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Yes, new tractors are packing a lot of HP in smaller packages these days. Many advertise their HP using the flywheel or gross engine HP. I have a 1985 Kubota L275, while not a "new" machine, probably resides in the X generation of machines. It was sold to me as a 27.5 HP tractor--hence the 275 model number. The L275 was tested at Nebraska where they rate tractors at the PTO (in that era) and at the drawbar. The L275 registered 23 PTO HP during its test. That is a 16% drop off from the advertised figure, but 27.5 HP sounds better. I will flat guarantee you a Ford 8N will pull my Kubota (2WD) all over heck's half acre if the two were hitched together. The 8N is about 50% beefier. Something to consider with new tractors and maybe especially so with small to mid-sized units, and that is a lot of them do work where drawbar and PTO is not a consideration. There is a local Mahindra dealer with a number of tractors on his lot: dang few of them are not equipped with loaders. So flywheel HP is providing the hydraulic system breakout force AND the tractive effort of the chassis is providing the stockpile crowd force. In other words, these new tractors are called upon to do work besides dragging a disk or running a bat-wing mower thru the PTO. Another factor is that in the older days of two-wheel drive, the only tractive force was provided by the rear wheels, and to maximize that, additional weight was often added to the already substantial chassis heft. With the overall new tractors sold being 4-wheel drive and FWA, the same tractive force can be achieved with a relatively smaller tractor. One thing leads to another--a designer might say "this 4,000# 4WD chassis we've got can efficiently utilize a 50 HP mill", whereas years ago with 2WD, that engine figure might have been around 35.
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