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LP vs NG vs Gasoline vs Diesel

2

2510Paul

Well-known Member
Does any one have a link to a table giving the efficiency/energy/cost in each of these fuels in a farm tractor? I suppose it would be something like HP-Hours per $ of fuel.

Paul
 
If you know which tractor you are looking at, you can go to tractor data .com, then go to the "tests" section, and they often have options for Gas, Diesel, and LP. Very cool to be able to compare the Nebraska Tractor Tests side by side....
TractorData.com
 
Some gas tractors were more efficient then some diesel tractors. All depends which one and at what horsepower load you want to work it. Oliver holds the gas-tractor record for fuel efficiency and beat many diesel tractors making the same power.
 

Depends on who you ask.
Old carburated low compression farm tractors have an inheirintly lower thermal efficiency over most diesels at full power HD service.
Putting around ight duty the service the lightly loaded gas can burn less fuel than a lightly loaded diesel.
Comparing fuels should be done as cost per btu rather than cost per gallon.
Given the success of direct injection gasoline engines in light duty service. They are serious competition to a Tier IV diesel in initial cost , fuel per btu with diesel costing so much more than gasoline . After warrenty repairs of Tier IV emissions is going to hurt some pocket books someday.
Of course some want diesel , because it a diesel no matter what. Even if a DI gas was offered in small light duty equipment . Then again some boats, snowmobiles, ATV 's , RTV and lawn equipment are already DI gas .
 
I think it depends a lot on the size of the tractor in question. The last couple years I have used a two 720 John Deeres to put up hay. One is an LP gas and the other a Diesel. The neighbor 2 miles away runs a 720 gas for the same work. With diesel last summer around $3.50 a gallon, Gas closer to $4.00, and LP at around $1.60 a gallon, The diesel and LP gas tractors were very close on operation cost per hour. The gas was almost double of that. The Diesel used about 1.5 gallon per hour, coming in at 5.25 dollars per hour, the LP used about 3 gallons per hour coming it at 4.80 dollars per hour, and the gas used around 2 gallons per hour, coming in at 8.00 dollars per hour. Todays fuel prices make it a much more competitive game however. Using today's prices of 2.00 for gas, 2.25 for diesel, and 1.25 for LP, you come out with 4.00 per hour with the gas, 3.37 per hour with the diesel, and 3.75 for the LP. This was all doing light work like mowing and raking and I am sure that the closer you get to full load, the more the advantage will favor the diesel. I hope this is helps!
 
(quoted from post at 17:14:34 02/06/15) I think it depends a lot on the size of the tractor in question. The last couple years I have used a two 720 John Deeres to put up hay. One is an LP gas and the other a Diesel. The neighbor 2 miles away runs a 720 gas for the same work. With diesel last summer around $3.50 a gallon, Gas closer to $4.00, and LP at around $1.60 a gallon, The diesel and LP gas tractors were very close on operation cost per hour. The gas was almost double of that. The Diesel used about 1.5 gallon per hour, coming in at 5.25 dollars per hour, the LP used about 3 gallons per hour coming it at 4.80 dollars per hour, and the gas used around 2 gallons per hour, coming in at 8.00 dollars per hour. Todays fuel prices make it a much more competitive game however. Using today's prices of 2.00 for gas, 2.25 for diesel, and 1.25 for LP, you come out with 4.00 per hour with the gas, 3.37 per hour with the diesel, and 3.75 for the LP. This was all doing light work like mowing and raking and I am sure that the closer you get to full load, the more the advantage will favor the diesel. I hope this is helps!
Click to expand...

Per one year's use. How much more did the gas 720 cost more than the diesel 720 in fuel?
 
Back in the 50's farmers had to stand guard all night or kids would drain their gas tanks. So some decided diesel or lp was a way to get a good night sleep. I even know one farmer who filled his gas tank with diesel to teach the kids a lesson.
 
Careful, the gasoline equivalency table is based on 100% conversion efficiency. To get the actual fuel consumption by a tractor operating on the different fuels you should use the "tractor data" resource.
 
(quoted from post at 22:28:38 02/07/15) Careful, the gasoline equivalency table is based on 100% conversion efficiency. To get the actual fuel consumption by a tractor operating on the different fuels you should use the "tractor data" resource.
Click to expand...

Old low compression carburated gas engines suffered from timing and air/fuel mixture that was "close" but rarely ideal.
Old gasoline engines had low thermal efficiency due to the low compression/expansion ratio of 6,7 or maybe 8 to 1. A direct injection gas engine operates with a 11-12.5 to 1 compression/expansion ratio.
The DI gas engine, today's diesel for that matter has variable cam timing. Retarding the intake cam at cruise reduces the effective compression ratio but maintains the expansion ratio giving a greater difference between compression and combustion pressure. Which is what makes fuel efficiency and power.
Retarding the exhaust cam at cruise will function as EGR instead of having an EGR system with it's inherent problems.
 
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