Very well said about the budget issues. Each of us is different. I've formed my idea/opinion of buying as much HP as I can is based on my own real world experience. As I mentioned before I started out with the 37 hp then moved up to the 66 hp CUT. There are always times when I am engaged in pto and loader work that I fully use the extra HP and that the lessor hp simply would not work. Examples are many, but here are a few; A) Rotor tilling and discing or plowing land. I've hit tougher soil, rocks, clay that even now with the 66 hp can almost bog it down, but with a 35-40 hp it will bog down the tractor. So then I either can't till or plow those areas, or I waste much more time and fuel trying to 'baby' the implements through the tougher areas of ground. I'm also thinking that this causes much more wear and tear on the equipment with less hp as you are maxing out the rpm's and, in effect, forcing more work than they can handle. B) mowing... seems simple, when you are mowing fairly level ground that has already been cut, right? But add in thick, tangled brush/grass, soft soil and any incline and then what do you get? The smaller hp will, again, bog down or even worse could get stuck if you encounter a wet spot in the area you are mowing. If you have a 6 foot bush hog the thing weights about 1100 to 1200 lbs depending on type etc. I've hit many a wet spot that nearly bogged down the 66 hp, but with some quick thinking was able to muscle it through and keep on working... (read, getting a 4wd CUT stuck in a mucky spot with a 1200 pd implement on back that is now dragging in the mud is simply no fun...) C) pulling/pushing stuff (i.e. large trees) out of your way, or out of the woods. This one is a no brainer, I've had very large oak trees that were down that I needed to move out of the way. I literally beat the snot out of the 37 hp and one time bent a loader arm trying to move very dense & heavy oaks trees from point A to point B. The 66 hp just does everything I ask of it in this instance. You could say the same for moving large rocks with the loader. Now, for loader work. While you many not technically gain any 'lift' weight, you gain more tractor weight (translates into traction) and more power. If you have watched any of my early youtube video's, particularly the one where I dig a deer watering hole (with the 66hp), I will tell you that you simply can't do that type of loader work with a 40hp. OK, maybe I should clarify that a little.... You may be able to do the digging with the less hp, but again, it will take you much longer, possibly much more frustration, and much more wear and tear on the equipment by really, really taxing it. if you look at another of my videos pushing over a 30 foot tree and uprooting it with the 66 hp, you won't do that either with a 40 hp. I know this because I've tried many times with the 37. I can't say for sure what the 'magic' line of having enough hp for nearly any job is, but I prefer to err on the side of caution and get as much as I can swing now, because I know it will pay me back later. I'm not a mechanic so I don't really know how much more fuel you use with the 60 vs the 40, 45, or 50.. Perhaps you may even use less with a bigger hp engine if it is not taxed as hard doing the pto work?? If your budget is tighter and it might make the difference between getting and implement or not getting it, then that may be a good choice to go smaller. But if it were to mean that you just had to delay getting the implement, to get the hp, my recommendation still stands; get as much HP as you can possibly afford, because we are all finding jobs with our tractors that surprise us and when you have 60 hp at your disposal, 99% of the time you will be able to succeed at the job at hand. Whatever you decide though, good luck!!
