Will 10 Horsepower actually matter on the same size tractor?

[Jus Teasin]

Just buy the NX60! ........... You'll never miss having less horsepower!!

 

[priberc]

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!

Well after editing this three times and realizing I was getting pretty darned long winded it comes down to this.... "better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it" . Sooner or later you will be wishing you had more hp to the PTO or ground or more lift on your 3 pt. But in reality that will happen no matter what you buy. If it was my dime being spent. Using the cost per HP of the smaller tractor as the base line I would be asking myself how much more do each of those extra ten ponies cost over and above. If ,in your opinion, it a reasonable cost just go for the extra ponies. "Better to have them and not need the extra power than need the extra power and not have the extra power"

 

[RancherGuy]

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.

Maybe you know the saying, "buy once cry once", meaning that the pain of paying more is only at the point of purchase. Every awareness of the benefits afterward leave you grateful. You will not use the extra hp all the time, but when you do, you will be grateful. When you sell you will be grateful. There are many, many used tractors for sale that have less than 100 hours; most are at the dealers. However with the shortage these days, maybe not! Those ex-owners discovered quickly that size and power does matter.

 

[streamin]

always more is better to me, I went from a 30hp to a 50 and I am not sure I would have noticed a "significant" difference in 10 hp judging on how much more the 50 was.

 

[CinderSchnauzer]

One can always make an argument for more HP, but you need to realistically assess your needs, much more so than can be determined from your original question. 10HP in an identical tractor would likely only be evident with PTO work. If the 10HP is also in a larger frame, as you seem to suggest, there may also be differences in the capacity of the hydraulic system. For example with my JD 3320, I have not run out of HP (for my applications) but I have needed more lift capacity, needed greater capacity for the Back Hoe and needed more traction, occasionally. I run a 5' rear PTO 2 stage Snow Blower. No problem 98% of the time. With very wet snow or the 2' - 3' banks left by the road plow, sometimes I have to slow down a bit. Would a 7' blower work as well - probably not. A front blower would be nice, but it is very handy to have the FEL bucket available on the front.

My point is that somewhere there will be a sweet spot where your needs, financial resources & time constraints intersect to provide an optimal solution. If your needs are homeowner / residential, rather than commercial, consider a heavier tractor, especially with AG tires may be a disaster on your lawn.

If snow removal is involved, putting your money into a heated / air conditioned CAB may be a better investment than 10 more HP. Freezing your a** on an open frame tractor while the wind blows the snow from the blower in your face gets old real fast.

 

[DieselBound]

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

Keep in mind that if you pay MORE for something than over a comparable I'd hope that you'd get MORE when you sell. This doesn't, however, equate to a greater return on "investment."

A lot of folks end up selling when they need money. They end up taking a hit that they didn't foresee (despite being "smart" any spending more on a more expensive piece of equipment). And maybe if they hadn't spent more to start with they wouldn't be selling due to hardship?

Maximizing any "returns" is only possible if you're playing the markets (actively looking to make your returns).

While used machinery prices are high relative to historic norms one cannot assume that it'll continue to be this way. At some point markets will get flooded (and all those selling are likely not going to be potential future buyers- the buyer pool will shrink, which will mean downward pressure on prices).

For sure, however, a higher quality, well-known brand name is likely going to more visable. But, the future just ain't what it used to be and forecasting it is approximating a fool's errand.

Auxiliary stuff such as A/C suck up HP. My NX5510 is just able to run my 7' flail and the A/C (it's working hard). A NX4510 wouldn't likely be able to do the same.

 

[Robert walker]

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!

Only thing I can say is I have a 35 hp Kubota, wish I had bought a 100hp.

 

[DieselBound]

I ran a 30hp tractor for many years. It's what I was told would be sufficient: of course, I don't think the people telling me that were aware that I was facing a lot of raw land. Anyway, what I couldn't do with this tractor I would do with rental equipment. One gets what will manage 80% and, if needed, rent for the other 20% (sometimes some of that 20% can be nursed out of the equipment that one has, albeit slowly and a bit more unsafely).

Make the best decision you can and move on. One isn't married to equipment. Sell and buy something else if the situation dictates it. A problem point lies in attachments- going significantly bigger or smaller might mean you need to replace attachments, and this activity can be a lot of work (most acquire attachments slowly, one at a time, especially if buying used).

 

[CH4Ohio]

I feel like if you're already paying for all the steel and weight and frame and, probably the same engine anyway, you might as well get all the HP with it that you can. Unless the pricing just doesn't make sense at all, I'd opt for the better engine tuning or whatever it takes to get the extra HP on any given tractor series with the same frame.

 

[IndyJay]

"Better to have and not need the extra power than need the extra power and not have the extra power"

For someone on a budget with a specific price point in mind... replace the words "extra power" with "grapple"...