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Why the 3 cylinder engine?

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Alan Farley

01-23-2002 20:27:40




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I don't know much about Ford tractors as a Case fan myself but I was wondering, what made Ford decide to use a 3 cylinder engine on the thousand series in the 60's? Seemed odd that they would give up a proven 4 cyl. design for an engine that doesn't seem to have been widely used. Better fuel economy? Who came up with the concept? Which do you prefer? Or is there not much difference. A neighbor of mine runs a 72' 3000 gas he bought new. Never really had to do anything but maintainance at 2,900 hours. I know JD used a 3 cylinder on their 1020 in the 60's.

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Texadian

01-25-2002 16:08:57




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 Re: Why the 3 cylinder engine? in reply to Alan Farley, 01-23-2002 20:27:40  
Alan,
Ford was able to build 30 to 130 HP engines using the same piston, con rod, valve train, cam gears, waterpump, flywheel, crank seals and so on. In fact, the first 401 cubic inch prototype 8000 engine was built by welding two 4000 blocks together. Common parts was the main reason for 3, 4 and 6 cylinder engines. Prior to the launch of the 2000 to 5000 in late 1964, Ford in Europe had good success with the 3 cylinder diesel Fordson Dexta. The three cylinder isn't all that well balanced, each end of the engine wants to rotate around in a circle; it's a good thing it can bolted solidly to a transmission to hold it down. Even then it will shake the rear fenders at certain RPM's. The question of why the four cylinders need gear driven balancers is interesting. The longer the connecting rod, the less need for a gear driven balancer. You can prove this by drawing it out on paper; from TDC and BDC, for the first quarter revolution, the two pistons moving down travel a greater distance than the two pistons moving up. For the next quarter revolution the two pistons moving down travel less than the two moving up. Then it repeats again for the next two quarters of revolutions. There are two straight up and down shakes transmitted into the engine block every revolution. We counteract that with a weighted gear in the bottom, rotating at double crankshaft speed. This weighted gear creates its own sideways shake so we need a second weighted gear to balance the sideways shake.

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Poppin' Johnny

01-24-2002 15:29:15




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 Re: Why the 3 cylinder engine? in reply to Alan Farley, 01-23-2002 20:27:40  
Maybe it was cheaper to tool and build?



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JAE-Tx

01-24-2002 06:34:05




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 Re: Why the 3 cylinder engine? in reply to Alan Farley, 01-23-2002 20:27:40  
The four cyl. motor was a gas engine modified for diesel service - not quite heavy enough for the task.

The three cyl. motor was a diesel engine modified for gas - a much easier - and more reliable - transition.



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Dave M

01-24-2002 05:16:03




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 Re: Why the 3 cylinder engine? in reply to Alan Farley, 01-23-2002 20:27:40  
The consensus is that the 4 cylinder engine made a very good gasoline engine. The diesel version was an afterthought. The diesel market was getting much bigger around the mid 60's, which is the era when the switch was made. The 3 cylinder diesels are apparently much better than the 4 cylinder diesels.



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CJ

01-23-2002 22:16:41




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 Re: Why the 3 cylinder engine? in reply to Alan Farley, 01-23-2002 20:27:40  
I am not the most eloquent but I will try to explain what I can.Anyone correct me if I'm off on this.The three cylinder engine was designed to provide what is refered to as dynamicly balanced power output. The three cylinders cranshaft throws are spaced 120 degrees apart providing a smooth power output flow with a minimum number of cylinders. Not as choppy as an even number of cylinders that have the pistons 180 degrees apart from their opposites. Smooth power! The five cylinder engines, the V-6 and V-10's are other examples of engines using this principal.I am very fond of the three cyl. Fords and my Allis with a Perkins three cyl.diesel is a great machine.

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HWooden

01-25-2002 18:12:06




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 Re: Re: Why the 3 cylinder engine? in reply to CJ, 01-23-2002 22:16:41  
The crankshaft throws are spaced at 120 degs. but the power strokes occurs every 240 degs. It is a four stroke engine not a two stroke. ( 720 divided by 3 = 240) Two revs of crankshaft.



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Bob Weber

01-24-2002 09:08:51




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 Re: Re: Why the 3 cylinder engine? in reply to CJ, 01-23-2002 22:16:41  
Even though the crank throws are spaced at an even 120 degrees, the engine only fires once every 240 degrees of crank rotation, vs every 180 for a four cylinder. And a four cylinder is balanced as well as a three; with two pistons moving up and two moving down the forces cancel each other. So I can't imagine it was for engine balancing reasons. And given that a four fires more often, then it's power delivery is smoother than a three. I'm thinking it's due to cost. Fewer parts in a three than a four, and a three cylinder with the same displacement as a four is probably a torquier motor.

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RickB.

01-24-2002 16:03:23




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 Re: Re: Re: Why the 3 cylinder engine? in reply to Bob Weber, 01-24-2002 09:08:51  
If a 4cyl is balanced as well as you claim, please explain why every 4 cylinder diesel engine built after 1960 (that I am aware of) has a dynamic balancing unit driven by the crankshaft. I have never seen a balancer unit on a 3,5, or 6 cyl diesel.



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jim

01-24-2002 06:48:00




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 Re: Re: Why the 3 cylinder engine? in reply to CJ, 01-23-2002 22:16:41  
I agree with Alan. That is exactly the way it was explained to me by my dealer when I purchased my 3000 in 1968. I greatly respected his opinions as he was an aircraft mechanic during WW2 and as such obtained knowledge and skills far beyond even mechanics of today.



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TimK

01-24-2002 07:12:35




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 Re: Re: Re: Why the 3 cylinder engine? in reply to jim, 01-24-2002 06:48:00  
I don't disagree with any of the responses. But after looking inside the 3 cylinder Ford, it's apparent to me that for a gasoline motor, it would be considerably overbuilt in my opinion in terms of being heavy duty. For instance, wide 2-3/4 " diameter rod journals I generally have not seen on any gas engine I have worked on with only about 150 cubic inches like the 3 cylinder. I suspicion that the 3 cylinder was made with first diesel work in mind, and then also offered in a gas version also. And it would have been impossible for Ford to make those wide journals and heavy rods and sqeeze them into a four cylinder and still keep the same outside dimensions of the engine. Hence, 3 cylinders. My $.02

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