Gas or Diesel?

James Howell · Jul 30, 2009

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</a> Will Rogers once said <big>[b:654c4848f0]"A man only learns in two ways, one by reading, and the other by association with smarter people."[/b:654c4848f0]</big>

I benefit from both on this YT forum.

Just curious as what your choice would be.

Two tractors, color not important, with equal PTO horsepower and live PTO with attached bush hog (rotary cutter).

One tractor is diesel and the other is gas.

You will be shredding thick, tall, heavy grass.

Which tractor, gas or diesel, would you use and the reason for your choice?

keh · Jul 30, 2009

Bush hog requires a lot of hp in heavy vegetation, so diesel because of better fuel economy. You shouldn't have any trouble with cold starts in TX, if you do, ask on here for cold weather starting tips.

KEH

buickanddeere · Jul 30, 2009

How many hours of shredding per year? Fuel storage methods? Climate? Storage shed? Brand/model/year of tractors? Your level of mechanical ability?
You have to be considering a gasser of the 30,40,50,60 and occasionally into the mid 70's. Vs. a diesel of the late 50's through to present.

I hope you have waited until the nesting birds and other animals have raised their young?
First thing new urban people who purchase land around here do. Is post no hunting signs all over the place. They bushhog the entire rural estate into a lawn. Then let their dogs and cats run free. Then b*tch about how hunters and farmers have killed off all the deer, rabbits & birds that were on the place when they bought it.

Anonymous-0 · Jul 30, 2009

Diesel without question.

1. safer, less apt to catch on fire
2. more efficient, better fuel economy
3. longer lasting

And this list goes on.

IHStandardMan · Jul 30, 2009

Diesel.

-Less Carbon Monoxide.
-Better fuel economy and power.
-I think you can do a lot more with a diesel engine, also more versatile.

But....

There are many variables, and you would need a perfect setup to see which one is better.

glennster · Jul 30, 2009

uh, i gotta go against the grain
gasser
i use my 240 u for bush hogging
low to the ground
dont have that far to climb down when i knock my hat off on a limb.
tractor and mower will fit on my trailer for easy transport.
the seat doesnt make my butt look fat.

actually tho, diesel would be the better choice for power and fuel economy.

Billy NY · Jul 30, 2009

Right now I do that chore with an LP powered 850 ford, but I have my eye on a ford 545C diesel, and knowing the torque difference from the older LP model and the 3600 ford diesel at our other place, I'd have to select a diesel for that work, fuel economy is better too.

Tractor would get used in the winter months, but I could deal with that, fuel conditioner, heated garage etc.

Bob · Jul 30, 2009

Almost without exception, the diesel will have quicker governor response than the gasser.

And that makes WORKING the tractor all that more FUN!

Ultradog MN · Jul 30, 2009

Just got my first ever diesel a year ago. I'm learning to like it a lot.
But,
Diesels STINK and they're NOISY.

onefarmer · Jul 30, 2009

I use both for various things and by far prefer a diesel. Steady power and better fuel economy.

Roy Ward · Jul 30, 2009

Diesel for sure. Less cost per horse power.

Mike (WA) · Jul 30, 2009

Diesel, utility size tractor, definitely. Aside from the obvious advantage in fuel economy, I just don't seem to get along too well with plugs, points, and especially, CARBURETORS! Give me a mixture screw and a fast idle screw, and I'll have that sucker in a "non-run" condition before you know it!

'Course, I prefer the sound and smell of diesel over gas, too.

Roy Ward · Jul 30, 2009

I have a 1930 Farmall Regular and I use a 50/50 blend of gas and Diesel.

Anonymous-0 · Jul 30, 2009

I say,,,, Men judge the affairs of others better than their own,

It don't make any difference what you use, as long as your happy with what you have.....

Gun guru · Jul 30, 2009

Diesel is more fuel efficient. I however would get a gear drive trans. Hydrostatic drive is a waste of power, about 1/3 is lost when converting from mechanical to hydraulic.

LJS30 · Jul 30, 2009

I was always under the impression that Diesel was always the better choice when doing real farming.

Anonymous-0 · Jul 30, 2009

I guess diesels have been around so long there really isn't a down side to working on them expect for the fuel itself. I'm just used to gas engines. Gassers do have all the little things that cause trouble and get fiddly. Maybe the best answer would be economy, dependability and I always thought a diesel made its power at a lower rpm than a gasser which is a good thing for a tractor. The gasser might be cheaper to buy I think but the diesel should pay for itself.

Anonymous-0 · Jul 30, 2009

Diesel should give better fuel economy, though there have been periods in the past couple years where the premium price for diesel fuel at up the savings from better engine economy. Because of their better economy working, generally a diesel tractor will sell for significantly more than a gas tractor. When I was last shopping about ten years ago in the 4020 size range, the diesel had a $4000 premium and that difference at that time would buy 14 years of gasoline for the way I ran the tractor. I've since weaned the gas tractor and its doing better. That's buying ALL the fuel for the gas tractor, not just the extra from its poorer economy.

Gerald J.

Anonymous-0 · Jul 30, 2009

Then I KNOW how to tune a gas engine, have rebuilt many, tuned many more, it may take a few bucks in plugs, points, and condensers every few years, though my gas 4020 hasn't needed any in ten years after I did its initial tuning. Probably at today's prices, $20 will buy all those parts. A diesel 4020 often needs an injection pump rebuild by now at a cost of $500 and maybe a set of injectors at $75 or more each. That cost will buy a whole bunch of gasoline tune up parts.

Gerald J.

Anonymous-0 · Jul 30, 2009

So I bought gas, and its paid for me, gives me plenty of power for all my loads, I'm nearly always traction limited (maybe I needed to spend a kilobuck on new rear tires along the way, but I won't).

Besides which ten years ago, biodiesel wasn't on the market and my gas engine ought to (but it doesn't like to) burn any mix of ethanol made from my corn, or with simple mods to burn methane digested from manure or hay. So its not hard to make the gas engine burn alternative fuels. Biodiesel makes that argument a little less, but in theory I can make those gas type fuels easier than I can make good biodiesel.

Gerald J.

James Howell · Jul 30, 2009

Been thinking about y'all out there in the NorthWest with 100<sup>o</sup>+ temperature.

Hope you're holding up OK.

Fawteen · Jul 30, 2009

Diesel, no contest.

Better fuel economy, more torque.

JDemaris · Jul 30, 2009

I'd take a diesel for any tractor that's really going to do some work.

#1 - You get more energy in a gallon of diesel than in a gallon of gas. And, a compression-ignition engine using diesel fuel runs more efficiently that a spark-igntion gas engine. And, I can buy off-road diesel and not pay highway tax (like I do on gasoline).

#2 - Most diesel versions of tractors use bigger engines than equal powered gas engines. That because diesels have less power than equal sized gas engines unless they are turbocharged. So, you've got more iron being worked less hard - which adds to longevity.

I'll add though that I would NOT own a diesel if I was not able to work on it myself (including the injection system).

One other advantage is . . . diesel fuel lasts for years, so there's no storage problem for tractors that sit, or fears of the fuel going bad.

Anonymous-0 · Jul 30, 2009

In Iowa all fuel documented as used off road gets the state and federal taxes back on the income tax return. Last year I did so poorly that I owed no Iowa tax, but got a refund check for the gas taxes paid of fuel used on the farm. All $7.14.

Diesel will go bad stored long enough with a bit of water present stuff will grow in it. But that does take longer than for gasoline to go bad.

Gerald J.

Anonymous-0 · Jul 30, 2009

About the only reasons I could see for choosing the gas tractor over a diesel is that sometimes the diesels I have operated puke out red hot carbon chunks in the exhaust when they are working hard, and if it is dry, that could cause a fire. This actually happened to my Dad and by the time the Fire Department caught the fire, we lost about 10 acres of mixed pasture and woods. And it was not all that dry.

And if both tractors needed to have the engines rebuilt, a gas tractor is usually lots less expensive to rebuild than a diesel, especially if the diesel injection pump needs to be rebuilt at the same time.

But my experience under most conditions is that the diesel tractor will do the same job as a similar gas tractor using lots less fuel. So I usually prefer to use a diesel for most jobs.

Anonymous-0 · Jul 30, 2009

If you want to play with it, tinker, adjust, learn to be an amateur mechanic vby all means get the gas jobbie. If you actually have work to do and a limited time to do it in, then it's pretty hard to argue with diesel (choice). Don't let the cold weather myth scare you off either, my Kubota has been known to start when other vehicles failed (here in Manitoba, where it does occasionally freeze a few nights of the year).

Leroy · Jul 30, 2009

Gas because I cannot stand the smell of diesel fuel, have to stay away from the pump island that has diesel in it, go to the pumps on other side of station.

trucker40 · Jul 30, 2009

Diesel.If you are talking about a new tractor,a diesel will run a lot more years than a gas engine before you have to rebuild it.It costs a lot more to rebuild a diesel though.Diesel eliminates the electrical system so it stays running better,at least until something in the fuel system breaks or wears out.More torque more power usually.The torque and power mean you can do more work in a day and probably use less fuel,be done quicker.There are lots of diesel engines in tractors that might never have had a wrench used on them,at least not for anything major.Probably a lot of gas engines that still run would most likely have been rebuilt some time.

Brian Jasper co. Ia · Jul 30, 2009

To me, it's just the sounds and smells. Something about diesel has always captivated me. I think I'd rather work on gas engines though. I can fix all of the problems 6.0L Ford owners have. No, I don't want to work on yours. Too much stuff to take off and put back on.

buickanddeere · Jul 31, 2009

As soon as low sulfur and ultra low sulfur diesel came on the market. I purchased it instead of off road diesel even with the extra cost of road tax.
I don't miss that stinking diesel at all.

Mike (WA) · Jul 31, 2009

We're back in the mid 80's now, with morning clouds- high in my town was 108 on Wednesday, got as high as 111 in one spot in the county. Radio was advertising locations of "cooling centers"- public buildings and community and senior centers with air conditioning. Haven't heard of any health problems because of the heat in this area.

Gas or Diesel?

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