pmsmechanic
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The infamous double post strikes again.
Why are tractors so under-powered?
- Thread starter IH782
- Start date
- Views: 34037
WHy would one want to replace tires on their tractor that often?
stuckmotor
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2ndhalf
Veteran Member
Or 5 gallons of water and a few chunks of coal... :thumbsup:
sixdogs
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...and six foot deep ruts in the lawn.
My father-in-law actually ran a steam tractor as a boy and said they were geared so low it took forever to go just a short distance. They used to hire kids--like him--to drive the beast from field to field.
JFoy
Silver Member
Guy that cleared our land recently did so with a big track loader. I asked him the specs of his machine and he said 26,000 lbs and 90 HP. I stood there stunned for a moment when I heard 90 HP. I said, "How can that possibly be with 90 HP?". He said people don't understand that it is weight and hydraulic speed that get the work done. Obviously the frame is substantially heavier. This was a real eye opener for me.
motownbrowne
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Pmsmechanic got it right. It's about duty cycle. You can run a tractor at full power at WOT all day long. That's what they're made for. You'd better not try running your new diesel pickup at WOT putting out it's full rated HP all day...
On a side note, once tractors get a little long on the tooth, bigger, higher HP models are often very cheap. You can buy a 100-200 HP Case, IH, Versatile, Allis-Chalmers for very cheap around here. If you want a tractor with major HP, buy one of them. Putting 100 HP in a compact is just gonna make it more complex, more expensive to buy, and more expensive to repair.
On a side note, once tractors get a little long on the tooth, bigger, higher HP models are often very cheap. You can buy a 100-200 HP Case, IH, Versatile, Allis-Chalmers for very cheap around here. If you want a tractor with major HP, buy one of them. Putting 100 HP in a compact is just gonna make it more complex, more expensive to buy, and more expensive to repair.
2ndhalf
Veteran Member
I've noticed that a lot of guys own really big tractors with high hours; I'm guessing many bought them used. It makes a lot of sense to buy that way if you are handy with a wrench. You could get a really nice tractor with a couple thousand hours left of life left in it.
hayden
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This and the original pmsmechanic post are why the HP per liter of displacement is much lower in a tractor than in a car. The same thing happens in boats. The same Cummins engine used in Dodge trucks is rated below 200 hp for continuous duty marine use, or pump use, or generator use. Take that same engine and rate it for "pleasure boat" use, and the HP rating jumps up over 300hp. But you can only run it for 1 hr at full power, then need to scale way back. And there are annual limits on the number of hours.
My boat's engine in 9 liters, so nearly double the displacement of the Cummins truck engine, yet is rated at just under 300hp for continuous duty. So it will run at wide open throttle 24x7, pausing only for oil changes, and do so for 20,000-30,000 hours. And the engine, by the way, is a Deere used in large tractors, construction equipment, generator plants, and pumping stations.
