Nebraska tests are great in so far as they go... What they tell you is what is most efficient at either rated speed or maximum power. The reality, particularly with utility tractors is that they're almost never run at maximum. Most people on here would in fact call you out as a heretic if you did actualyl run a tractor to rated power... and call it abuse. What Nebraska tests do not accurately depict is mid speed and light load efficiencies... and those seem to vary widely between tractors. Some seem to bur a large percentage of their full power fuel use even at light loads while others get a considerable reduction in fuel consumption at light loads. Ask someone with a Saran/Manheim Deere how much fuel they burn doing light work. *Hint* It's usually about the same as they burn doing heavy work. This in spite of Deere putting up some of the best efficiency numbers at Nebraska over the years. On the other side Ford's have generally not produced the best nebraska numbers because they're winded at maximum power... but at mid speed or lighter loads they can consistently burn 1/2 to 1/3 rated fuel consumption.
In getting back to Dave's original question... I don't think that on the size tractor he's working with the change in fuel consumption will be all that much. It might be better and it might be worse depending on the parasitic losses involved. Generally newer engines were more efficient. Also... newer tractors generally pumped more oil and had more parasitic losses... so any efficiencies the new engines made were often more than eaten up in parasitic losses. Short answer... I don't think fuel efficiency is a reason to change tractors, in and of itself... at least in that size class.
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