Direct motor to motor comparisons, not including a transmission and drivetrain, would still agree with what I stated. If you simply dynoed a 27 turn motor, and then a 55 turn motor, you would definitely see the 27 turn motor makes more torque. The forumlas and number don't lie.

The difference is the power band of the motor. Since the 55 turn motor spins slower (because it's windings are heavier with more turns, and because they have more resistance) it's max torque is produced at a lower RPM.

A 27 turn motor is more efficient by design (less internal resistance), and while it draws more current because of that, it also produces much more torque, but at a higher RPM. Chances are the gearing on the crawler would have had to be changed to allow the 27 turn motor to hit it's sweet spot in the power band. The 27 turn motor could have very well been lugging at a much less then ideal [lower] RPM. Had you simply swapped the pinion/spur gear to allow the 27 turn motor to hit the same wheel speed as the 55 turn motor, I can guarantee it would have produced way more torque.

Without going into to much depth, you have to look at a motor's current draw, at a specific voltage, and it's RPM, to determine the wattage and torque measurements. There are plenty of formulas, but in the end, a lot of it can be simply proven by ohm's law.