HP vs Torques for dummies like me

Like others said it's all about tractive force in a tug of war. I used to have a little diesel 4WD tractor with just 15 hp. Someone with a 24 hp gas lawn tractor challenged me to a tug of war. I told him he didn't stand a chance due to him having much less weight and traction. He insisted, so we hooked up and went. I stood on the brakes and let his tires spin for a few seconds. I then put it in low gear, let out the clutch, advanced the throttle to about 1200 rpm and then very slowly proceeded to drag him across the gravel parking lot, the whole time my tractor's engine producing maybe 6 or 7 hp.