How do they make several different HP tractors with all the other specs being the same?

[Grandad4]

Yeah, I was wondering this. And now you're going to find out why I will never have a career in marketing.

I'm totally out of step with this one. I mean, I'm sure you're correct, but I think they're wrongheaded in their strategy.

The highest HP tractor will hit all 3 HP requirements. Too much power is never, itself, a problem.

Less HP is generally something you accept because you need a smaller or lighter machine -- which is fine, because a small light machine can't use huge power anyhow.

So what they are doing here, for all but the highest HP model, is building more machine than the customer needs, and dialing it back, and probably getting a bit less money for it.

For that matter, it's less cost effective to have dealers stocking more models when one would have satisfied all the needs.

It's like the computers they were selling maybe 20 or 25 years ago in which parts of the microprocessor were disabled. They didn't cost makers any less to make, but the makers sold them for less.

I don't get it.

But then, if you put me in charge of selling raisins, I'd make rabbit-shaped dispensers, and have you lift the tail to have a delicious raisin dropped in your palm.

Guess I need to stick to my day job.

Not necessarily. The higher HP ones drink more fuel, among other things. Farmers are not always looking for "more power!"... they want the right amount of power for the tasks at hand. If the lower hp tractor gets the job done and saves a few gallons per hour of fuel, that's money to the farmer's bottom line, right? Farming is a penny-pinching occupation!

 

[MechanicalGuy]

92, 100 and 112 horsepower isn't that much difference and easily be the result of different components manufactured by different suppliers to different plants. I seriously doubt they intentionaly detune some models simply to say they added a model to their line. The same thing can be seen in tractors from over 50 years ago. For instance Ford's 600 and 800 series have only used 2 cid engines but hp ratings are all over the place and all but a few replacement parts are same stock #s accross both lines. Speaking of hp ratings and old tractors,I have a MF65 rated at 45 hp that will out pull my 841 Ford rated at 62 hp. Now that's worth chewing the rag over amoungest brand faitful owners.

Mx5200 (52hp)/5400(54hp)/5800(58hp)/6000(60hp) are all the same motors.

 

[JM7500]

This is done with vehicles too. Years ago, I worked for a diesel engine manufacturer. They made an engine for use in there trucks and sold the same engine to another manufacturer for their trucks. The company that bought the engines and resold under their name insisted on more hp and torque. The only difference was the programming and paint. More power means more heat. Too much heat is very bad for engines. This lead to many other engine problems (heads, egr issues, etc.), both companies blaming each other for the failures and loss of the contract. The lower hp engine did not have near the issues. Any of you with that had a 6.0 know what I'm referring to. The engines used in our trucks came in several hp levels depending on what the customer want to pay. A tech with the right software can make the changes easily.

 

[CalG]

SAME had a series of tractors, all the same chassis and running gear.
one a 25 hp three cylinder
one an air cooled four
one a Mitsubishi 4 cylinder NA
and one with the same engine capacity but fitted with a turbo charger.
It may have been that the "larger engine" magines were a bit longer in wheel base.

They all looked the same (SAME;-)

Plus! The tractors were sold under different MFG banners

Lamborghini Runner
SAME Solaris
Hurlimann Prince
D-F Agrokid

Strange, with so many to choose from, they are seldom seen in the US.

 

[RustyA]

Just like outboard motors...40,50,60 hp are all same block and displacement. Only real difference is programming and money. Same with 75,90,115 and 150 hp. Big difference in money but engine architecture is identical.

 

[hosspuller]

With DPF... You want to run the engine hot and hard. Idling and low power won't heat the DPF enough to continuously burn off the soot. So you need a regen cycle that wastes fuel and time.

Increases the need to right size your machine to the tasks you have. The higher powered machine is disadvantaged in a low power task.

 

[Hay Dude]

Not necessarily. The higher HP ones drink more fuel, among other things. Farmers are not always looking for "more power!"... they want the right amount of power for the tasks at hand. If the lower hp tractor gets the job done and saves a few gallons per hour of fuel, that's money to the farmer's bottom line, right? Farming is a penny-pinching occupation!

With today’s and future fuel prices, that’s very true. The tractor in my avatar picture holds 160 gallons of #2 diesel.
It would cost $400+ to fill the tank at todays prices! Usually it’s about 1/4 full lol
The war on fossil fuels is killing farmers.

 

[Moxie 15]

Horsepower is a bit of a lie anyways. It depends on the method used to measure it and where it is measured. The same machine,car,truck,bulldozer, whatever, can have at least three different horsepower ratings depending where it is measured. At the rear of the engine it would be highest, 112 hp, at the rear of the transmission it would be a bit less, 100 hp, at the wheels even less 92 hp. It is entirely possible that there is no difference at all between the three models

 

[Hay Dude]

If I were buying a tractor, I would look at drawbar HP and PTO HP/TQ ahead of engine HP. When I was looking for a tractor to pull my big square baler, I noticed that all 250-300HP tractors were not created equal.
Some had higher drawbar HP and PTO HP than others, yet had same engine HP ratings.

 

[Doughknob]

Yep, engine tuning and marketing. Design to the lower HP with a 50% factor of safety. Then bump up HP 10% making the FOS ~40%. Still way safe but easy money because no further design.

Problem is no additional weight so no gain in pulling applications.