Comparison Gasoline vs. Diesel

[MossRoad]

i hear ya.. I've had the chance to work on a 5000 gasser. pretty sure those were the older 233ci engines. big powerfull.. hungry.. just a lil more hp than that machine you were working with.. but can imagine the gas consumption when making that hp on a steady basis.. like mowing with a large mower.. etc..

Exactly.

 

[pappy19]

This may be true when it comes to tractors or semi's, but not necessarily true with modern pickup trucks. When you look at the sootbags, urea tanks, fuel filters, oil changes and difference in fuel/gas prices, it's either a wash or advantage to gas rigs. Some Ford cabs have to be lifted to do any work on the diesel engine at all, like changing out the glow plugs. After your warranty runs out at 100k, do you really want to lift the cab to work on your engine?? I'll take my Ford V-10 any day even with the relatively poor mileage.

 

[Soundguy]

but how many miles will the gsser engines go ( today) compaired to a modern diesel.

I have to admit.. i like both.

for an old trasctor under 50 hp.. I like gas.. for any tractor over 50hp.. I like diesel.

for a modern vehicle to shoot around town or whatnot.. like a economy rig or something.. gas would be ok.. for my towing rig.. fuel oil burner or nothing. having hauled with both... i like diesel much better. nothing like pulling out into crowded interstate traffic and not being able to get up to speed because the gasser has no power reserve at the top end..

soundguy

 

[Diamondpilot]

This may be true when it comes to tractors or semi's, but not necessarily true with modern pickup trucks. When you look at the sootbags, urea tanks, fuel filters, oil changes and difference in fuel/gas prices, it's either a wash or advantage to gas rigs. Some Ford cabs have to be lifted to do any work on the diesel engine at all, like changing out the glow plugs. After your warranty runs out at 100k, do you really want to lift the cab to work on your engine?? I'll take my Ford V-10 any day even with the relatively poor mileage.

While its true the they lift the cabs off Fords and GM's also its more of a time savings thing. It can be done in the dog house but is a pain. 2 techs with the right stuff can get the cab off, do the work, and get it back on in a long day.

Chris

 

[V1Rotate]

Let's talk about cost of operation. Take two nearly identical tractors,
the JD X-728SE and the X748. The 728 is 27 hp gas and the 748 is 24 hp diesel.
Let's assume the 748 burns .75 gal/hr of diesel and the 728 burns 1.4 gal/hr of gas. If a property owner puts 50 hours per year on each machine, the 728 will use 70 gallons of gas which in CT will cost about $224.00. The 748 wil use 37.5 gallons of diesel costing about $131.00.
The difference is $93.00 per year. As best as I can tell from the JD website, the difference in price between these machines is about $350. So after about 3.5 years you can recover the additional cost of purchasing a diesel tractor.

Is my math all wrong?

 

[Car Doc]

Diesel tractor resale is higher than gasser also a plus and arguably they smell better than gas sipping on that ulsd off road fuel. :thumbsup:

 

[RalphVa]

I can't imagine having a CUT and not diesel. They can sit for days, heck months. Turn on, glow a bit, and they start instantly. Fuel consumption is 50% higher for gasoline engines with carbs. This is still the same difference in fuel consumption for fuel injection gasoline vs. diesel turbo.

Can't match the grunt power from a diesel, because of their torque.

Our 2010 TDI with clean diesel technology (and not urea tank) is the best car we've driven, ever. Drives like a V8 with the fuel economy of a 3 cylinder. Marvelous car. My wife just wishes they would put markers at each corner so she can tell where they are. This is the main thing that she misses vs. her 1983 240D.

Ralph

 

[Gittyup]

Let's talk about cost of operation. Take two nearly identical tractors,
the JD X-728SE and the X748. The 728 is 27 hp gas and the 748 is 24 hp diesel.
Let's assume the 748 burns .75 gal/hr of diesel and the 728 burns 1.4 gal/hr of gas. If a property owner puts 50 hours per year on each machine, the 728 will use 70 gallons of gas which in CT will cost about $224.00. The 748 wil use 37.5 gallons of diesel costing about $131.00.
The difference is $93.00 per year. As best as I can tell from the JD website, the difference in price between these machines is about $350. So after about 3.5 years you can recover the additional cost of purchasing a diesel tractor.

Is my math all wrong?

Surprised that the price difference would be so little. When I bought my 425, the 455 was like $2000 more. Something is amiss there. Maybe it's the HP difference. One must also consider that maintenance and repair parts are much higher with diesel, and then there is the time value of money. Further, Don't know about the consumption numbers. I put about 50 hours per year on my gasser and use closer to 50 gallons of fuel, and that's probably 98% at full throttle operation. My diesel tractor does use about half as much, but with a lot of idling time. So, when all things are considered, I cannot be convinced that at 50 hours per year, a diesel yields significant cost savings to the owner.

Buy a diesel for the power, for the long run time convenience, for the longevity, even just for the sound of the machine, but not to save money.