Why is cost per HP so high?

[Woodbeef]

What????!! I don't mean to be rude, but somebody was pulling your chain big time when they told you that one!

Me thinks you needs to re-evaluate your conclusions Sir.......Ok I admit I should have added the magical 5252rpm where both curves meet part,but other that that point,I'd like to see your reasons for doubting me? Torque is the twisting force that moves the vechicle. It is torque in foot pounds that is actually measured on a dyno,then HP is arrived at by using a set formula.

 

[Dargo]

,I'd like to see your reasons for doubting me?

I don't think I actually need to address why it is obvious that someone has pulled your chain really hard. To say that hp only comes into play at speeds over 100mph is, well, is just plain silly. You have my permission to tell whoever told you that that they are a fool.

I've been around race cars, heavy equipment and tractors all my life. Granted, hp is a much hyped selling point, but it is even more incorrect to say that hp only comes into play at speeds over 100 mph. If that is so, no tractor built anywhere in the world need have any hp, period, end of story. Since everyone knows that is not true, everyone knows that saying that hp only comes into play at speeds over 100 mph is clearly not true.

 

[whodat90]

When's the last time you went 75 mph from New York to Disneyland, pulling a travel trailer, with your CUT???? If trucks only went 18mph, at WOT, then they would only need 40 hp.

Ask your self this... Why are trucks so expensive if they can only pull a trailer, or haul stuff in the back. A tractor can dig, smooth ground, rototill, plow, disc, mow, lift bales of hay, run augers and elevators, cultivate, bale, and pull a trailer plus much more. Sounds to me like the truck buyer is getting shafted by spending all that money on something that does so little.

Actually, a tractor can't do any of those things. It can power and/or pull added cost implements that can do those things. A tractor by itself can just drive around slowly. It's roughly the same as selling the truck without a bed and charging extra for that.

As for the horsepower being unimportant till past 100mph, wow. Really, wow. Interested in any oceanfront land in nebraska?

 

[JerryG]

I for one would like to see them drop the HP rating all together for tractor and show torque only.

 

[mjarrels]

That 455 engine that powered your car ran much longer than the marine 455 version setting in the hull of that 18 foot jet boat running high rpm all day long at the lake.

mark

 

[whodat90]

I for one would like to see them drop the HP rating all together for tractor and show torque only.

The number would be useless without context. Torque is a measure of twisting force; horsepower is a measure of how much work that twisting force can do over a time period. You can have torque without horsepower, but not the other way round. You can gear any engine to produce any torque you want, but if you can't do it fast enough the torque is useless.
Here's a thought/practical exercise: Twist a doorknob. It moves with little torque over a certain amount of distance, yes? It took little horsepower to move it. Now keep twisting. At some point it stops twisting (at least mine do) when it reaches the end of it's travel. You can apply significant torque to the knob with no additional movement. That torque is a force that can be measured and recorded, but since it isn't producing any movement it isn't doing any work; hence, no horsepower.
Oh yeah, interesting and tangenitally related side note; electric motors produce maximum torque at zero rpm. That's why diesel-electric trains exist.

 

[Egon]

There once was a time when tractors were rated on many plow bottoms they could pull and how wide a thrashing machine they could turn.

 

[Woodbeef]

I don't think I actually need to address why it is obvious that someone has pulled your chain really hard. To say that hp only comes into play at speeds over 100mph is, well, is just plain silly. You have my permission to tell whoever told you that that they are a fool.

I've been around race cars, heavy equipment and tractors all my life. Granted, hp is a much hyped selling point, but it is even more incorrect to say that hp only comes into play at speeds over 100 mph. If that is so, no tractor built anywhere in the world need have any hp, period, end of story. Since everyone knows that is not true, everyone knows that saying that hp only comes into play at speeds over 100 mph is clearly not true.

Well dah..........I think you need to go back to my original post and reread it for comprehension about the context of it, where I mentioned the HP of the TRUCK,then come on back. Take these thoughts with you to cogiatate on your journey..........In the truck's case HP is stated in a go-fast manner,whereas in the tractor's case it is stated for workability.......Might help you to understand it a tad bit better.......

 

[Doc_Bob]

I'm sure this is a naive questions but I'll ask it anyway.

Can someone explain to me why I pay the so much more per horsepower for a tractor than I do for a truck?

Chevy Avalanche 2500 4WD costs $35,846 and can produce 325 hp @ 4200 rpm. That's about $110 / hp.

I have TN70A that I purchased used with 170 hours. 21K. 70 HP. Turbo. $300 per HP. Yes, very expensive for each HP.
Bob

 

[neverenough]

Actually, a tractor can't do any of those things. It can power and/or pull added cost implements that can do those things. A tractor by itself can just drive around slowly. It's roughly the same as selling the truck without a bed and charging extra for that.

As for the horsepower being unimportant till past 100mph, wow. Really, wow. Interested in any oceanfront land in nebraska?

Not too many years ago, trucks were sold without a box...or a rear bumper. They were seperate, and you were charged more for them. In order to cut costs, makers switched to "packages" that included the box whether it was a step side or style side. Not too long after that, they started to include a "standard" rear bumper. Not long after that, front plate holders became a "no charge" add on. It rather sucks how makers have gone from allowing you to order exactly what you want, to being forced into cookie cutter "packages". Sure, you can still custom order pretty much anything you want, but for the most part, it will cost you more than just getting the extra junk you don't want in the "package".

Now day's, some tractors come with a loader and even back hoes. A lot of them come with the mower too. As accesories, much like air, cruise, tilt, power windows, power seats, ect... You can add plows, discs, seed spreaders, rakes,ect... as part of the purchase "package". At least you can with a Deere.