For the tractor lovers

[C.W. Richter]

What percentage of ALL these "older" tractors mentioned here were diesel versus gas? The reason I ask, is I have read where MANY/MOST of the tractors from the '30s-'50s were gas because the American oil companies back then knew how to produce one thing, "gasoline and lots of it"- unknown author. Look at our War Machine in WW2. ALL gasoline powered tanks, trucks, etc. Not a drop of diesel anywhere. Just curious.

gas was fine until gas prices skyrocketed. our 50s-60s were gas and after the 70s crunch it was much better to have turbo diesel (still today.) I have to say, there's NEVER an issue starting up a gas tractor at any temperature. when i start up a diesel and it's below freezing, i always say a weir d prayer, that sometimes doesn't get answered.....lol even w/ the glow plugs, auto heating systems, etc. blah blah-it uses too much battery under those conditions. the older, no glow plug-have to shoot starting fluid down the air intake pipe models-they'd start right up when it's very cold out (it didn't waste battery!) Many of the greatest gas tractors used 6 gal or more per hr under load (that's $30 in Obama/Biden money. $300/day of work. $9,000/mo for some poor farmers! Those are Stormy Daniels rates! LOL But it's all relative to your income of course, and i respect that. LOL) I fill diesel tractors anywhere from once a month to once a quarter! my 8,000 lb unloaded turbo diesel truck gets 25 mpg and 'can use untaxed farm fuel for $1 less/gal.

 

[Stormy Kromer]

What percentage of ALL these "older" tractors mentioned here were diesel versus gas? The reason I ask, is I have read where MANY/MOST of the tractors from the '30s-'50s were gas because the American oil companies back then knew how to produce one thing, "gasoline and lots of it"- unknown author. Look at our War Machine in WW2. ALL gasoline powered tanks, trucks, etc. Not a drop of diesel anywhere. Just curious.

I wasn't there. But my family has been farming in the US since 1871, Oxen, then horses. Steam engines and then gasoline tractors in the late 1930's. The first diesel engine on the farm was a 1964 JD 4020. Followed a few years later by a JD 105 combine. Before that, everything was gasoline. Diesels have outperformed gasoline engines ever since with power and fuel economy. It really sucks that diesel fuel used to be about 60% the price of gasoline is now 140% higher than gasoline......I can't explain that since it it cheaper to refine.....(any answers out there?)

My dad was a WWII veteran. He commented that the Germans had damn good tanks that ran on diesel fuel. Scared the hell out of everyone. After the war these US farm boys came home with respect for German engineering and diesel engines. Not long after diesel engines became popular in the US in agriculture, construction and transportation.

 

[C.W. Richter]

I wasn't there. But my family has been farming in the US since 1871, Oxen, then horses. Steam engines and then gasoline tractors in the late 1930's. The first diesel engine on the farm was a 1964 JD 4020. Followed a few years later by a JD 105 combine. Before that, everything was gasoline.

My dad was a veteran. He commented that the Germans had damn good tanks that ran on diesel fuel.

My family (from England) went back to farming in the late 1700s after their former countrymen burnt their shipyards in MA and RI. But, they moved farther inland (Berkshires/CT/NY/PA), rebuilt and had/have great lives! At first, they built a safer shipping industry featuring sawmills and wooden rafts on rivers/canals, bringing agricultural goods/lumber/cut stone/ice blocks to NYC and Philla. Good stuff! I inherited a couple muzzleloaders, interestingly enough with actions from London and re-barreled in PA by various gunsmiths in the late 1800s or drilled out for use as shotguns. Interestingly enough..the Brits hired German sharpshooters (aka Hessians) to help fight the American Revolution...Once they got here, they took a look around, and switched sides (lol the other half of my family!) Taxation sans representation-just like today and from 2008-2016. Highest spenders of our $ ever, and great reasons NOT to go on safari! APHA needs to fund non-Democrats. lol

 

[CoElkHunter]

gas was fine until gas prices skyrocketed. our 50s-60s were gas and then it was much better to have turbo diesel (still today.) I have to say, there's NEVER an issue starting up a gas tractor at any temperature. when i start up a diesel and it's below freezing, i always say a weir d prayer, that sometimes doesn't get answered.....lol even w/ the glow plugs, auto heating systems, etc. blah blah-it uses too much battery under those conditions. the older, no glow plug-have to shoot starting fluid down the air intake pipe models-they'd start right up when it's very cold out (it didn't waste battery!) Many of the greatest gas tractors used 6 gal or more per hr under load (that's $30 in Obama/Biden money.) I fill diesel tractors anywhere from once a month to once a quarter! my 8,000 lb unloaded turbo diesel truck gets 25 mpg and 'can use untaxed farm fuel for $1 less/gal.

Yep. I remember in the late '70s when gas hit $1 a gallon and diesel was $0.60. Of course, with the ultra low sulphur requirement now for diesel, gasoline prices have become much cheaper than diesel over the last 15-20 years, not to mention the increased maintenance required for diesel engines. I still love my '02 Ford F250 7.3 and couldn't afford to replace it right now, but I know a couple of guys that have ditched their diesels for gas.

 

[C.W. Richter]

Yep. I remember in the late '70s when gas hit $1 a gallon and diesel was $0.60. Of course, with the ultra low sulphur requirement now for diesel, gasoline prices have become much cheaper than diesel over the last 15-20 years, not to mention the increased maintenance required for diesel engines. I still love my '02 Ford F250 7.3 and couldn't afford to replace it right now, but I know a couple of guys that have ditched their diesels for gas.

*also learned as a kid...do NOT hook thin, cheap jumper cables from a generator-charged, fhigh amp deep cycle batt tractor to a high amp alternator-charged low amp (nearly dead) car batt tractor....it performs a rather expensive and equally undesirable pyrotechics display for you to witness, and then explain in-detail to your elders! LOL

 

[C.W. Richter]

with tractors, it's best to simply get a new battery (or remove and charge!) like with like (if diff charging/batts, it's best not to introduce them!) LOL it fried the jumper cables and they separated, to add to it all. lol a bad day of undesirable arc welding.

 

[C.W. Richter]

the diesel maint does cost more, but i DIY so i know Pepi isn't cross-threading a filter and putting J&J baby oil in the engine with a NYT paper filter, etc. LOL $150 of Amsoil/filters every 6 mos does the trick and if DIY it's the same (price) as the crappy oil change services. IF you have a Valvoline drive-thru place near you, they are pretty good! Jiffy Lube et. al. SMH. Once drove in, done in 5 min. Looked under the truck-skidplate/old oil filter still muddy. Illegals doing the "work." NEVER AGAIN! Diesels are however simpler...fuel is simply pump(s)-no internal carb parts, etc. Very easy to re-prime after filters changed and pretty forgiving w/ respect to fuel quality.

 

[C.W. Richter]

'was in a camp in NW Namibia in 2014....they had solar power, but when the clouds rolled in, an old MF tractor w/ a PTO-driven generator was started up. I liked that!

 

[CoElkHunter]

Yep. I remember in the late '70s when gas hit $1 a gallon and diesel was $0.60. Of course, with the ultra low sulphur requirement now for diesel, gasoline prices have become much cheaper than diesel over the last 15-20 years, not to mention the increased maintenance required for diesel engines. I still love my '02 Ford F250 7.3 and couldn't afford to replace it right now, but I know a couple of guys that have ditched their diesels for gas.

In the early '80s, gas went up again. Diesel fuel was still much cheaper. Everybody and their sister wanted something with a diesel engine. GM accommodated this and put their 6.5 diesel engines in many of their trucks and some cars. One guy I knew had an Oldsmobile diesel sedan. Two guys I worked with bought new diesels. One a '82 Suburban and another a '82 Chevy Blazer. The problem is GM left their transmissions designed for the torque provided by gasoline engines in the diesels and many of the transmissions failed. The Suburban's tranny failed within a year. Another guy bought a diesel VW Rabbit and had an extra 10 gallon tank installed in the hatchback area. He could go 500 miles on 20 gallons without refueling! NONE of the above mentioned diesels had turbos. Factory installed turbos were not in existence. My neighbor had an '84 Chevy diesel. Another neighbor put his 11' cab over camper on it once and we took it fishing in the Sierras. That truck couldn't get out of its own way until it got up to speed. No turbo. Such was the infancy of diesel engines in passenger cars and trucks in the early '80s. Now back to tractors. LOL

 

[ActionBob]

What engine does it have? I haven't much (any) knowledge of tractors, but I do love those engines they put in them.

Cummins

 

[C.W. Richter]

This is why farmers have to be their own mechanics too. LOL

only one farmer-neighbor i knew adopted a line from Babe Ruth: "I'm a Farmer, NOT a Mechanic!" we used to laugh at him-and help him fix a lot of Case's and a few IHs!!!

 

[C.W. Richter]

In the early '80s, gas went up again. Diesel fuel was still much cheaper. Everybody and their sister wanted something with a diesel engine. GM accommodated this and put their 6.5 diesel engines in many of their trucks and some cars. One guy I knew had an Oldsmobile diesel sedan. Two guys I worked with bought new diesels. One a '82 Suburban and another a '82 Chevy Blazer. The problem is GM left their transmissions designed for the torque provided by gasoline engines in the diesels and many of the transmissions failed. The Suburban's tranny failed within a year. Another guy bought a diesel VW Rabbit and had an extra 10 gallon tank installed in the hatchback area. He could go 500 miles on 20 gallons without refueling! NONE of the above mentioned diesels had turbos. Factory installed turbos were not in existence. My neighbor had an '84 Chevy diesel. Another neighbor put his 11' cab over camper on it once and we took it fishing in the Sierras. That truck couldn't get out of its own way until it got up to speed. No turbo. Such was the infancy of diesel engines in passenger cars and trucks in the early '80s. Now back to tractors. LOL

neighbor/fellow hunter had a pile of those diesel rabbits 50 mpg! i had no issues ever w/ the 1st non-turbo diesels or later turbos. tractors generally run 2,000 rpm or less, so it's nothing like a highway vehicle. i always joke why FORD tractors run so long (they don't go over 2,000 rpm or 20 mph!) LOL my experience with GM musclecars was a very good one. I've never gotten more reliability/mileage out of a truck other than Nissan or Toyota (and your PH tends to agree!) Currently-twin turbo V8 Cummins Nissan 24.5 mpg.

 

[CoElkHunter]

neighbor/fellow hunter had a pile of those diesel rabbits 50 mpg! i had no issues ever w/ the 1st non-turbo diesels or later turbos. tractors generally run 2,000 rpm or less, so it's nothing like a highway vehicle. i always joke why FORD tractors run so long (they don't go over 2,000 rpm or 20 mph!) LOL my experience with GM musclecars was a very good one. I've never gotten more reliability/mileage out of a truck other than Nissan or Toyota (and your PH tends to agree!) Currently-twin turbo V8 Cummins Nissan.

On my one African PG hunt, my PH used his own Toyota Hilux(?) with a 3.0L diesel. Awesome off road vehicle! I've read recently where Toyota may be importing them to the US?

 

[C.W. Richter]

Cummins

the biggest tractors featured the V8 cummins engines i can think of a bunch but there's that company that re-powers nearly all big tractors with new cummins engines. Oliver 2255 comes to mind as one that was sold with it from the factory, but there are many plug-play JD repowers and even bigger articulating tractors that came w/ em. 150-350+ Hp. Some had CAT, Detroit Diesel, but similar. Oddly, these are cheap today, BUT if something serious needs replacement, you're going to PAY for it! lol I'm game...

 

[C.W. Richter]

On my one African PG hunt, my PH used his own Toyota Hilux(?) with a 3.0L diesel. Awesome off road vehicle! I've read recently where Toyota may be importing them to the US?

PH in Zim had to get his one 'rover serviced in SA so when we left for JNB (JHB?) lol I got to drive his wife's 6-turbo stick the entire way-we were worried about missing our flights so one was puffing black smoke/oil (old but good) and once dropped off, the pearl white scratchless was doing 130 no problemos on the N-1! LOL Good times.

 

[C.W. Richter]

it totally needed warranty repairs as the steering wheel was on the wrong side and i had to shift w/ my L. hand SMFH! LOL you got used to it, or died.

 

[Ridge Runner]

it totally needed warranty repairs as the steering wheel was on the wrong side and i had to shift w/ my L. hand SMFH! LOL you got used to it, or died.

"...get out of the way... wrong side of the road you derby..". Oh wait Dundee is Australian and was driving in New York.

 

[putter97127]

I only have my John Deere 750. I have no real need for it, I really only "need" a good riding mower, but where's the fun in that. I grew up on 15 acres, my dad said we had no need for a tractor, he had 3 strong boys and an old pickup or two if we needed to pull/haul anything. Supposedly it was good for us to push a mower or use a scythe to cut what the mower or weed eater couldn't get... And if the scythe didn't work, you burned it.
I only have a wife and daughter, so that's why I need a tractor. Plus, it works better than a tree limb when butchering.

 

[Wyatt Smith]

@CoElkHunter it is hard enough to keep diesel fuel in the machinery let alone gas. The combines will burn 100 gallons a day, the bigger 4x4s like @ActionBob showed will burn about 15 gallons an hour.
The old 9600 ford that was start of this thread burns 9 gallons an hour and only has a 43 gallon tank. That means fuel every four hours.

 

[ActionBob]

the biggest tractors featured the V8 cummins engines i can think of a bunch but there's that company that re-powers nearly all big tractors with new cummins engines. Oliver 2255 comes to mind as one that was sold with it from the factory, but there are many plug-play JD repowers and even bigger articulating tractors that came w/ em. 150-350+ Hp. Some had CAT, Detroit Diesel, but similar. Oddly, these are cheap today, BUT if something serious needs replacement, you're going to PAY for it! lol I'm game...


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