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distillate

H

Harryaroo

Member
I was thinking about getting a 102 jr-- massey harris. My understanding is they originally ran off of distillate. What would be the right fuel to use with this tractor?
 
Distillate was like the old home heating oil they had decades ago but you had to start them on gas and then switch over to the other fuel.
 

Years ago for a test I operated my JD BO which has what is classified as an all-fuel engine on diesel fuel. I operated it on gasoline until it reached 200F then changed it to diesel and it ran fine for a few minutes until I shut off the fuel. I've read operating an all-fuel engine on diesel will contaminate engine oil quicker that when operating same engine on distillate fuel.
 
As long as you can keep the coolant temp above 200++ degrees, your tractor will burn diesel or home furnace heating oil running good-- no smoke.. But you need to work the tractor and- or have shutters in front of the radiator.. Say you were plowing, working, all is good.. stop and idle for a little bit, it will start to smoke..
 
I was at an antique engine and tractor show last year, and there was a 118 year old stationary engine made in Scotland running very nicely. I asked the operator what he was running for fuel, he told me jet A, that seems to be about the closest to distillate. If it was working hard diesel would probably be fine, but for idling Jet A was better.
 
Considering current availability, price and how useable your tractor is, while burning it the answer is regular unleaded gas you get at the corner station. It was capable of burning distillate as a cheaper alternative for the farmer. It will run perfectly fine on gas and make more power. Considering that you can start the tractor and almost immediately go to work with it when burning gas makes it much more ..useful.. today.
 
Distillate was lighter/ more volatile than kerosene and heavier, less volatile than gasoline. In certain localities it was called tractor fuel. I run my distillate fuel Allis Chalmers A on a home brew that works well. 50% gasoline, 50% kerosene . If working it hard on the belt or for playing on a dyno I add about 10% diesel fuel and it will produce a bit more power.
 
Just burn gasoline in it. Forget about the distillate burning capabilities that it MIGHT still have. Be the simplest thing to do.

In order to burn distillate, you have to have two tanks (one for straight gas), a functional intake heating manifold, and functional shutters. Most people didn't keep these components functional over the years since the yesteryears of burning distillate are long since gone. And if they ever replaced anything in recent decades, such as the manifold, they just put gas burning parts back on. So, it may no longer even have distillate burning capabilities if the shutters have been taken off, cold manifold has been installed, and the original small gas tank (for gas originally) is no longer in use or has been discarded (not sure what Massey Harris did for the reserve gas tank). Had a separate little tank, or a partition in the large tank.

If you got all the components, yes, you can burn distillate. But where are you going to buy it?? And is it really worth the headache???
 
gasoline is correct for now adays. distillate was from years ago as it was cheaper than gas. and you had to have a hot engine plus its hard on the engine as not all is burned and goes into the oil pan and thins out the oil which results in greater engine wear. then you had to drain off the oil pan level each morning. so just stick with gas. if you want a diesel engine then buy a diesel engine as they will burn any kind of oil.
 
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