Gasoline VS diesel - heavy equipment

[pmsmechanic]

Diesel chainsaw that also keeps the biting bugs away.

Comet norskprodusert dieseldrevet motorsag fra ca. 195 (Comet Norwegian Diesel Powered Chainsaw) - YouTube

And it seems that a few years ago Echo was experimenting with a diesel chainsaw.

Bruce

That would be an awesome chain saw for summer. No mosquitos.

Now that we've thoroughly derailed the thread!

 

[Texasmark]

I am considering buying a trencher that will have the capacity to dig at least 6 feet. I am looking for a trencher/backhoe combination machine. The class of trencher will be in the Ditch witch 6510 and Case 860 range. Some model in this range have both diesel and gasoline engines. I know the diesel has a bit more torque what should I look out for and the caveats of both of these types of engines.

Thanks

If gas was the way to go all big rigs and all new tractors would be gas. When is the last time you saw either? I guarantee you that having started with gas, because I couldn't afford diesel, and converting to all diesel, my maintenance activities and reliability problems have all but disappeared. The problems I have are generic to both types and I have zero fuel related issues.

 

[MossRoad]

Ah but Moss, You haven't mentioned anything about the time, aggravation and expense to get a carbureted engine running. Especially if you happen to get unlucky about the whole thing after letting it sit for a while. I have three gas engines on the yard. A generator which makes me go Grrrrr once in awhile, A quad which has never given troubles starting, but it's fuel injection. And a 47 IHC KB-1. It makes me go Grrrr once in awhile but I'm not changing it to a diesel!

The rest of our vehicles tractors mowers etc are all diesels because I hate fussing with carburetors.

Good point about planned usage and machine rentals.

I've never had trouble getting a carb'd engine running. And I'm gonna guess on a machine the size of what the OP is looking at, if new, will be fuel injected.

I had a late 70's IH2500b that was gas. Only problem I had with that was fuel shutoff solenoid at base of carb.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I've never had trouble getting a carb'd engine running. And I'm gonna guess on a machine the size of what the OP is looking at, if new, will be fuel injected.

I had a late 70's IH2500b that was gas. Only problem I had with that was fuel shutoff solenoid at base of carb.

I've got 3 of them here right now with carbs that need carb work. (4 if you include a small scooter)

You are welcome to come work on them for me...

AND a 5th that's just getting finished up now...

SR

 

[MossRoad]

I guess its like this... in my entire life, I've never had carb problems when I had carb cars and trucks, or my carb tractor, or generator, or weed eater, lawn mower, chainsaws, tiller, snow blower, or lawn tractors, log splitter, ice auger, drag bike, road race bike............... the few times I thought I had carb problems, it was always fuel pump or fuel filter and that's about it.

 

[pmsmechanic]

Moss you probably drain your carbs and use stabilizer and add fresh gas. I have a carb to clean this winter for a customer. I'll do a thread on it. This carb is getting close to being one of the worst ones I've seen.

 

[jerrybob]

Nothing like the smell of diesel while working outside...........go diesel!

 

[MossRoad]

Moss you probably drain your carbs and use stabilizer and add fresh gas. I have a carb to clean this winter for a customer. I'll do a thread on it. This carb is getting close to being one of the worst ones I've seen.

Funny thing is, I never drain the gas. The only thing I use stabil in is the generator. Everything else just sits till I use it again.

 

[hcforde]

The big question is what's the price premium for the diesel VS how many hours you'll plan on using it. Spending several thousand dollars more for something that's only gonna be use a couple hundred hours per year just to save a dollar per hour in fuel costs would come out to something like you're saving $200 per year in fuel costs and it'll take you 10 years for the payback. Add to that the cost of any diesel repairs VS gas engine repairs IF something catastrophic were to happen, and it'll take you several decades to get your money back.

Again, it depends on hours of usage. A machine sitting doesn't make any money. And as far as that goes, MANY, MANY times it comes out WAAAAAAaaaaayyyy cheaper to hire out a job or rent a machine.

So what are your plans for using this machine?

I am buying a farm. I will be putting up greenhouses with passive geothermal cooling so I need to dig about 1000 feet of trenches for each greenhouse. 2 greenhouses to start and double each year, minimum. I also will be using it to bury electric cable and water line. It has a vibratory plow. The gas engine is a Wisconsin and the trencher only has 100 hour logged on it.

Hey how many plows can you pull with one of these? any one ever done it?

 

[pmsmechanic]

I am buying a farm. I will be putting up greenhouses with passive geothermal cooling so I need to dig about 1000 feet of trenches for each greenhouse. 2 greenhouses to start and double each year, minimum. I also will be using it to bury electric cable and water line. It has a vibratory plow. The gas engine is a Wisconsin and the trencher only has 100 hour logged on it.

Hey how many plows can you pull with one of these? any one ever done it?

I was under the impression that you were buying new. If the price is right and the machine is in good shape buy it. It sounds like you have enough use for it that you'll be able to keep the gas fresh enough.

I come from the point of view that I'm tired of cleaning carburetors. Actually that's not totally true. What I'm tired of is trying to do a descent job of cleaning a carburetor and still keeping the price reasonable. If you have a really dirty carb it's at least a 2-3 hour job to clean it thoroughly.