If your current row-crop tractor is holding you back from upgrading to a bigger planter or implement, new models for 2011 promise to provide the power and capacity required to make the leap. Three companies — Case IH, John Deere, and New Holland — launched new series of 150-plus-hp row-crop tractors for 2011, and Versatile and JCB each came out with new, more powerful models.

“The 240-plus-hp MFWD industry is growing rapidly,” says John Bohnker, marketing manager for Case IH Magnum tractors. “Farmers continue to seek bigger planters and tillage equipment, which require more horsepower to pull. Along with more horsepower, farmers are looking for more hydraulic and lift capacity to be more efficient.”

Here’s an overview of the new 2011 row-crop lineups equipped with features that raise the bar in power, performance and comfort.