old vs. new; also a couple of questions...

On the side of the question...I keep hearing that appropriate timing on the Waterloo lettered series like my '49 G is about 25BTC. I am running mine at 19BTC; doesn't idle terribly well but really comes alive under load. I set w/ timing light. I have no close dyno access. On a long hill pull, tractor seems to have a little more power there than at 26BTC. Am I deluding myself? Tractor has electronic ignition and 55KV coil.

Question 2-I have the F1074 gas manifold. Am pondering a Heisler or Johnson manifold. The cam is stock and since I've redone most everything ahead of the crank including the clutch, I don't have an overwhelming appetite to dig into a cam change to up flow past my mild porting. Does anyone have experience with the cold manifold in the absence of the optimised cam? Any idea on power increase?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Regards,
Rob

ps- my $0.02 worth, Wilt in his heyday over Shaq; not even close.

Keeping all of the power measurement and ratings rules straight that have been applied over the years is really difficult. Do many of the shows in your area have a dyno that the guys can hook up to? My understanding is that it is becoming a little more prevalent; sure wish I could attend one around here to hook my G up to. I'd buy the adapter to go down to std.PTO size just for the chance. I do think there have been some modest confusion over the years; just the way stuff has been rated...gotta be competitive. Engine power vs PTO vs drawbar; 85%, 100%, max power vs rated power; tough to keep it all straight. If you want to see some odd power ratings, check out some of the ones on the new tractors. An 8520 for example produces more power by a lot at about 1700 rpm than at 2200 rpm rated. The beauty of electronically controlled engines! If you have witnessed some dyno work on the older stuff at fairs or whatever, share away.

My understanding is that the ones really disappointed by the New Gens are those that traded their 730 for a 3010. Anyone out there have experience with that?

Thanks,
Rob

We had a 730D pulling 4x14's at the same time we took delivery on an early production 4020D power shift pulling 5x14's. In normal black loam here in central Ill.,the 4020 would run about a half-mph faster than the 730 and would occasionally lap it if the going stayed favorable. However, when the loam turned to wet clay or worse, gumbo, the 730 would stay in 3rd gear and gain some distance and lug where the 4020 would be quickly dropped from 4th to 3rd. The 730 had not been deliberately tweaked but may have been running a little higher power than production; also the 4020 would smoke very little so I wondered about its power, plus it was a powershift before they reset the pump to compensate. We had a later 4020SR with the pump set to 105hp; now that was a tractor...lit up the sky at night with a 1' cone of fire from the muffler when the governor opened up.

Thanks for sharing that. I was wondering about a 4010 vs 830 comparo; your observation puts that in perspective for me.

thanks,
rob

Rob

No bubble to burst on my side; I'm just throwing some ideas to ponder. Chuck, thanks for the timing info; I assume your advice on timing is also valid for my distributor-equipped G(?). I realize some of the new stuff is really impressive; the miracles of electronic engine control where the torque rise can be optimized are tough to compete with. My request is for everyone to think back to some of the plowing days you've attended; who was hard to keep up with and why (other than the fact that a dude with an 830 was pulling a 4-14's...); my point is that comparison of a 730 vs a 3010 or a G versus a 70 is interesting; especially where the rubber meets the cornstalks in the field.

Great discussion; keep going!

Rob

Always wondered about that myself. A friend had a 5510? with fwa and loader. I think it had about the same hp rating as my 706 ger diesel. I was always trying to get him to hitch up to my 15"tandem disk to see what would happen. He never did but I think it would have been interesting.

steveormary