You’ll notice that the rated horsepowers of the Case and Deere fall to either side of the 160hp target.

The Case’s motor is rated by the gross-measurement ISO standard which gives higher paper values than the nett EC or ECE-R24 ratings quoted by Deere, Fendt and Deutz.

In fact the DLG dyno reveals little difference in pto power between the ISO-rated Case and the EC/ECE-rated engines – which might unsettle anyone who buys tractors solely on brochure figures.

To avoid disappointment, check which standard has been used to rate an engine (quiz the dealer if it’s not clearly stated), then compare only gross ratings with gross ratings and nett ones with nett.

And the Deere? Mannheim didn’t want to send the 7020-series tractor we asked for, supplying instead a 6920 from the lighter 110-160hp 6020 series .