Solar Tractor

dtatum

Member
8N Solar Tractor anyone? This is very interesting. According to the post it will run 1.5 hours between charges. What do you think?

http://austin.craigslist.org/grd/3698126135.html
 
I think I'll pass.
$8K for a tractor that needs $700 worth of batteries to run 1 1/2 hours at a time?
 
Not practical, but it did give the fellow something to do with his mind & time. That is good.
 
(quoted from post at 23:45:00 03/22/13) 1 1/2 working hours, doing what, pulling a lawn sweeper?

Looks like an environmentalist's dream come true.
hat, smell sulfuric acid fumes?! I'd miss the smell of burned fuel in the morning! :twisted:
 
Just as useless as Electric cars . All the gas and or crude oil you think you save is spent making Electricity so that you can charge the batteries , and if you can only charge it by solar ? what are you going to do when it is cloudy and dark ? Typical thought pattern of an over educated abundant nnalert environmentalist lacking real world common sense , just like the one I saw standing at a bus stop in the rain leaning on his umbrella getting soaking wet so book smart he forgot the umbrella was to open up and hold above his head to keep himself dry. Put a gas engine back in it or better yet junk it .
 
You know you think it's pretty cool.

I have always thought of farmers as the ultimate environmentalists? After all their entire livelihood is based upon Mother Nature. With this blaring Texas heat it seems like a pretty good idea - after all, the sun is unlimited energy. I'm sure the first combustion engine tractors were probably pretty crude also?

And BTW - what is wrong with being a abundant nnalert Environmentalist? Some of my best friends are Liberals and Environmentalists!

I wasn't even considering buying it or the practicality of it - just thought the idea of solar/50hp engine was pretty innovative.
 
I did notice in the ad that implements are not included. Maybe they're buying a gas tractor.
Kirk
 
If these brainiac "wet behind the ears" geniuses would direct their thought processes towards creating solar cells with a 98% efficiency, then they might just revolutionize the solar industry. But creating anything with the current 17% efficient solar cells is just a waste of time & money.
 
Great idea.
I think I will couple the 201 diesel in my 4000 to a generator. Use the electricity to power an electric motor to drive the tractor.
That would eliminate the need for those pesky batteries.
On second thought, maybe I wont.
 
(quoted from post at 12:14:03 03/23/13) Great idea.
I think I will couple the 201 diesel in my 4000 to a generator. Use the electricity to power an electric motor to drive the tractor.
That would eliminate the need for those pesky batteries.
On second thought, maybe I wont.
een reading about diesel-electric locomotives, have you. :lol:
 
When I said "Looks like an environmentalist's dream come true", it was not meant as a nasty comment. I actually think it would be kind of cool if an environmentalist bought one and reported back to us how well it worked out for them. I live in the Seattle area, and am really curious to see how well it would work out in my neck of the woods. If it didn't work out so well, then maybe it might spare the rest of us some grief, should we be thinking of doing something similar.
 
"With 75 Amps out and about 5 Amps in (in direct sunlight) it does not make sense to carry the array on the 8N."

Darn, looks like it won't work.
 
(quoted from post at 15:58:52 03/23/13) "With 75 Amps out and about 5 Amps in (in direct sunlight) it does not make sense to carry the array on the 8N."

Darn, looks like it won't work.
EY!! Bern, you are cheating! You used common sense, logic & reasoning!! Those guys had to spend a year, 1000's of dollars & trash good tractors to figure it out. :idea: :lol:
 
You could just pull a gas driven generator behind the tractor to charge it.
Maybe use the flat head 4 cylinder that you took out of the tractor to power it :)
 
I have seen a old AC company film that show this fuel cell tractor working in a field. Sorry I could not find a picture on the tractor. But it proves that companies have been working on the electric tractor for a long time. I guess plowing or pulling heavy equipment just takes so much power the batteries will not hold up. But large diesel/electric train engines are pulling trains across the nation each day.
_______________

In 1959, a team led by Harry Ihrig built a 15 kW fuel cell tractor for Allis-Chalmers which was demonstrated across the US at state fairs. This system used potassium hydroxide as the electrolyte and compressed hydrogen and oxygen as the reactants. The original AC fuel cell tractor is currently on display at the Smithsonian Institute.
 
(quoted from post at 20:25:41 03/23/13) I have seen a old AC company film that show this fuel cell tractor working in a field. Sorry I could not find a picture on the tractor. But it proves that companies have been working on the electric tractor for a long time. I guess plowing or pulling heavy equipment just takes so much power the batteries will not hold up. But large diesel/electric train engines are pulling trains across the nation each day.
_______________

In 1959, a team led by Harry Ihrig built a 15 kW fuel cell tractor for Allis-Chalmers which was demonstrated across the US at state fairs. This system used potassium hydroxide as the electrolyte and compressed hydrogen and oxygen as the reactants. The original AC fuel cell tractor is currently on display at the Smithsonian Institute.
hat would be comparable to this solar tractor, IF the panel could produce 75 amperes. Not 5.
 
Nobody said they were suppose to be helpful to anyone but then again nobody ever said Liberals , nnalert , and Enviromentalists were helpful either just look at external_link bin laden and his sidekicks nnalert and peloisi the three most useless nnalert in the USA .
 
(quoted from post at 00:33:53 03/24/13) Nobody said they were suppose to be helpful to anyone but then again nobody ever said Liberals , nnalert , and Enviromentalists were helpful either just look at external_link bin laden and his sidekicks nnalert and peloisi the three most useless nnalert in the USA .
ou forgot 'Dingy Harry" Reed!!
 
(quoted from post at 19:22:04 03/23/13) Somebody "tries" this ever few years, but they are still far from practical. This one from 2008:

http://www.solarcarandtractor.com/8N_Ford_Tractor.html

"The purpose of this work is not to sell solar power, but instead to show how few and feeble are our options in the fast-approaching fossil-fuel depleted future."

Oops, guess this was before they knew about how fracking opened up huge new sources of oil and gas!
 
$700 worht of batteries? You better check again. Those batteries
can run you over $200 each. Even up to $300 for the best ones.
You can find cheaper ones. But you'll get what you pay for. There
are 8 of them in there. Check on Golf cart batteries. He did say you
could put 12-marine type deep-cycle 12 volt batteries in it. But
they wouldn't hold up as good
 

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