How many HP/acre do you run? Why?

[newbury]

The question is always coming up - I've X acres, how big a tractor do I need?

Obviously if you are plowing 100 acres you need more HP than the guy mowing 1/2 acre.

For about 3 years I was running a B7610 on 1/4 acre, because I planned on getting it down to Mississippi. Definitely overkill (about 100HP/acre).
I continued that, buying a 50HP for 1/2 acre in 2013 .

Well I finally got the 50HP down here to Mississippi and about 400 acres and the B7610 should follow in a year. So I plan on running about 75HP for 400 acres mainly for maintaining trails in 400 acres of woodlots as a retirement hobby.

So I'll be running about 75 HP on 400 acres, or about 0.2 HP/acre for maintaining trails non-profit and pleasure riding.

 

[andrehoude123]

Iv got 45 for 300 acres really depends on what your doing in the woods

 

[Gary Fowler]

Not counting my lawnmowers, I have 9HP per acre with tractors. Throw in the 2 lawmowers and its 12.9 per acre. I really could get by with just my B26TLB and my Ferris zero turn for 4.3 HP per acre

 

[oldballs]

I don't think HP per acre has much to do with it as such. It depends on what one plans on doing with it, the terrain, and the other variables...at least that's my thinking.

 

[big bubba]

I don't think HP per acre has much to do with it as such. It depends on what one plans on doing with it, the terrain, and the other variables...at least that's my thinking.

i agree. pretty much a mute question, doesn't make much sense. esp when you figure in lawnmowers

 

[newbury]

I don't think HP per acre has much to do with it as such. It depends on what one plans on doing with it, the terrain, and the other variables...at least that's my thinking.

i agree. pretty much a mute question, doesn't make much sense. esp when you figure in lawnmowers

That was the Why? in the title - as in

0.2 HP/acre for maintaining trails non-profit and pleasure riding.

.

But thanks for chiming in with no info.

 

[TSO]

I don't think HP per acre has much to do with it as such. It depends on what one plans on doing with it, the terrain, and the other variables...at least that's my thinking.

Exactly...

First, decide on the jobs you'll be doing, and what size implements you'll want to run. Then, account for other considerations that you'll need, like feature & transmission options.

For me the main concerns are loader, 3pt strength & PTO...then features. I wanted to be able to run 6'-7' implements, enough PTO power to operate my sized implements comfortably, a strong loader, HST, and size/feature considerations.

I ended up with right around 50 HP. I only have 15 acres and I only "farm" a small portion of it, so I feel it is sized appropriately. I think this tractor could manage small-scale farming applications, but true farming is what I was doing, this likely isn't the right tractor for it.

But for "formula" purposes...

I have 3.3 HP per acre (total), and 12 HP per acre (that I "farm").

 

[flusher]

5.5 HP/acre. Seems like a less than useful factoid to me.

HP per foot of implement width for disc/field cultivators etc. or HP per plow share for a moldboard plow is much more important IMHO. Fold in considerations like soil conditions, amount of time available for the particular job to get a better estimate of HP requirements.

 

[D7E]

1476 acres with 2532hp = 1.71hp

 

[dusty3030]

43 hp on 80 acres = .54 hp per acre.

Truth be told though my home is on 10 acres and I mow around 2 1/2 of that as manicured lawn with a zero turn. Around 2 acres is woods and the rest of that is pasture that is mowed by the tractor. So at home most of my usage is cleaning out stalls, grading the gravel drive, and general moving stuff with the FEL.

In Mississippi I have 70 acres of timber that I really don't use the tractor on that often. I am working on a couple of food plots but for the "heaving lifting" down there I have a neighbor down the road from my property with a general excavating / dozer service that I have relied on for bigger work. It is a win / win for both of us because he can run down to my place between bigger jobs or leave a piece of equipment at my place and work on whatever I have in the evenings.