How much horse power do you need ??

[crash325]

Dad bought a new Chevy 3/4 ton in 1941. It was rated a 93 HP. But you did not use that as the engine was a splash oilier.
Used that truck well in too the 60s
High side boards made of hard wood. to haul 2 horses.

Most of the time it had a partition with 10 hounds below. On top was camp gear, food for a month or more & lots of dog food.
Towed a 2 horse trailer, loaded with horse & as much hay that could be fitted.
We spent a lot of time in the mountains for quite a while at a time.

Around here I often see big diesel dully towing sometimes a 4 horse trailer. Mostly flat here fairly good roads. Even though you could go fast (over the speed limit )
traffic is going to get in your way. You also don't want to stop real sudden & injure the horses,

Like too hear what you say

 

[George2615]

Back then they didn't need HP. They had gearing. Top speeds were in the low 50MPH range but good cruising speed was 40-45. I currently own a 1949 Chevy model 4400 (1 1/2T) and with 6.17 rear axle ratio top speed is just over 50 MPH. But it will tow a house (almost). Most trucks in those years were built very similar. In first gear at idle I can get out of the truck and walk around it while it is moving. Mine was originally bought by a fire dept for use as a water tanker truck on an island. As of today it still only has 6,750 miles. Peak HP is about 93 at 3000 RPM and peak torque of 96 ft lbs from 800-2000 RPM. Brakes on the other hand are a far cry from today's vehicles.

 

[bdog]

You don't need HP but it sure is nice. It is much more pleasant towing a same size trailer with my 2016 diesel than it was with my 92 non turbo 7.3. Sure they both got the job done but I don't have to slow to a crawl going up hills or fighting a headwind.

 

[handirifle]

Yes and you are not a roadblock, like the older ones would be. I use my 2006 diesel for my 12K 5th wheel, and it is nice knowing I can take any hill I care to drive on with it, and usually at posted legal speed. As for stopping and brakes, bigger is ALWAYS better.

One has to remember when those trucks were new on the road, and not so new, gas prices were nothing be comparison, so fuel economy was almost never a consideration. Heck in the 60's Cadillac had a 500 CI engine. Gas was no concern.

 

[Egon]

The amount is all dependant on the image that's supposed to be created.

 

[deerefan]

Back then they didn't need HP. They had gearing. Top speeds were in the low 50MPH range but good cruising speed was 40-45. I currently own a 1949 Chevy model 4400 (1 1/2T) and with 6.17 rear axle ratio top speed is just over 50 MPH. But it will tow a house (almost). Most trucks in those years were built very similar. In first gear at idle I can get out of the truck and walk around it while it is moving. Mine was originally bought by a fire dept for use as a water tanker truck on an island. As of today it still only has 6,750 miles. Peak HP is about 93 at 3000 RPM and peak torque of 96 ft lbs from 800-2000 RPM. Brakes on the other hand are a far cry from today's vehicles.

This pretty much sums it up. We need gearing, not necessarily h.p. Combine both and you have a very powerful and capable machine, hence the diesels today vs 20-30 years ago.

 

[Sysop]

The only thing I miss about old vehicles is their styling. The newer engines of today with more power are simply more fun and more reliable than engines of past. 100,000 well maintained yet repair free miles was a much more uncommon thing in the 60s than it is today. 100,000 miles no matter the maintenance in the 70s with all the "new" emissions stuff was unheard of, most engines gummed up by 70k miles. 80s and 90s models had lots of flaky electronics that would leave you setting along the roadside someplace.

I need enough HP to pull my vehicle down the road at it's rated capacity in a safe and economical fashion with enough overhead it isn't being stressed. How much HP is that you ask? I really can't provide that answer cause they've never made one with satisfactory power. They are getting closer though...

 

[Diamondpilot]

I still don't see why we don't have a split rear end in pickups. Give me a 4.30 for pulling a a 2.5 for cruising.

Chris

 

[orezok]

I still don't see why we don't have a split rear end in pickups. Give me a 4.30 for pulling a a 2.5 for cruising.

Chris

I think that that is the idea of the 9 and 10 speed transmissions. If properly geared, you can have both in one "box".

 

[Sysop]

Yea, Ford is saying the new ten speed designed in part with GM has the ability to skip gears so when accelerating under light load, it can go from stop to highway speeds only using 7 of the 10 gears. I've read the first gear is much lower than the first gear of Ford's current 6 speed, and only gets used when in tow/haul mode, a new off road mode, or the truck is on a steep grade.

 

[RalphVa]

Torque moves things far better than hp.

Our VW TDI has around 240 ft-lb of torque and only 150hp but it moves as though it had a big 6 or small V8. It's only 2.0 liter.

You can get this torque in a 2.0 liter engine with gasoline via a lot of turbo boost. This is how BMW gets 255 ft-lb of torque in its 2.0 liter in the 328i. It's the same 2.0 liter engine as in the 320i but with a whole lot more boost.

The trick to use of turbo is to get the boost on at a low rpm so there's no wait or lean spot with no turbo. That would be disastrous in pulling a load with a tractor or truck.

Ralph

 

[Sysop]

Torque moves things far better than hp.

Indeed. As the saying goes; Horsepower determines how fast you hit the wall. Torque determines how much of the wall you take with you when you do...

 

[Copperhead]

Agree. Torque is the key, and where you hit it in the RPM band makes the difference. To really be effective, a majority of the torque needs to hit low in the RPM band. That is why heavy diesels hit their peak torque at 1100-1200 RPM and hold it for at least 400-500 RPM before starting to drop off. I didn't need diesel for what I do in my Chevy 2500, but one of many reasons I selected it was because the L96 6.0L gasser not only had a great reputation for durability and longevity, it hits 90% of its torque at 2000 RPM and carries it on up thru the max at 4200 RPM. Now that is a nice, relatively flat, wide working range for a gasser. Combined with the 6 speed and 4.10 diffs, it is a pleasure to use. Not the whiplash producing stuff of something like the 6.2L in the 1500 series, but some characteristics that make it actually a bit better in a working 3/4 ton pickup.

 

[dstig1]

More HP makes life easier, not possible. My Dad (RIP) told his story a million times: the Tomato Truck story. His uncle would take his truck to the farms to pick up tomatoes and other produce. He and his brother as kids would sometimes go along. There was a long hill up towards town. His uncle would put the truck in low gear, pull the throttle out and step out of the cab for a nice walk along side it while it loped up the hill. He said "we got the H*** out of the truck and walked too, as we didn't want to be in a vehicle without a driver" It made it, but slow enough they could walk along side. Get there fast nowadays, or get there period, back then...

 

[Tomtint]

How much do I need ? ... All of it !

 

[timswi]

My 6.2 2013 GMC does a nice job of towing heavy loads albeit the max torque is made at high RPM's...Kinda sounds like one of those interior videos from NASCAR when climbing the mountains with my TT (9000ish#)--55 MPH at 4000ish RPM going straight up miles long hills. Not an everyday thing, so it's all good for me...It sure is fun running unloaded too.

 

[MossRoad]

How much horse power do you need ??

About this much....