When Nebraska farmer W.F. Crozier bought a new tractor in 1918, he had no idea what kind of mechanism he was kick-starting.
After a few acres, Crozier figured his new tractor didn’t live up to the advertised claims. But, of course, he had no way of proving it.
History books point out that Crozier was not only a farmer but also a state legislator, back when farmers still had a fair degree of sway in government.
By 1919, he had convinced the legislature to pass the Nebraska Tractor Test Law, establishing a system for manufacturers to test their tractors under a strict engineering protocol that would produce credible performance data. The law also allowed farmers to get their hands on those results.
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The tests coming out of the University of Nebraska campus in Lincoln soon became popular reading for farmers across North America. The power had shifted away from the manufacturers who had to ensure that their advertised claims matched reality.
Sometimes, the manufacturer’s advertised performance numbers do not match the Nebraska numbers. Nebraska Tractor Test director Leonard Bashford said that in recent memory, “any tractor we’ve tested has real numbers that are equal to or exceed the manufacturer’s advertised numbers, as far as power goes.”
If there is any discrepancy in power, it’s always a case of the manufacturer publishing numbers that are actually more conservative than what the Nebraska lab documents.
“When they bring a tractor here for testing, they know in advance what numbers they’re shooting for. They’ve already done their own testing according to the same protocol, so they know what’s realistic for that tractor. If they advertise 100 horsepower at 2,100 rpm, we find their horsepower is always at or above their claim.”
“The most accurate power measurement is always at the pto because there is no tire to surface interaction,” said Bashford. “We simply drive the tractor into the lab, hook up our pto dyno and we get accurate pto horsepower.
“Most manufacturers don’t like to advertise their drawbar horsepower because that rating depends so much on the surface. There can be variations.”
However, Bashford’s lab does drawbar tests on any tractor over 100 hp, because farmers want that information. He said all tests are performed on the same concrete surface in order to reduce the variables. The tests are conducted according to a standardized, internationally sanctioned procedure.
Humidity and barometric pressure make little difference in the results, according to Bashford. But temperature is another story because it changes the density of the air and influences the power readings.
“We will not test if the temperature gets above 75 F (24 C) or if it drops below 40 F (5 C). Within that range, we feel we get good comparative numbers. The colder it gets, the more the tractor likes it, so those numbers would not be fair if we tested below 40 F (5 C). And, as every farmer knows, power drops off in hot weather.”
While the manufacturers err on the side of caution when they advertise engine performance numbers, hydraulic performance is sometimes different.
“Since hydraulics have become such an important aspect of tractor performance in recent years, we test all advertised hydraulic claims. There are times when the hydraulic test results do not match the advertised claims, so then we make a remark on the published report.”
He adds that all Nebraska Tractor Test reports are available in print and on its website. But some tractor models are missing.
“We only have the mandate to test tractors sold in Nebraska that are over 100 hp. About 40 percent of all 100 hp plus tractors built on the face of the globe are sold here in Nebraska, so we have done those tests and published the results. But if a tractor is not sold here, we don’t test it.
“For example, the Buhler Versatile company you have up there in Winnipeg only sells his smaller line of tractors in Nebraska. We have tested all of those and published the results. But he doesn’t sell the big four-wheel-drive tractors in Nebraska, so we have no mandate to test them. That’s why they can claim gross engine hp in their literature without including pto hp.”
Today, the Nebraska tests are conducted according to an internationally standardized code authorized by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, or OECD. More than two dozen countries that manufacture tractors belong to the OECD, including Canada. The reciprocity agreement states that once a test is officially approved at any one of the 25 authorized test labs around the globe, it is accepted by all participating countries.
As international trade in agricultural implements continues to expand, the OECD code along with the Nebraska tests, give farmers around the world a better assurance that the tractors they buy will perform according to advertised claims.
“(Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute) had previously conducted your testing in Canada, but they seem to have bowed out of that three or four years ago, so you no longer have any tractor test station up there,” Bashford said.
For more information, go to www.producer.com and type “tractor test” in the go box.
