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JD History Question
The only reference I have found to multi-fuel engines is the link in the box above. The model 70 Deere had an optional engine that could run on LP or Gas. That is not so different from some automobiles today. Is it possible that the difference between farm fuel and gasoline was its taxable status similar to our on road/off road price structure today for diesel?
Peters: do you remember seeing two seperate fuel tanks on those old tractors?
My recollection of the family farm in the early fifties has one elevated fuel tank that fed three tractors, a JD "A", a JD "B" and a Case It also fed the pick-up we drove to the creamery every morning and a big old 53'ish Buick. But like Tom says, I was pretty young and this memory could be flawed.
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JD History Question
My understanding is that the tractors had two tanks. You started the tractor on gas and then switched over to the farm fuel. It was not diesel from what I wsa told and the engine was not a diesel cycle.
What I thought (note my conjector) was that due to the low octane rating of that era gas. You started the higher compression motor with the gas and then switched to the more viscous, higher octane farm fuel. I suspect as the octane rating of gas increased due to the addition of ethyl lead the second tank was just filled with normal gas.
Can anyone enlighten us? I asked my friend that rebuilds the old Deeres, but he could not tell me.
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JD History Question
If 'tenant' farmers in that part of the world were anything like the ones we had around here years ago (and I don't see why not) they were certainly very 'poor' tenant farmers. However, that being said, they usualy had VERY wealthy landlords (with whom they 'share-cropped'). Our family worked a LOT of land this way for years, we even still 'work' some today this way. Because the landlord made his 'rent' based on a share of the crop it was in his best interest to ensure the 'tenant' had everything possible to maximize the yeild, including providing 'state of the art' equipment, which was back-charged against the tenants 'share' of course. In fact some of the larger equipment dealers used to rent brand new equipment to land owners with the rental rates based on $X.XX / acre or XX% which ever was higher, this way the landlords could get top yeilds while still conserving cash. It sounds a little bit like exploitation but an honest, hard-working family could make far more money (and have a home to boot) doing this than anything else. Best of luck.
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JD History Question
I did not see this at first but the GP series description indicates what I am talking about. The D also indicates it ran on anything but the used the farm fuel also do to the low cost.
Link:
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JD History Question
Living in this part of the world. I would say it would depend on the land holder whether there was a tractor and whether you could call it a living.
One friend of mine claimed his family was enslaved. I quizzed him on it and he described the share croppers were the monitary chains extended to the whole family. Only mechanization released these families that were tied through debt to the production of cotton.
I can only say there are old A, D, B and GP Deere tractor in the paper for sale.
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Peters, I will ask my Dad about the dual-fuel engines. He's been helping a neighbor rebuild a Farmall H that has (I understand) a "start on gas, run on kerosene" type engine. Perhaps would be similar to the JD engines.
Bill
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Up here in the 'frozen north' it was also common to have, usually only on heavy equipment, a 'pup motor' to start the engine. This was a small 4 stroke gas engine which gear-drove the fly wheel of the main engine to start it. Basically the way it worked was you just began rolling over the main engine (usually with a de-compression valve open or at least partly so) and this generated enough heat after a short time to allow the main engine to begin to fire. In some of the more sophisticated versions the 'pup' was liquid cooled and used the main engine as a radiator and also drove a genrator which kept the batteries and engine warm, in severe weather this little engine would be left running all night to make it easier on the machine come morning. Best of luck.
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To help clear some things up....or add to the confusion, here is what my father related to me:
Ther were several tractors in production, pre WWII that ran on dual fuels.
Due to several facts, cost, in effiecent cooling systems (gasoline burned hotter than the other fuels and produced more power, so the cooling systems could not keep the engine cool). Engines were started on gasoline, when, Then when warmed up, switched to the main fuel. Almost all of these tractors had two fuel tanks, some even used a glass "Ball" brand jar that held one QT. Also, in those days of ration stamps to conserve fuel for the WWI war effort In retrospect, I have learned that it was not gas that was short, it was a genius of our Govt, to help conserve tires, and since farm tractors were still on steel at that time, these other fuels were not rationed.
The main fuel used depended on geographic location and the name of the company marketing the product. Some places used kerosene, some called it farm fuel. Here In NW Indiana, it was called Tractorlene. But they were all similer to kerosene, and usually it was Naptha (sometimes called white gas)
Accorrdingto my source, (God rest his soul), The tractors ran poorly on the Tractorlene, but it was so much cheaper and available that it had to be used, He mentioned the fact that when plowing and hitting tough patches of ground he would switch back to the gas tank and the engine had the power to pull through it. (getting caught doing this was good for a whoopin'. it wasted money and was hard on the tractor, not to mention unpatriotic. After all, using too much gas could lose the war against the enemy!! My how times have changed!!!)
Back to the first question. I would guess that there is some confusion in his writeing, A tractor running on one of these other fuels, in a certain area, may have been called "Deisel". And the chuggung refered to is the rythmic, almost trademarkable sound of an old Johnny Popper. It is this sound that brings back many memories to many people, myself included. Mr Grisham was smart enough to know what he needed for "nastalgia" sales of his books. It worked...on me anyhow!!! I will give him the benifit of the doubt. I do love his work.....The book in question is one of my favorites
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I knew somebody must have the answer. In Kentucky a friend up the road had a old 2 cylinder Deere. He would run it up the hill which was the steepest by my property. Having never heard an old Deere before the first time he came up and the tractor started really popping I though he had lost a cylinder or two and was waiting for it to self destruct.
I must admit after my initial shock, the sound does grow on you.
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Well, I went to town today and ate lunch with my father in law after doing some errands and waiting for my wife. I asked my father in law about farm fuel.
He grew up in pre-WWII Southwestern Ontario. He hadn't heard of farm fuel, but thinks it's what they called coal oil as did my folks. He also said that the Fordson Tractor they had definitely had a compartmentalized gas tank (one for gas and one for coal oil). The tractor definitely had spark ignition and was started on gas then switching to coal oil when it was warmed.
Although I don't know how similar coal oil is to present day kerosene, it seems certain that spark ignition engines can run on something near #1 diesel but may not be able to start on it.
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