Re: Displacement/engine speed/HP

Posted by john d on August 30, 2000 at 15:26:42 from (206.141.74.34):

In Reply to: Displacement/engine speed/HP posted by John Hallman on August 30, 2000 at 06:56:00:

You bring up some interesting points. While it's not like comparing apples to oranges, comparing these two types of engines is a little like comparing one kind of apple to another - everyone to their own taste!

The old tractor engines, like the ones in my Farmall H, M, and SM have lots of torque, have lasted a long time, and work all day without complaint. Like your 400, they are excellent examples of "high-tech" for their day, considering the basic design was laid down in the 1930's! Look at automotive engines of that day, and you will see some of the same characteristics. The high compression high revving engines didn't start to come along in large numbers until the Olds/Cadillac V8 engines of about 1949 and the Chevy V8 of '55. Sure, there were other engines that had their niche, but these two set some major benchmarks.

It's important to remember that most of the "old" tractors we like so well had only 5 or 6 forward speeds; some had only 4, or even 3! If you don't have lots of gears to choose from, or the ability to shift-on-the-go, you'd BETTER have an engine with lots of torque, and the easy way to get that is LOTS of cubic inches, and preferably with a LONG stroke.

With the benefit of modern lubricants, even with a heavy work schedule, many of these old engines have outlasted their engineer's expectations. No engineer today would be permitted to design an engine (or tractor) with the "extra" strength, material, and longevity that was put into ANY of the major tractor brands of the 40's and 50's. The corporate "bean counters" insist on the most comptetive "bottom line" on the financial report that can be obtained, so engines are lighter, rev higher, and work harder.

It's a testament to the ability of the engineers at Ford, AC, Oliver, MM, IH, Deere, Massey, Case, and others that these tractors are still working the way they are. A tractor produced in the mid-40's followed the advent of really successful tractors by only 20-25 years, and they're still running (and WORKING) 50-55 years later! You won't find that too often in automobiles, trucks, trains, planes, or industrial machinery!

The new ones probably won't last as long, but they weren't really designed with that goal in mind. We live in a pretty much "disposable" society. Empty the can...throw it away.

Follow Ups:

• Re: Re: Displacement/engine speed/HP H MN 15:45:58 08/30/00 (2)
  • Re: Re: Re: Displacement/engine speed/HP john d - with a story of an IH engineer... 20:08:22 08/30/00 (1)
    • Re: Re: Re: Re: Displacement/engine speed/HP H MN 05:15:49 08/31/00 (0)

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