Looking to buy a tractor for mowing and dragging a horse arena and was wondering how the horsepower compares between Kubota diesel engines and domestic gas engines ie: does a Kubota 3 cyl diesel engine equal a 20 hp B&S engine? or is the hp is what it is. Thanks
engine hp comparisons
- Thread starter clifforr1
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dodge man
Super Star Member
I posted a couple of days ago and asked why they even posted H.P. ratings for a Diesel engine. They are more about torque than horsepower. For example, I had a John Deere riding mower with a 25 HP Kohler gas engine that was 750 cc's. I bought a Kubota BX2350 that is 900cc's and makes 23 HP. The Kubota Diesel is making more power than the Kohler gas engine, even though the HP numbers don't show that. You almost have to understand the difference between horsepower and torque to understand why a Diesel makes more usable power. Torque is about how much power you have to move a load, where horsepower is about how fast you can move the load. Horsepower is related to torque.
As an extreme example, someone I work with has a larger New Holland tractor that makes around 200 HP. The engine is a diesel that is something like 600 cubic inches. The engine in my Dodge truck is a gasser 345 cubic inches hemi that make 345 HP. It seems like if you took the engine from my truck and put it in his tractor it would work better. In reality, the hemi engine in that tractor wouldn't have the torque to rev up and even make the 345 HP to pull a heavy load, where the diesel engine has the torque to pull a heavy load.
In other words a small diesel tractor is making more real world power than the HP numbers show, and you can't really compare it with a gas engine making the same HP.
As an extreme example, someone I work with has a larger New Holland tractor that makes around 200 HP. The engine is a diesel that is something like 600 cubic inches. The engine in my Dodge truck is a gasser 345 cubic inches hemi that make 345 HP. It seems like if you took the engine from my truck and put it in his tractor it would work better. In reality, the hemi engine in that tractor wouldn't have the torque to rev up and even make the 345 HP to pull a heavy load, where the diesel engine has the torque to pull a heavy load.
In other words a small diesel tractor is making more real world power than the HP numbers show, and you can't really compare it with a gas engine making the same HP.
art
Super Member
Twenty plus years ago when selling a kubota with a 60 or 72" belly deck and at that time 21 horsepower was what was offered for the 72" people would not believe that you could run it!
Many choose for the extra horsepower today for the extra speed.
When we sold the older cadets with a 48" deck and they were only a 10 or 12 horsepower unit you could slip the clutch to get them going. Today with the quickness of the electric PTO clutch it takes a minimum of about 18 horsepower to just start them although they still only need the 12 horsepower to run them for the most part.
The diesels especially and water cooled gas engines all have higher torque rise then a air cooled engine diesel or gas.
Many choose for the extra horsepower today for the extra speed.
When we sold the older cadets with a 48" deck and they were only a 10 or 12 horsepower unit you could slip the clutch to get them going. Today with the quickness of the electric PTO clutch it takes a minimum of about 18 horsepower to just start them although they still only need the 12 horsepower to run them for the most part.
The diesels especially and water cooled gas engines all have higher torque rise then a air cooled engine diesel or gas.
You are comparing apples to oranges. A 20hp diesel tractor will work for many-many years if you use it to drag a horse arena. The same hp B&S might work for a few occasions. I guess it also depends on the size of the arena and the size of the drag. The diesel will probably haul a much larger one.
