3 cylinder vs 4 cylinder

[Milo]

Are all the 4-cylinder tractor motors in-line? Any V-4's?

 

[Botaskinner]

My 3-pot B2320 is the third 3-cylinder machine i've owned.

The other 2 were two-stroke street bikes both of which I rode on multiple road trips. Vibration on the bikes was never enough to be the primary cause of fatigue..it was always the seat that made me want to pull over and stretch.

My 2320 is a smooth runner in its own right, and i would not hesitate to consider a 3 banger Kubota again if I wanted to trade...but it's a keeper.

And a 5 cylinder diesel can be nicely balanced without a balance shaft. I put about 200,000 miles on a 1984 Mercedes turbodiesel and once again...it was a sore bottom that made me want to rest. The engine was wonderful once off idle.

 

[kenmac]

And on the 7th day God introduces Perkins Diesels.

I have that same engine in the McCormick I just bought

 

[dodge man]

I own a JD 2025r and it idles at 1500 rpms. I often wonder if the high idle is because it would be so rough at lower rpms.

 

[murphy1244]

I have that same engine in the McCormick I just bought

My Perkins diesel on my MF135 runs like a sewing machine. Mr IT gives me a headache.

 

[rScotty]

Anyone can find examples to "prove" any side of this discussion, but the bottom line is that 3 vs 4 cylinder vibration & power has little to do with number of cylinders or engine configuration. With apologies, that's just too simple. Instead, those engine characteristics have everything to do with way the rest of the engine is designed and where the manufacturer decided to set the limits... and the budget.

40 years ago modal analysis - the science of vibration control - was difficult and challenging for design engineers. Engines did differ, and good ones came from gifted designers backed by manufacturers who cared to decided to spend their manufacturing budget on reliability, power, and especially on vibration.

Today, computer programs have made those types of analysis easy for any designer. All that is needed is one gifted engineer and an equally gifted programmer. Everyone benefits. Computers make the solutions easy to find, but engineering solutions still cost manufacturing money - and in today's world cost is king.

For anyone wanting to learn a bit about real-world engine vibration and how it relates to engine cylinder numbers and configuration without going past high school science and math, there's a good article at: Engine balance - Wikipedia.

rScotty

 

[Richard]

And on the eighth day he rested, for the Perkins gave him a splitting headache. They do me anyway.

Not arguing what you say....after all....your headache is your headache.

My JCB has a 4-cylinder Perkins. When the battery is good (I dont use it enough to keep battery 100%) it starts in what seems to be a quarter of a revolution. I mean to say, it starts "right now" (no glow plugs)

Has a turbo and runs as smooth as creamy butter. If something like that gives someone a headache, I'd hate to see what our IH-444 would do to you!!!

 

[fried1765]

Not arguing what you say....after all....your headache is your headache.

My JCB has a 4-cylinder Perkins. When the battery is good (I dont use it enough to keep battery 100%) it starts in what seems to be a quarter of a revolution. I mean to say, it starts "right now" (no glow plugs)

Has a turbo and runs as smooth as creamy butter. If something like that gives someone a headache, I'd hate to see what our IH-444 would do to you!!!

Maybe keep a Battery Tender (or similar) on that battery.
They work wonderfully to keep your battery fully charged.
I have 17 of them!

 

[aczlan]

I own a JD 2025r and it idles at 1500 rpms. I often wonder if the high idle is because it would be so rough at lower rpms.

Our BX2660 is that way, when it is under 1300RPM, it shakes and rattles. As a result, I have the low throttle stop set to 1300RPM.

Aaron Z

 

[Agvg]

Not all Perkins are created equal, my AD3-152 is a very good engine, starts easy in below -15c without any heating or glow plugs and are quick and very economical, but not all engines series are so good, and it's British and made in tens of millions scale. Only wished it had wet liners and not dry but not a big issue.

 

[murphy1244]

Not all Perkins are created equal, my AD3-152 is a very good engine, starts easy in below -15c without any heating or glow plugs and are quick and very economical, but not all engines series are so good, and it's British and made in tens of millions scale. Only wished it had wet liners and not dry but not a big issue.

I have over 6500 hours on my 135 and it still runs strong!

 

[4570Man]

A 4 cylinder vs 3 cylinder is probably the last factor I care about when looking for a machine. I’d rate the seat covering material as a higher priority.

 

[johncanfield]

My Kubota L2900 was 30 hp three cylinder, very reliable machine. My current machine is a Deere 4720 is 66 hp 4 cylinder, I really didn't notice any difference between the two as far as noise or vibration. My JLG boom lift has a three cylinder Duetz diesel, great engine.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Good thing the Perkins is a Diesel, otherwise being British, if it required electric ignition, it would never start.

My Dad visited me today in his 5 cyl Diesel Sprinter. Just about surprised me, that thing is so quite.

 

[ptsg]

Isn't Perkins now owned by CAT?

 

[goeduck]

I have over 6500 hours on my 135 and it still runs strong!

One of my MF245s is right in there with you. 6000 something hours and running good and smooth. However, my smoothest engine is a 5 cylinder Kubota direct injection from the late 90s.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I think I heard one of those Kubota five cylinder tractors. I thought, it made our 70 PTO hp JD 6200 sound like a pile of junk. But what of torque? That 5 cylinder is also very fuel efficient, whereas our JD has a drinking problem!

 

[Rmart30]

We all remember the old adage, that "there's no replacement for cubic inches"....well, that's where the turbo charger (TB) comes in...a 3 cyl with TB may put out as much HP as a non TB 4 cly, and I'm pretty sure that 3 cly engines are "cheaper" for the manf. to build....I'd rather have a non TB 4 cyl putting out 60hp than a 3 cly putting out the same hp. For one thing, the 4 cly, with normal maintenance will most likely outlast the TB 3cly...also no cool down on the 4 cly. engine....just my 2 cents... BobG in VA

Agreed. A smaller cubic inch engine will likely need to be ran at a higher rpm to achieve its hp than a larger displacement one will. More displacement also equals more torque. I would rather be able to work with one that didnt have to be run at its highest rpm all the time to make its working hp.

 

[Agvg]

Why do you need rpm? A modern diesel with turbo pulls on low rpm, old sluggish,non turbos are total gutless without RPM, of course you kan add volum, cylinders and weigh ending up with a ineffective design that is very expensive and give you zero value.

 

[johncanfield]

Our sailboat had a Westerbeke 4-154 diesel (Perkins clone) normally aspirated, we were thinking about repowering with a turbo Yanmar of about the same displacement. The Yanmar would have been maybe 25% more fuel efficient than the old Westerbeke. This would have been a significant improvement since we only carried 75 gallons of fuel (we were blue water sailors.)