Modern Gas Tractor? What's the Chance?

[cathy liebchen]

They will all be electric soon

 

[Hay Dude]

They will all be electric soon

Probably so. It’ll take 30 years before all the gas & small diesel versions die off, and then another 30 before all the ICE collectors that keep them running die off.

Political winds could blow in a different direction and cause the slowing of the process, too.

 

[Rarefish383]

DISCLAIMER.....I'm not sure I really trust that 20 MPG in the welding truck, but he seems real happy with it compared to his old diesel.

My friend bought a used Ford Excursion, is that the big one, and was bragging how it was getting over 20MPG. I asked if he was actually doing the numbers or going by the display on the dash. He started keeping track of the actual gallons and miles, turned out it was only getting 15-16 MPG.I bought a new F150 2.7 twin turbo. Window sticker was $51K. It's a 2018 that somehow got stuck on the lot. I bought it the first day of 2020, only had 6 miles on it, for $35K. It gets an honest 20-21 mpg, sometimes up to 25. With my dual axle, 10,000 pound GVW dump trailer on empty, it drops to 17-18. Put my JD X738, about another 1000 pounds, it drops to 12-15. Put a cord of Oak firewood on it and it drops to 9-10 MPG. My old Ram only got about 12 MPG empty and would drop to 8-10 with a load of firewood.

My fishing buddy had a Chevy diesel that got a tad over 20 MPG. Pulling his 30' Contender it dropped to less than 10 MPG. For the "little" work I do, I don't need a big truck.

 

[Paystar]

I also know everyone likes to justify their purchases. I mean with all due respect Paystar (because I respect and like your posts a lot), there‘s no way a gas engine that revs higher with less torque pulls the same as a diesel that revs lower with considerably more torque or can get the same fuel economy.

It just can’t happen. Or if it can, I don’t understand how.
Maybe he had a 6.7 that had a problem?
Maybe he didn’t know how to drive a diesel?
Maybe a transmission with more gears and/or a rear axle with numerically lower ratio?

IMO, another reason for walking away from diesel is the PRICE of the diesel option.

A ‘23 Cummins standard output is now $9,300!!!

Ya, I don't know. I know most dash displays are not accurate, but I've been in that truck a few times and it's always showing 20 to 21 MPG.

That's what my F150 5.0 shows IF I drive it 55 MPH and like a law abiding citizen.
But it mostly shows 16 MPG when I'm on my way home from work, LOL

And don't misquote me....I didn't say they pull as strong as a diesel, I just said for what MOST people pull, they wouldn't notice a difference. But for those of us that have pulled 12,000 and more pounds, yes we would notice the diesel pulling stronger, LOL

Gas isn't the answer for everyone. But it is a viable option for many. Same with a gas farm tractor. Yes they did it in the old days. But I'm not sure how many would still want to farm a thousand acres today on an open station 26 h.p. tractor, LOL
But for an estate owner a gas tractor would be a good reliable option.

 

[Paystar]

I mean with all due respect Paystar (because I respect and like your posts a lot)

Thank you, and no worries. No offence taken.

 

[Paystar]

My friend bought a used Ford Excursion, is that the big one, and was bragging how it was getting over 20MPG. I asked if he was actually doing the numbers or going by the display on the dash. He started keeping track of the actual gallons and miles, turned out it was only getting 15-16 MPG.I bought a new F150 2.7 twin turbo. Window sticker was $51K. It's a 2018 that somehow got stuck on the lot. I bought it the first day of 2020, only had 6 miles on it, for $35K. It gets an honest 20-21 mpg, sometimes up to 25. With my dual axle, 10,000 pound GVW dump trailer on empty, it drops to 17-18. Put my JD X738, about another 1000 pounds, it drops to 12-15. Put a cord of Oak firewood on it and it drops to 9-10 MPG. My old Ram only got about 12 MPG empty and would drop to 8-10 with a load of firewood.

My fishing buddy had a Chevy diesel that got a tad over 20 MPG. Pulling his 30' Contender it dropped to less than 10 MPG. For the "little" work I do, I don't need a big truck.

My F150 5.0 seems pretty accurate too when I calculated gas receipts on a few trips.

I haven't towed north of me in the hills with it yet, but going east on a few trips which is pretty flat for the most part it will drop to 13 US MPG with my 16 foot tandem aluminum trailer with my RTV-X1100C in it and the same with my Ford 3000 diesel in it.
I was surprised I got same mileage with the heavier Ford in it, but I guess the tall flat cab on the RTV is like wall in the wind.

 

[Fixastuff]

I've run some 40ish horsepower vermeer and ditchwitch products and don't like them compared to the older models of the same machine that used to diesel. Don't seem as powerful, they had to be run at wot to do anything and drank way more fuel.

 

[hiddentacocatneddih]

I wouldn't give up the reliability of a mechanical diesel for a gas engine

Even if you go mechanical injection, you still have spark equipment to worry about

Then fuel burn. My 22hp lawnmower burns gas at the same rate my 50hp diesel tractor burns fuel. And the tractor covers a lot more acerage per hour, 46in deck vs 84

I would never consider it.

 

[Paystar]

I just started refreshing my 55 Allis Chalmers yesterday.

 

[rScotty]

I just saw in one of the tech journals that burden my mailbox that over-the-road trucks are going to high pressure water-flushable soot traps and DPFs instead of the high temperature regenerative burn-out types. That alone would make a huge difference in diesel operating costs for tractors as well as emissions.
rScotty