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Tractor Talk Discussion Forum

propane

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wide axle

11-27-2005 17:29:02




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Why early on did they make propane powered tractors? In that time period was there an abundance of propane? It seems that it would have been very unhandy to fool with. Anybody have any experience with this? Thanks, just wondering.




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johnlobb

11-28-2005 16:57:50




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 Re: propane in reply to wide axle, 11-27-2005 17:29:02  
I remember working for a couple of propane dealers in the late 60"s and early 70"s. I went to a Century propane carburation conversion school, and found if you expected 100,000 mi out of a vehicle on gasoline, you could expect 250,000 to 500,000 miles out of a LP powered rig. The reason for harder starting in the winter is that propane has a higher ignition temperature, but when electronic ignition came along, it worked fine. The theft problem was also elimi nated by fueling with LP. Oil changes could be greatly extended also, as many writers said, LP burns so much cleaner. LP also is higher octane, so usually one would gain power if you went to a straight LP conversion. There was also another application called "dual fuel" which allowed the use of a gasoline carb but with a LP adapter on top of it. As you were having to go thru the carb venturis, there was some power loss with this arrangement compared to a straight LP only carb. It made a lot of sense for fleets that returned to the yard nightly (for refuelling) and there were hand pumps available (not to expensive) for the individual or small business to use. These were ideal for farms. John L.

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Jerry Castleberry

11-28-2005 09:26:13




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 Re: propane in reply to wide axle, 11-27-2005 17:29:02  
A lot of farms had propane tanks for homes and it was more easier to refuel and not having to store other fuels



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JohnDeereGreen

11-28-2005 06:06:17




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 Re: propane in reply to wide axle, 11-27-2005 17:29:02  
MarkB_MI pretty much nailed it.

My grandfather could have bought a WD45 diesel, but instead bought a gas. He was skeptical of the "new" fuel.

JohnDeereGreen



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Stickler

11-28-2005 04:23:31




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 Re: propane in reply to wide axle, 11-27-2005 17:29:02  
an interesting tidbit is that in severe cold, propane vehicles have starting problems, nearly as bad as diesels. They never were popular up here in the land of ice and snow for that very reason.



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MarkB_MI

11-28-2005 03:22:08




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 Re: propane in reply to wide axle, 11-27-2005 17:29:02  
Believe it or not, when diesel tractors first arrived on the scene in the 40's and 50's, they weren't an instant success. Farmers were leery of anything new. On the other hand, gasoline even then was getting expensive in the larger tractors. LP gas tractors had all the familiar parts (distributor, coil), but were significantly cheaper to operate than gasoline tractors. And they didn't suffer the cold weather starting problems of diesels.

Growing up in eastern Colorado in the seventies, I remember there were still a few old coots who insisted on using LP tractors, even buying new ones.

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37 chief

11-27-2005 23:09:06




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 Re: propane in reply to wide axle, 11-27-2005 17:29:02  
Here in Calif Dad used butaine to fuel his tractors in the 40's, for farming, and some time in the 60's all he could get was propane. I don't know the difference between the two, I think butaine was a little less tank pressure. Stan



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Eldon (WA )

11-27-2005 19:55:40




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 Re: propane in reply to wide axle, 11-27-2005 17:29:02  
Had an old guy tell me once that it was the only fuel that couldn't be stolen by the blacks down south....I won't use the words he used LOL!



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Alberta Mike

11-28-2005 06:26:49




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 Re: propane in reply to Eldon (WA ) , 11-27-2005 19:55:40  
I think more than one of us on the YT site have either heard (or spoken themselves) of such comments regarding the black population. But to post such a comment here in 2005? God man, I would have thought that we have moved on from things like this. Just what point were you really trying to make? And I'm sure that old fella probably went to church every Sunday as well, and of course he's up in heaven now right?

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T_Bone

11-27-2005 22:16:03




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 Re: propane in reply to Eldon (WA ) , 11-27-2005 19:55:40  
Had an old guy tell me once that it was the only fuel that couldn't be stolen by the white trash up nouth in WA....I won't use the words he used LOL! Maybe Eldon???

T_Bone



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Eldon (WA)

11-27-2005 23:14:50




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 Re: propane in reply to T_Bone, 11-27-2005 22:16:03  
T-bone you don't have to believe me if you can't handle what I wrote but the truth is I asked this JD guy that had a bunch of LP models at a show why most of them came from down south and that is what he said. It would never have crossed my mind, but thought it had some merritt to this subject. Of course white trash as well as any other person could possibly steal gas or diesel from a tractor, but apparently this guy had his own theory..... so here's my theory:
1. LP was cheap
2. Engines run cleaner on LP and last longer...and possibly:
3. Some farmers found that they didn't have to worry about "someone" stealing the fuel from the tractor they left out in the field overnight.

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MNredfarmer

11-27-2005 19:17:48




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 Re: propane in reply to wide axle, 11-27-2005 17:29:02  
In the mid '60's my Dad bought a Farmall 400 LP. He along with his brother and a friend did a lot of custom work, plowing,combining and drying corn. The 400 was hooked up to a M%W corn dryer for days on end with out much of a break. He always tells me that when they bought the tractor LP sold for .08/gallon. Says that when they quit custom drying in the early '70's he put new main bearings in it and had the distributor worked on and that's all that has ever been done to the tractor. He figures there has to be at least 15,000 hours on it. He later bought a 706 LP and won't part with them.

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4010guy

11-27-2005 19:16:16




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 Re: propane in reply to wide axle, 11-27-2005 17:29:02  
my dad had a GB MM on propain and then a g1000 on propain that i started farming with and now i run my ol pickups on propain.they run very clean and run like a new fuel injected engene. do not hav as much power as gas pickups and are a littel harder to start in very cold wether but all in all they are the way to go on a older vehicel a lot of them around hear on trucks but dont see many LP tractors any more

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Russ Smart

11-27-2005 19:02:35




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 Re: propane in reply to wide axle, 11-27-2005 17:29:02  
All of the fork trucks where I work are propane powered for pollution reasons, less carbon monoxide. (they are inside) Also like others said the engines stay very clean inside so there is a savings on oil changes.



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Galen

11-27-2005 18:36:14




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 Re: propane in reply to wide axle, 11-27-2005 17:29:02  
Neighbor up the road has a Minnie-Mo U302 that is propane. He uses it as a loader tractor and wouldn't trade it for the world. He also has a MF 185 Diesel, but likes the MM better. It's all in what you know and like.



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ILL Jon

11-27-2005 17:42:25




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 Re: propane in reply to wide axle, 11-27-2005 17:29:02  
Seems to me they were more popular in the south, they ran stationary pumps and such off propane and had easy access to fill the tractor in the field. Propane is a much cleaner burning fuel than gasoline, the engines and such are cleaner inside representing less needed maintainence andparts. I've got 3 of them, really like them. John



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just_ tired

11-27-2005 17:57:02




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 Re: propane in reply to ILL Jon, 11-27-2005 17:42:25  
My Dad told me that in the 50"s he wanted a R John Deere for the fuel savings but since he was farming in the drought of Texas he had to do what he could do. When the JD D needed an overhaul he had it converted to Propane because it was cheaper than gasoline. It was a step in between gas and diesel. We used a propane combine into the 80"s and never considered it inconvenient to use, just different.

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ILL Jon

11-27-2005 17:42:11




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 Re: propane in reply to wide axle, 11-27-2005 17:29:02  
Seems to me they were more popular in the south, they ran stationary pumps and such off propane and had easy access to fill the tractor in the field. Propane is a much cleaner burning fuel than gasoline, the engines and such are cleaner inside representing less needed maintainence andparts. I've got 3 of them, really like them. John



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farmboysteve

11-27-2005 18:15:30




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 Re: propane in reply to ILL Jon, 11-27-2005 17:42:11  
propane is a byproduct of of making gasoline and such abd in the early years of refinerys, they had more than they could use, so they burned off the excess or sold it cheap, like .02 cents a gallon. if you were close to a refinery, it was a cheap fuel.



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steveormary

11-27-2005 21:22:19




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 Re: propane in reply to farmboysteve, 11-27-2005 18:15:30  
I think propane filled the gap betweeen gas and diesel in the 50"s. Once diesel engines were improved some propane got pushed out. A farmer I worked for had 1MH 55 diesel,1 MH 44 om propane. 1 MMU on propane and a B JD on gas. Sort of got attached to the propane burners.

steveormary



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