Aside from first cost, there's a couple other problems with gas turbine prime movers in tractors, earthmovers, etc:
1 - Fuel economy. Compared to a diesel, a gas turbine's economy is only marginal at 100% load. It quickly gets worse at lower loads - at idle it is abysmal.
The Union Pacific railroad operated a small fleet of gas turbine locomotives in the 1950's and 60's. They were only economical only under long distance, full load situations (the turbines were always dispatched with a 25,000 gallon fuel tender car to keep up with their thirst for fuel). In their later years they were paired with one or more conventional diesel locomotives so the turbines could be shut down under slow conditions, when stopped for meets, etc.
2 - Gas turbines are very sensitive to dust in the combustion air. And since they consume prodigious quantities of air, keeping combustion air clean requires massive filters and frequent filter changes.
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Today's Featured Article - Restoration Story: 1951 Farmall H - by The Red (John Fritz). I have been a collector of Farmall tractors since 1990 when I first obtained part of the family farm in Eastern Indiana. My current collection includes a 1938 F20, 1945 H, 1946 H, and the recently purchased 1951 H. This article will focus on what I encountered and what I did to bring the 1951 NEAR DEATH Farmall H back to life.
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