Another look at gas vs diesel

Bruce from Can.

Well-known Member
In the discussion below fellas made many
comments about why farmers didn’t want to switch
to diesel powered tractors from gas powered. Times
have moved on, and now there isn’t any option...
yet! Buddy of mine that runs a school bus company
told me they are switching bad to gas powered
buses because the new diesels are a nightmare for
them. While the new gas equipment is far better
than what the old carbureted gas engines were.
Could gas come back to farm tractors too?
 
I highly doubt gas tractors will make a comeback. I would really like to have a 70-80 hp gas tractor with cab and fwa. Basically a chore tractor and something I can feed cattle with in the winter. I can plug a diesel in but if the electricity goes out I like knowing my little gas jd 2510 will start in any weather. Something newer with a cab would be nice. The cold winter and especially the hot summers are really starting to bother me as I get older.
 
I heard some school systems in my area were going to switch to gasoline.There was an Oliver 1250 on CL awhile back that had a Toyota gas motor installed in it,I'd guess some of these small car motors in tractors would be as good or better than the small diesels.I still run several gas powered tractors they are not that bad on gas.Feed hay with a gas Oliver 1600 utility,just pull the choke and it fires right up no matter what the weather,no plug in.Tractors I run for hours at the time doing jobs like making hay I use a diesel but a lot of people now don't put many hrs on their tractor so a gas would work for them.Plus if its like trucks these days a lot of gas can be bought for the difference in prices of the gas and diesel.
 
Many municipalities are switching light and medium duty trucks back to gas for those reasons and others. I am not happy with my diesel pickup and will probably not buy another. My older diesel pickup was much better, wish I had kept it and just kept repairing the rust issues.
 
People forget that in the 60s even diesel trucks were not all that common. No body I knew had a diesel farm truck. My father and grandfather bought two new semi tractors for the logging business in 64 and they where both gas. A single axle C60 Chevrolet with a SB 327 and a tandem GMC with a 401 V6. We got a diesel 3020 JD to replace the G in 65, it was the dealer demonstrator. In that same year they bought a C4 Tree Farmer to skid with and one of the two Fordson Majors they had been skidding with came home to the farm.
 
Our bus company is switching to gasoline busses as well....no def, fewer starting issues etc... If farmers ask for it, there will be gas fired tractors again.

Ben
 
Nope. You'll never see a new gasoline engine farm tractor in your lifetime, or ever.

They can't just put a simple carburetor-and-distributor engine in a tractor and roll it into the showroom. It has to comply with EPA rules, so it's going to have computer everything, fuel injection, and all the emissions equipment you see on road vehicles. On a tractor that's being beat around, that stuff will be just as problematic as the diesel is now.

So just as many problems, if not more, twice the fuel consumption, half to quarter the time between overhauls... Gasoline doesn't seem very viable to me.
 
(quoted from post at 04:43:00 09/15/20) Nope. You'll never see a new gasoline engine farm tractor in your lifetime, or ever.

They can't just put a simple carburetor-and-distributor engine in a tractor and roll it into the showroom. It has to comply with EPA rules, so it's going to have computer everything, fuel injection, and all the emissions equipment you see on road vehicles. On a tractor that's being beat around, that stuff will be just as problematic as the diesel is now.

So just as many problems, if not more, twice the fuel consumption, half to quarter the time between overhauls... Gasoline doesn't seem very viable to me.

We already have electronic fuel injection and electronic ignition on our cars and trucks. That technology could very easily be applied to gasoline powered farm tractors.
 
I wouldn’t be surprised to see gas engines start to be available in the new compact and subcompact tractors before too long . It would bring the purchase price down and avoid the emissions issues that come with the new diesels.
 
no diesel is what the environmentalists want. (they want no gas either) and its heading that way

they've put so much burden on the emissions that they aren't as efficient (go figure, extra emissions reduces fuel economy which..burns more fuel which.... polutes more??!!) and is Much more costly. then add regen systems and DEF systems and the issues with those things.

I'm surprised Germany has been so bent on getting rid of diesels over there. Diesel runs thru their veins. they invented it and without it wouldn't have been as prosperous. When we were in Ireland in 2016 i was surprised every car (most all that i saw) was diesel, and they heated with coal and fuel oil. i didn't notice any pollution other than the occasional coal smoke smell

Larger farm tractors going to gas? probably not unless diesel is somehow outlawed all together. I would like to see some smaller 45hp and lower add a gas option. FIL went small (B2650) with his kubota to avoid the emissions issues on the slightly bigger models
 
I can see the farm kids telling their teacher " sorry we are an hour late AGAIN, we had to redenerate the bus.
 
(quoted from post at 04:47:59 09/15/20)
We already have electronic fuel injection and electronic ignition on our cars and trucks. That technology could very easily be applied to gasoline powered farm tractors.

None of it designed for the rigors and duty cycle of field work. It won't hold up. Everything needs to be redesigned from the ground up if you want it to be reliable in a farming environment. Of course the manufacturers won't, and the consumer will be faced with reliability problems.
 
The school district I went to switched back to gas buses a few years ago. Many years ago my uncle maintained the buses and drove for another district, he convinced them to try propane buses. They had so much trouble in cold weather they switched back.
 
The killer for a lot of fuels in the future will be the taxes put on it.A couple dollar$ a gallon tax can turn a cheap fuel into the most expensive option in a hurry.
 

Depending on who wins on Nov 3rd . Tier V emissions will be introduced either sooner or later . With the goal of eliminating the ICE and forcing the use of public transportation , electric vehicles or equipment .
Meeting the specs and and keeping a Tier V diesel operational in light duty or intermittent operation will be costly in repair time , lost production and shop bills .
Some people can not move past the idea of a 1969 era gasoline tractor engine . Yet the same person likes the power, fuel efficiency and reliability of a direct injection gas engine in their highway vehicle , ATV, snowmobile , jet ski etc .
GM was all ready in 2016 with the 6.6L 401HP direct injection gas engine . To offer as an alternative to diesel in the light and medium duty vehicle market .
The primary reason that small diesels even exist in the light duty market . Is much to the surprise of most of the 331,000,000 Americans , there is the rest of the world out there with a total of 7.8 Billion people .
In most of the world gasoline is taxed as a luxury item and costs 20%-60% more than diesel . Hence manufactures offer diesels where the market would not otherwise exist .
Some people are stuck on diesel and only diesel as a status symbol .
 
(quoted from post at 07:43:00 09/15/20) Nope. You'll never see a new gasoline engine farm tractor in your lifetime, or ever.

They can't just put a simple carburetor-and-distributor engine in a tractor and roll it into the showroom. It has to comply with EPA rules, so it's going to have computer everything, fuel injection, and all the emissions equipment you see on road vehicles. On a tractor that's being beat around, that stuff will be just as problematic as the diesel is now.

So just as many problems, if not more, twice the fuel consumption, half to quarter the time between overhauls... Gasoline doesn't seem very viable to me.

Wrong , wrong and wrong .
You must then believe that Kubota engineers and executives are stupid and foolish .
Kubota has an entire line of spark ignition engines for direct bolt in replacement of their Diesel engines under 100HP .
There are applications where the diesel is a disadvantage to spark ignition .
Like I said there are some of you who can not get past the year 1969.
The customers perception of diesel vs gasoline is based on feelings rather than fact in the light and medium duty market .
 
Wrong wrong wrong i can get passed 1969 and if you are
using a light to medium duty Diesel engine gas still doesnt
come close
 
The sall district I drive for purchased a new gas bus last year. I've taken it on a couple trips and was really impressed not to mention you don't even hear it running at a idle. Its been more economical and dependable than the diesels they have. They are now going back to gas as they purchase new buses.
 
(quoted from post at 09:25:15 09/15/20) Wrong wrong wrong i can get passed 1969 and if you are
using a light to medium duty Diesel engine gas still doesnt
come close

If diesel is so wonderful in the light and medium duty
Market . Why are school bus fleets and delivery fleets changing from diesel to gasoline ?
Why is GM building a 6.6L gasoline engine to replace the 6.6L diesel with ?
 
Bingo, B & D.

The federales have severely damaged the light truck diesel market causing a shift back to gasoline in both light and medium truck markets.

Federales know no bounds and NEVER consider their job done so reasonable people can expect them to continue their destruction. Yes, the American People have been given a repreive lately but any such repreive
must be considered temporary. How quickly TIERs V, VI, VII, ... ad infinitum, are implemented will depend upon what happens on November 3.

Meanwhile, as I have predicted before, one should expect manufacturers to introduce modern gasoline engines in more markets, including agricultural equipment, in the foreseeable. Such would likely have
happened before now but for manufacturer's justifiable reluctance to invest in development in technology that can be rendered valueless by the stroke a bureaucrat's pen.

Stay tuned.

Dean
 
It is not about performance with these new engines. It is about maintenance. The check engine light has been on more then off in my truck for the seven years I've had it. Completely replaced DEF tank, heater ect. Glow plugs and modules. Some was under warranty but the truck is still out of service and I need it.
 
I had 2 Cub Cadet garden tractors with Kubota motors one was gas the other diesel,same displacement, the diesel was 18HP and the gas was 21HP about the same to run and operate and very little difference in the amount of fuel each used.
 
You all csan have those farting poping puking gas engines. I'll keep my old diesels from the when ever they happen to be made in. We've got engines from the late 30's to the 80's with the newest being in a 7140or 2940. Probably the last ones we will have unless we ad another old tractors like one of those to the line up. The only gas tractor we have is the H and id has electronic ignition from a Chevette on it. I still think it is not right since the mechanical advance is set for an engine running in the 25-5000 rpm range.
 
(quoted from post at 12:52:49 09/15/20) You all csan have those farting poping puking gas engines. I'll keep my old diesels from the when ever they happen to be made in. We've got engines from the late 30's to the 80's with the newest being in a 7140or 2940. Probably the last ones we will have unless we ad another old tractors like one of those to the line up. The only gas tractor we have is the H and id has electronic ignition from a Chevette on it. I still think it is not right since the mechanical advance is set for an engine running in the 25-5000 rpm range.

We are talking about purchasing equipment and regulations in 2020 . What does your 1930's to 1980's equipment have to do with any of this ?
lighten the springs in the centrifugal advance.
 
Agreed - maintenance costs have to added to fuel costs. Those little diesels with tier 4 emissions can eat your lunch several times over - fuel is the least of your worries.
 
In our area, So Wisconsin, many of school buses have switched to LP. The Ford V-10 engine works really well on LP and the cost per gallon is below $1. Very little maintenance and in cold weather you have a nice warm bus. MPG is less than a diesel, but still cheaper than the diesel to run and they are dependable.
 

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Back
Top