Gas is sometimes a better choice now adays for some part-time users. But for a tractor that gets used a lot, a diesel in most cases is a lot cheaper to run. There are a few exceptions, especially if you put a big diesel tractor on a very small load. Some big diesels doing very light work are worse fuel hogs than a correct-sized gas tractor doing the same job.
I got raking hay a few weeks ago with my 300 Deere. Mine is a diesel and the other tractor there was a Deere 300 with the gas engine. My diesel used approx. 1 1/2 gallons of diesel per hour and the gas tractor used 2 1/2 gallons per hour. Right now - here in central New York, diesel is $3.38 per gallon and gasoline is $2.83 per gallon. So, do the math.
Downside to the diesel is the extra costs often involved in repairs and maintenance - and the fact that few "gas engine" mechanics know how to work on injectors and injection pumps. So, they send the stuff out and a $25 repair turns into a $700 repair.
Regardless of the claims that diesels are more simple, they're not. Just happen to have much of the fuel system and ignition system in a cental unit that many do not know how to work on.
A diesel presents more problems to deal with in extreme cold weather. Also needs more battery. As for torque? Many gas engines have exactly the same torque and torque curve when they have the same bore and long stroke. In fact, a gas engine, if equal in bore and stroke to a diesel, will have more power, not less. But, stick a turbo on a diesel and things change.
I'm not trashing diesels. They are by far the best for any serious work. But, for some people and limited useage, they are often more costly overall, not less.
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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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