Will 10 Horsepower actually matter on the same size tractor?

[DerpDerp]

Hi all, I wont lie, I am totally new to the tractor world. Very familiar with cars and trucks, not so much on tractors. But, I have been reading articles, posts, and watching videos like crazy for the past 2 months learning what I can as we shop tractors.

Lets take the Kioti NX4510 and NX5510 for example. Both HST. Same basic tractor, 10 more HP. Otherwise between the 2, its larger (wider) tires, and a better 3 pt hitch, thats it I think.

So does 10 Hp matter, say your using a decent sized PTO Snowblower in what the town plows leave behind after a 12" snow fall, is that 10 Hp noticeable?

What about if your just pushing snow around with a pusher box, will the extra HP and TQ help?

Is there other benefits of more HP other than running the PTO?

Have you ever in your 35 or 40 Hp tractor, wished you had 45 or 50 Hp?

Curious to hear everyone's opinions, thank you!

 

[K5lwq]

When using PTO powered implements yes 10 HP will be noticeable improvement. Otherwise most likely not.

 

[RickB]

I bet I'd notice 20% less (or more) power. But if you never used the other one you probably wouldn't know any better.

 

[ericm979]

Depends if your use of said PTO implements demands full power. For me, mowing relatively short grass and brush (because it does not rain in the summer here) with a 5' rotary cutter, I could do that with half the 32 PTO HP my tractor has. Someone with taller grass might need all of it.

When I am using the PTO chipper if I'm feeding it brush or small branches it's loafing but if I give it a 6" branch to chew on I have to set the chipper feed to the minimum and I could still use a extra 10hp.

OTOH I can use all the engine power just climbing my steepest road.

For ground engaging tasks traction is usually the limiter rather than power. That's true even with the heavy Branson with loaded tires.

 

[SPYDERLK]

More power on tap on the same tractor increases its working flexibility. A 10HP change on most any tractor would make a huge difference to someone accustomed to the tractor. In the case of an increase you would notice the ability to go up hills faster w/o losing rpm. Less gearshifting because of more grunt in each gear. On an HST you would be able to use a higher Range mowing or snow throwing - this would enable slow to fast groundspeed at full PTO RPM without having to change the range for varying conditions. In general every situation that slowed you down or caused you to have to make repetitive adaptations to the point of annoyance would be alleviated to some extent.

 

[Thomas]

Less strain on the motor.

 

[Have tractor did travel]

Aside from the difference of 10 hp rating at the PTO, it's 25% less (OR 33% MORE). A person who had used the NX5510 would absolutely notice the difference when using the NX4510. However, if no-one has eaten caviar, or sipped scotch, or chocolate cover strawberries, they don't miss them.
Remember the advise - buy all the tractor you can afford. As the owner, you don't necessarily get the use of the greater capacity, but you'll recover your money with the price you'll get when it's time to sell. And at some time, that tractor will be sold, either by you, or your heirs

 

[YLee Kioti]

I've got the NX4510HST and am happy with it...BUT would I go 10hp more....???

YES...!!! I've turned down work because I don't have a batwing for my lil ol 39hp PTO......
60 acre job.......and it seems the more willing to turn down jobs and treating my customers respectfully I'm still getting more work.
The NX I have just cut 2 acres of 9 foot tall woody plants 3/4 to 1 inch in diameter. Took six passes and 7 hours......bat wings would have helped a lot.....
Never spoke with a rancher out here saying wish he'd bought smaller.....I bought twice and cried twice....
First one was a CK4010HST root plowing cause machine to stop in its tracks and spin all four wheels.....
The NX just grunts and goes slow but it gets it done.....

My opinion though is free and not worth much more......lol......enjoy your choice......

 

[ericm979]

Less strain on the motor.

Unlike cars and pickup trucks tractor engines are made to run at full power for long periods. And your usual CUT user only puts on 100 or so hours a year. I would not worry about engine longevity. Also the emissions system present on models over 25.5 hp works better when the engine is run hard.

 

[WM75Guy]

My TC40DA is 40HP, my Boomer 8N was 50HP, 20% more. PTO HP was 33 vs 40. I could tell the difference using the 6' cutter, especially in tall grass. Get the extra HP if you can.

 

[IndyJay]

Less strain on the motor.

Not sure about the NX series, but with the DK10 series the (45,50,55 HP) tractors within a model are identical, even the engines. It is all in the ECU tuning.

 

[YLee Kioti]

DK just has a few less bells and whistles.
Kissing cousins...heh...

 

[JCoastie]

I selected my frame size and went with the most HP for that frame, worked well for me.

 

[shooterdon]

I bought a 40HP and wish I had got the 50HP model....same frame and engine...just different tune.

With a 74” snowblower, the extra power would have been better.

 

[DerpDerp]

Thanks everyone for the replies! Some great insight here.

Being our first tractor, its tough to see or say what we'll be using it for in the future. But for right now its main use will be moving snow (and we get alot of it here) and loader work.

Its over a 5k price difference between the NX4510 and NX5510. It is in our budget, but we just dont know if its worth it.

 

[YLee Kioti]

Thanks everyone for the replies! Some great insight here.

Being our first tractor, its tough to see or say what we'll be using it for in the future. But for right now its main use will be moving snow (and we get alot of it here) and loader work.

Its over a 5k price difference between the NX4510 and NX5510. It is in our budget, but we just dont know if its worth it.

Feel your pain. Just re-read my contract because the pay off is getting close!....about a 35k deal of machine and loader.
Good habit we have is we pay a lot into principle on any long term purchases. So this made the trade in less painful.
Snow will work your machine but who has that ancient 8-Ball with all the right answers? lol....
The extra horsepower in some short time frame, in the future, may very well present opportunities that one never thought of during the decision process.
So guess a hard look at land, future dreams, projects etc. and take your time to revisit all points of interest over a few days or a week before deciding.....easier said then done but man it was time, I was acting like a kid on xmas day....when the NX was prepped...!!!

On edit: Being retired my idea of hobby was working on my guns and punching holes in paper. Well that didn't work out. Had I bought the NX 5010HST and a 10ft bat wing I'd be cutting full time right now. Had no idea but the elderly as one lady I met this past week her husband can no longer cut (84yrs). So had to turn down the 60 acre job.
Which is ok cause the guy I gave the hand off to will send me the small 1-10 acre jobs my way. That said....the NX45 has been and continues to be a solid work machine.
It has root plowed huiachase roots 4-5 foot long, cut 9 foot tall pastures and with forks taken down storm damaged widow maker limbs.
It took me some time (maybe two years) to get to know the land and what the machine can really do and yeah now that the hard work is done I can go back to a 35 or 40 hp.
But nah....the small jobs helping others out is pretty satisfying and having that margin of giddy-up helps out.

All the best on your selection....!!!

 

[Midniteoyl]

I selected my frame size and went with the most HP for that frame, worked well for me.

Almost the same.. I picked the frame, then went for the mid hp one. I felt that in the case of Kioti, the series' lowest HP is just there to hit a price point, and the highest is a money grab. Especially seeing as its only a 5hp jump and not another 10 like the jump from the lower to the mid is, but commands a similar price jump.

 

[Cahaba Valley Farm]

Almost the same.. I picked the frame, then went for the mid hp one. I felt that in the case of Kioti, the series' lowest HP is just there to hit a price point, and the highest is a money grab. Especially seeing as its only a 5hp jump and not another 10 like the jump from the lower to the mid is, but commands a similar price jump.

"I felt that in the case of Kioti, the series' lowest HP is just there to hit a price point, and the highest is a money grab."

Well said. It's exactly how the manufacturers are playing the game with us.

 

[Cahaba Valley Farm]

Hi all, I wont lie, I am totally new to the tractor world. Very familiar with cars and trucks, not so much on tractors. But, I have been reading articles, posts, and watching videos like crazy for the past 2 months learning what I can as we shop tractors.

Lets take the Kioti NX4510 and NX5510 for example. Both HST. Same basic tractor, 10 more HP. Otherwise between the 2, its larger (wider) tires, and a better 3 pt hitch, thats it I think.

So does 10 Hp matter, say your using a decent sized PTO Snowblower in what the town plows leave behind after a 12" snow fall, is that 10 Hp noticeable?

What about if your just pushing snow around with a pusher box, will the extra HP and TQ help?

Is there other benefits of more HP other than running the PTO?

Have you ever in your 35 or 40 Hp tractor, wished you had 45 or 50 Hp?

Curious to hear everyone's opinions, thank you!

Great question Derp. You will need to balance PTO hp with weight and size as well as budget but without going down that rabbit hole I encourage you to look at the spec sheet of the snowblower you are interested in and consult with the manufacturer/dealer before you make your final decision. This is a commonly asked question because the manufacturers don't list recommended PTO hp based on volume and density of material that is being blown or cut. They instead list it as the minimum to power the implement and the maximum the gearbox can handle which doesn't provide any idea of performance for the consumer.

 

[rScotty]

As several people have noted, Horse Power in tractor engines varies with the tuning. You can buy the same engine in the same tractor but with different max HP.

But what's the story when you don't need the extra HP? The fact is for most of the work that you will do with your tractor you will only need to use a fraction of max. horse power.
Can you just throttle down & run it slower? Well, maybe so and maybe no....

Before modern Tier IV emissions regulations and tractor diesels which met those regulations with Diesel Particulate Filters (DPF) on the exhaust came along - in about 2015 - things were simple. Everyone just ran their diesel at a lower RPM when they didn't need full HP. That made a difference to owners who like to work slower....often just idling around. I'm one of those.

However, manufacturers now recommend that new diesels with DPF technology to control exhaust emissions be run at or close to max RPM continuously in order to make the emissions equipment work properly. Not everyone does that. I suspect we will know more about what that means for diesels with DPF in a few years when we have a number of tractors with several thousand hours on the engines.

Although DPF is common on new tractors, there are other ways than DPF to meet emissions regulations. Check those out too. Older tractors don't have emissions equipment. Some new diesel engines are designed to burn cleaner than others & can meet the regs without any additional equipment, while others use Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) instead of DPF. Both of those technologies should also use less fuel because they can run at lower RPM when they don't need the extra HP. Variable RPM capability also allows the use of technology like "auto throttle" which automatically varies the throttle to meet the load.

There's advantages to having the HP when you need it, but there are also advantages - such as less noise, vibration, & fuel savings - by being able to work idled down when you don't need the HP. The good news is that either way diesel engines are remarkably reliable mechanically and may well outlast the rest of the tractor.
Enjoy,
rScotty