JATO_RaT
Veteran Member
Roy, some great points. One area where a gas engine is used for both reliability and endurance is aviation, Cessnas, Pipers, Beech etc. that use piston engines rely on a high torque, and lower then max RPM for HP for cruising almost exclusively. Cruising at 2500 to 2700 is typical RPM for these. The engines can go 2000 hours before having a mandatory rebuild. Its not that they are worn out like race cars, its primarily safety. I still do not know what usable torque/HP is. I know my diesel truck has neither, but I still like it and the mileage isn't bad.
When I think of these little Gators or Mules, I don't think of them as anything much more then transportation, at least thats pretty much all I ever see them used for be it around the golf course's, my neighbors driving the kids around and getting the mail, or my sister's Mule to drive down to the barn to feed the mules (miniature donkeys). It is perhaps what has influenced me to think "why" a noisy, and admittedly smellier diesel. I suppose if one uses it to haul stuff routinely, pull very heavy stuff etc., its a possibility to consider. The few I have drove did not suffer from power to say the least, all were gas. For me, I'll just use my tractor for that stuff. It'll pull 10 times the load lift many times more in the loader then the things could hold and is almost as fast.
My critiera would have little to do with a need for "big torque" or "ultra longevity", it would have more to do with comfort, be it sound, smell or the ability to start and stop the engine frequently. I have 3 diesels, my International tractor a 3 cylinder beast, my 4 cylinder ultra smooth and darn clean burning Kubota (gobs of torque at 1500 RPM) and my Navistar in my Ford truck, a normally aspirated, very reliable and well built but power lacking V8. It needs a Banks bad, real bad, but I just don't want to spend the dough on it. Since we are talking diesels, I would love to have a new Powerstroke, Duramax or Cummins. I like the Duramax because it is so much quieter then the Navistar or Cummins. All 3 are pretty good though, have driven the later 2 extensively. Thanks for the comments and please add some more, Rat...
When I think of these little Gators or Mules, I don't think of them as anything much more then transportation, at least thats pretty much all I ever see them used for be it around the golf course's, my neighbors driving the kids around and getting the mail, or my sister's Mule to drive down to the barn to feed the mules (miniature donkeys). It is perhaps what has influenced me to think "why" a noisy, and admittedly smellier diesel. I suppose if one uses it to haul stuff routinely, pull very heavy stuff etc., its a possibility to consider. The few I have drove did not suffer from power to say the least, all were gas. For me, I'll just use my tractor for that stuff. It'll pull 10 times the load lift many times more in the loader then the things could hold and is almost as fast.
My critiera would have little to do with a need for "big torque" or "ultra longevity", it would have more to do with comfort, be it sound, smell or the ability to start and stop the engine frequently. I have 3 diesels, my International tractor a 3 cylinder beast, my 4 cylinder ultra smooth and darn clean burning Kubota (gobs of torque at 1500 RPM) and my Navistar in my Ford truck, a normally aspirated, very reliable and well built but power lacking V8. It needs a Banks bad, real bad, but I just don't want to spend the dough on it. Since we are talking diesels, I would love to have a new Powerstroke, Duramax or Cummins. I like the Duramax because it is so much quieter then the Navistar or Cummins. All 3 are pretty good though, have driven the later 2 extensively. Thanks for the comments and please add some more, Rat...
