Attachment HP

[Mith]

can anyone tell me what kinda size attachments i can have on a small 15/16/17 HP tractor. im pretty limited in what i can afford so it looks like i gunna end up with a low HP compact. can any one advise me on sizes for finishing mowers and rough cutter sizes - can i push the HP, get oversized attachments or do i have to keep it in the range it specifies.
cheers mith

 

[andrewimbrogno]

Hey, i have a similar problem. My kubota only has 14hp. I wouldn't recommend getting a bigger attachment than what ur tractor can handle. You can have a well with a 17 hp i think u can have a 54" rear mower on it. nething less i would recomment a 48" or ur tractor will bog down when u get into heavy cutting. I recommend going to www.woodsonline.com and checking out the various implements and their hp rating. That is where i gauged what my tractor could handle....which isn't very much. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[KiotiJohn]

Welcome to TBN Mith. I see you've posted a few times, but welcome anyway.
Are you speaking of PTO HP, or gross engine HP? What you need to be concerned with is the PTO HP as that's what's going to power the mower.
You have two things to think about, weight of the implement and power requirement. Most light duty mowers will do fine with 15 PTO HP. This generally will mean you're limited to a 4 foot mower. I use one on my CK20 with 15.5 PTO HP, but I can tell it would run a 5' in light brush. Mowing is one of the most taxing on HP. The larger the mower, the more HP required, and the heavier they'll be. You will most likely need some type of front ballast as even the smaller mowers weigh a lot.
As for NON-PTO implements like a box blade, 48" again is about the limit, and some MFG offer "estate" sizes that may be better suited. When you're ground engaging, there is a lot of resistance and it can pull your tractor down quickly. However, with a little creativity, like removing a couple of the rippers, digging less deeply, etc. you can get by without much trouble. I'm assuming a lot since I don't know what tractor you'll be using, but for the HP you mention, most things are going to be in the 36" to, at most, 60" sizes depending on the above. General engine HP in the range you mention is going to be very little PTO HP. Most of the tractors that come into the US from Japan are rated in their model numbers with PTO HP. I don't know about the ones in the UK. John

 

[RoyJackson]

I ran a 60" finishing on a 16 (PTO) HP tractor with no problems. I also ran a 60" cutter on it too. No problems there, but had to trake it pretty slow.

As far as ground engagement...I've a 72" rear blade, but that was for snow plowing mostly.

 

[KiotiJohn]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( As far as ground engagement...I've a 72" rear blade, but that was for snow plowing mostly. )</font>
I think you can go a little larger on a rear blade than a boxblade, but that's a lot of surface area when digging dirt. I wonder how well it would do with smaller tractors. John

 

[Mith]

andrewimbrogno - do you mind me asking the size of the implements you run. if i can possibly run the attachments i want off a 15 HP it would give me more cash on attachments
what make do you have?
thanks mith

 

[Mith]

cheers john some really great advice - i was talking about gross HP (sorry i didnt mention that in my original post)
but a tech question - why does HP vary from engine to PTO - surely no HP can be lost and seeming as the gering makes the pto slower than the egine surely it has more torque as a result, HP is connected to torque right? /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
btw i was looking at kubota b7000/b7001 which doesnt leave much info in the name
thanks mith

 

[RoyJackson]

"why does HP vary from engine to PTO "

Gross Horsepower is the engine with no accessories whatsoever...no alternator, maybe no waterpump or anything else to consume power.

Not a very realistic method in a real world environment, but it's been used for years in all industries.

PTO horsepower is measured by either calculation (not so accurate because it's based upon nominal settings and dimensions) or by testing using a dynometer. Even as efficient as gear (mechanical) transmission of power is...there is some loss (friction, heat, etc.), thus the lower rating of PTO horsepower.

Due to the tolerances in the components of the engines, very few engines develop the exact same power.

 

[KiotiJohn]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( i was looking at kubota b7000/b7001 which doesnt leave much info in the name thanks mith )</font>
Mith, you may want to reconsider buying one of these tractors. They were built for the Japanese market, not the UK or the US and are what are called grey market tractors. Now, that doesn't mean they're not good, but it could mean you'll have a hard time servicing/finding parts as your local Kubota dealer isn't allowed to sell you parts if he knows it's grey market.
Unless you can cross-reference it with a model originally sold in the UK, you may have problems. I can't tell you much about the models other than that, they're listed on the Kubota site as greys.
If I were you, I would avoid buying anything with less than 15 PTO HP. That way, many light duty PTO implements can be used. John

 

[Mith]

Roy thanks for clearing that up for me - so the PTO HP is the realistic power for a tractor that takes into account other divices that remove power including friction - this is the power that can be transferred to an implemant, so i use this number when finding implements in the tractors power range....
thanks Mith

 

[Mith]

John - its really great that you pointed out the fact that the 7001 was grey market - i was under the impression they were UK models. can you aim me in the direction of the UK/US models equivelent to the 700/7001?
you say dont consider anytihng less than 15HP... i didnt know you could get less than that, i havent found any in my searches /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif
hey live and learn /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Mith]

Another thing i just thought of while looking out the window - what happens when i run out of HP. 1) when mowing? 2) when towing? - before when towing ive run out of traction long before running out of HP but i guess with a AG tyred compact it has more traction - LOTS more traction, will it churn up the gears and something break or will the engine splutter and die (does this cause damege to engine)?
thanks Mith