Blashphemy! (Or what engine do you like best?)

[Dualfuel]

Well....I spent saturday assembling a John Deere "M". I found it to be a very simple machine and a joy to diagnose and put running.

It got me thinking about the old model H I had as a teenager. Also about the Model A my cousin has. I wonder if those tractors would be good candidates for running generators. I know that most of this forum is devoted to these single or twin cylinder big flywheel engines. I think there are more of these tractors sitting around then these flywheel engines.
Anyhow it was fun tuning this old bird 'til it had an idle that you could hear each power stroke firing. The owner was thrilled too, as it had sat in the garage, in a box, for about a year... still don't know where all the pieces are but having it running has spurred the owner into searching for everything.

BPJ

[vdubnut62]

Well, the old 2cylinder Deere engines won't direct drive a 4 pole head, they are capable of 1000-1300-ish rpms. My 70 diesel will go through approximately 2 1/2 gallons of fuel an hour, working hard.
Not sure about the Farmall line, that's my son in-law's area.
Ron.

[Dualfuel]

Hi Ron,
I have been operating the Farmall model H for years. They are an excellent candidate for operating on woodgas. They burn tar and don't get locked up when it cools on their valve stems. The mag or distributor has a silly amount of advance that can be added. The strange thing about the H is that a whole tractor can still be had for less then the parts to fix an engine, so I never have rebuilt one because I can buy another working tractor when something goes wrong. Sometimes I buy a working tractor just for the tires.
The H has a 150cid OHV four cylinder. I think its something like 24hp at the belt. I have an H powering a Belsaw circular mill and a "buzz" rig cross cut saw.
The H has no power steering or live hydraulics, nor does it have a three point hitch. What it does have is a tricycle, zero turn model that is super for skidding logs out of the bush, (it'll darn near go anywhere).

The thing I have been contemplating for some time now, is to remove the engine, and the tires, from an H and mount the back end on concrete. Then mount a 6.2 diesel to the back end of the H. Then I would have a nice quiet diesel powered belt and PTO drive. The other option here is doing the same thing only repowering the backend with a IH 392cid bus engine. (the advantage there would be wood fuel and the bus engine's aircompressor). Its an armchair project right now, but I do have a lot of the parts.
BPJ

[vdubnut62]

Sounds like a winner, although woodgas is COMPLETELY out of my area of knowledge. 
Ron.

[SteveU.]

Hey Henry and BrucePJ
Here is Danny Cox loading up his Onan/SOHC Ford genset on woodgas to 7250 watts. Including air compressor and MIG welder loaded running now.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkTyeUfniKA
L-o-n-g 23:55 minute video. I watched out to  3 minutes (one hour on my dial up).
He comments here that this is to back an already installed 15kW diesel home power system here:
http://www.driveonwood.com/forum/951

Regards
Steve Unruh

[Dualfuel]

I definitely will watch this, just after I get a new laptop....my present "craptop" has no sound card...so videos are just not the same.
BPJ

[Henry W]

When I get time I need to sit down and watch it.

Thanks Steve

[Henry W]

I watch some of his earlier clips and I remember he had a rough time getting the engine started. From what I see here it looks like it runs fine once warmed up. The engine should be able to pull more of a load than 7250 watts.

Henry