example, you could ask about haying and what specific jobs might cause a farmer to upgrade from an 80 hp to a 120 hp tractor. That would be a reasonable question in my opinion. For someone who knows nothing about farming to ask a broad polling question is a sign that you don't know the issues or don't care. Please don't take offense, but rather clarify your needs.

 

[Groo]

Surely, you can give us more info than you provided. What type of graduate degree would require you to get statistical data of this type of equipment with ZERO experience? That sounds absolutely bonkers to me.:confused2: As a matter of fact, I'd expect such an off-the-wall project to come from some government bean counter who was trying to cut costs and find justification for his austerity measures. Instead of throwing out a broad range of tractor horsepower with no info on use or configuration, you need to ask a better question. You will never get good definitive info with your method. Everyone has their opinion based on their own particular usage and configuration. For example, are you aware that most tractors used in construction fall within those specs?

I'm just asking that you clarify what graduate program you are in, the purpose of your research, and give us a specific task related to these tractors. The answer to your question is far too wide ranging for a detailed analysis here. If you have a specific question relating to a specific farm job, it would make sense. For example, you could ask about haying and what specific jobs might cause a farmer to upgrade from an 80 hp to a 120 hp tractor. That would be a reasonable question in my opinion. For someone who knows nothing about farming to ask a broad polling question is a sign that you don't know the issues or don't care. Please don't take offense, but rather clarify your needs.

People do graduate programs to learn. not to tell people what they know.

 

[rsewill]

Surely, you can give us more info than you provided. What type of graduate degree would require you to get statistical data of this type of equipment with ZERO experience? That sounds absolutely bonkers to me.:confused2: As a matter of fact, I'd expect such an off-the-wall project to come from some government bean counter who was trying to cut costs and find justification for his austerity measures. Instead of throwing out a broad range of tractor horsepower with no info on use or configuration, you need to ask a better question. You will never get good definitive info with your method. Everyone has their opinion based on their own particular usage and configuration. For example, are you aware that most tractors used in construction fall within those specs?

I'm just asking that you clarify what graduate program you are in, the purpose of your research, and give us a specific task related to these tractors. The answer to your question is far too wide ranging for a detailed analysis here. If you have a specific question relating to a specific farm job, it would make sense. For example, you could ask about haying and what specific jobs might cause a farmer to upgrade from an 80 hp to a 120 hp tractor. That would be a reasonable question in my opinion. For someone who knows nothing about farming to ask a broad polling question is a sign that you don't know the issues or don't care. Please don't take offense, but rather clarify your needs.

Perhaps Jad is not from this hemisphere so s/he is trying to gather basic information on the type of tractors we use for the type of farming we do. Jad could have asked about 300+ HP tractors...