Re: Old tractors; low compression

Posted by 2002sliverado on August 11, 2017 at 12:01:18 from (216.16.75.34):

In Reply to: Old tractors; low compression posted by Greenfrog on August 10, 2017 at 19:49:30:

If you want to dig into this deeper, you can find out the various compression ratios on tractors from the Nebraska Tractor Test results and on Tractordata. Simply do an internet search for something such as, "M Farmall." I just did that search for a 4020 John Deere. On Tractordata you will need to click onto "engine" and it should show the specifications on the various engines. A 4020 gas tractor has a compression ratio, according to this source, of 7.5 to 1. I tried Tratordata on the 806 Farmall and it only showed the compression ratio on a diesel tractor. I then did a search by typing in "Nebraska Tractor Test for 806 Farmall." It showed the compression ratio to be 7.7 to 1. I went further and looked at the 4020 LP tractor, which showed a compression ratio of 9 to 1. I know the 2 cylinder Deere tractors and probably everything built from the mid-1950's and earlier had lower compression, especially anything designed to burn kerosene or distillate. As gasoline became more popular, the compression ratios starting gradually increasing. I believe the late 1950's and well into the 1960's, is when the compression ratios probably peaked out and lower octane fuels started becoming more mainstream, while high octane fuels were increasingly scarce, as well as costly. My grandfather purchased one of the first 806 Farmalls in our area. It was gasoline powered and was rated to operate on a minimum of 93 octane gasoline. Tetraethyl lead was an octane improver, but as the lead content of fuels diminished, and ultimately no longer available, octane ratings dropped, and these higher compression and higher performance engines (just like in the muscle car era) wouldn't run on these lesser quality fuels. My father and grandfather had to buy premium gasoline in those final years the 806 was on the farm in order for that 806 to run and perform properly. Today, 87 octane is mainstream fuel, and 91 octane is the premium fuel with a cost of around 60 cents a gallon more. The Tractor Vet on the IH forum has commented about the gasoline made today versus the 1960's when tractors, such as the 806, were new and being used for all jobs, including hard pulling work. I have read some comments as to the fuels available back then, particularly the various grades of gasoline produced by Sunoco. I did some on-line investigation and one can purchase Sunoco branded fuels with octane rating exceeding 100. They are available and marketed as racing fuel, but there are multiple grades available. Sorry for going off track. I guess once I got going on this topic, I went further along with it.

Replies:

Add a Reply! You must be Logged In to Post Name: E-Mail: Subject: Comments: Optional Link URL: Link Title: Optional Image URL: Optional Video Title: Optional Video URL: Advanced Posting Options Email Notification: If you check this box, email will be sent to you whenever someone replies to this message. Your email address must be entered above to receive notification. This notification will be cancelled automatically after 2 weeks. No political comments, hate speech or bigotry of any kind will be tolerated. Violations will be removed and posting privileges may be permanently revoked without notice.   Advanced Posting Tools   Upload Photo  Select Gallery Photo  Attach Serial No List  Return to Post  Upload Photos/Videos Choose Files from your local computer Upload one or more videos to your post. Photo filesizes should be less than 300K and Videos, less than 2MB. Formats allowed are gif, jpg, png, ogg, mp4, mov, and avi. Be sure to use filenames without spaces or special characters, and filetypes of 3 digits lower case.

TRACTOR PARTS	TRACTOR MANUALS

We sell tractor parts!  We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]