Yanmar All Juiced Up!!

Rusty26 · Jul 29, 2005

This tractor looks pitiful, I wish I could go in and save her but...If I could just get some diesel to her. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
36V Electric Yanmar Tractor Wow! 12 Batteries

LMTC · Jul 29, 2005

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( If I could just get some diesel to her. )</font>

I understand the sentiment. If it doesn't make lots of noise, and even more noise when revved up, what the heck is the point? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

cfoxmd · Jul 29, 2005

Soon you will see diesel electric hybrids--only $10k more than regular. 2 1/2 hours of use--most tractors carry enough fuel for a full day's work without refueling. Sounds about like an electric car that will go 100 miles and takes all night to recharge. OK for light commuting, but you will need another car for actual use. Until there is some was to recharge or exchange out battery packs in a minute, then they are cute, but not very useful. I guess if you were a homeowner that needed a lawn tractor for an hour or two a week to cut the grass--it might be ok.

pruntyc · Jul 29, 2005

It sure wouldn't be any good to me, I need to cut longer than that. And its still not free, I wonder what it costs to charge the batteries up? Most people that has a need for a tractor, needs one to run more than 2 1/2 hours, or they probably don't need one bad enough to buy one, in the first place. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

thegreatrandini · Jul 29, 2005

Yea, and what is funny is that batteries are as hard on the environment as anything!! Just the name alone "Lead Acid Battery" is scary!!! They can be recycled to a point but sooner or later it all enters the environment....

Jagmandave · Jul 29, 2005

So, it's a fork truck for the farm?
Actually, I can kinda see the point of this, but not for an everyday farmer, who runs his tractor 8 -14 hours a day. The weight makes sense, running the pump off an electric motor makes sense (ala fork trucks again) makes me wonder if you put a fork truck battery in there, maybe it would run 8 hours, like forktrucks do?

also, note where he lives, Northern California near Mendocino...........

Eddie · Jul 29, 2005

Can you imagine what it costs to replace all the batteries????
In a 36 volt golf cart it's over $300.

scrinch · Jul 29, 2005

also, note where he lives, Northern California near Mendocino...........

Hey, I resemble that remark! /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

I wonder...is it more efficient to burn the fuel in the tractor itself, or to burn the fuel in the power plant and take all the efficiency losses in the power transmission system, the battery charger, and the electric motor? The power plant is definitely more efficient than a diesel engine, but with the other inefficiencies of the electric charging system, the diesel-powered tractor probably doesn't come out too bad.

Then there's the sound and the smell...kinda depends on what you like I guess.

cfoxmd · Jul 29, 2005

The problem is of battery capacity and efficiency. There is a reason why we don't have electric cars. You just can't carry around that much power in batteries. When we get bettery battery technology to have electric cars, we'll have electric tractors. I agree that it is more efficient to make power at a power station rather than locally at the tractor. With current technology, however, you just can't carry enough energy around except in the form of burnable fuels.