Tractor with gas?

JO, what do you think about a greyhound (MF) or similar size with gengas?
Would it work to drive in the woods with?

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Upsides

  • Rock solid when it comes to maintence. No gizmos that can brake.
  • Lightweight.
  • Turns around on a dime

Downsides

  • No diff loock
  • Low ground clearence. You have to watch out for rocks and stumps. The oil pan plug being the lowest spot.
  • 20 hp on gasoline. Woodgas might work with smaller loads and ok terrain.

Depends…

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Jan, I’m curious - isn’t your Iller already the perfect forestry machine?
If not, this old halftrack Volvo would probably be a good option in your wet conditions. The Volvo has better ground clearence and a gasifier could be mounted in the front. The gray Fergies have a forward tilting hood to give access to radiator, fueltank and battery.

https://youtu.be/OQtWf1Lh_C0

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The Iller is good in the forest, but it would be good to have something for longer transports in the forest on the roads.
I’m thinking of a small tractor, because the snow thrower is starting to get bad and a new one is quite expensive, so I could have it in Hörken for the snow, and also in the potato field and maybe on the rice (twigs ) roads I made in the forest.
My Zetor is too heavy to have in the potato field and also on the rice (twigs ) roads.
Do you know someone who has something similar?

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Jan that looks to be about the same tractor as a ford 8n of 9n. It would be interesting to see if if is the same tractor or not. I say that because the Ford transmission is identical on the input and output side. It was a common old timers tick to put 2 transmissions into one ford tractor giving you an extra low range gear set for working in the woods. They will crawl about as slow as my pasquali in that setup. You can also get crazy fast in the high gears if you are insane enough to try.
That tractor should run about 1600 rpm at full throttle maybe 1800 but they are low speed long throw motors which are high torque. I would think this would be good for wood gas as the motor has torque to spare.

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You’re right, Dan. The Ford and Fergie is the same. True about rpm and tourqe, but unfortunately for woodgas, at least the Standard Vanguard motors (oil fill next to cyl no1), have extreemly low compression to be able to handle kerosene and low octane gasoline. I’ve seen them run on woodgas, but probably with a significant power loss.

Jan, you probably already know, but if you decide to buy the Fergie, don’t expect to be able to use the hydraulic outlet for your grapple trailer. The stock pump is extreemly slow and loading would take forever :smile:

Some Fergie grate shaking 3 minutes into the video :smile:

https://youtu.be/Iki5XCtyit8

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Good find J.O.
On Mikko V’s youtube channel he shows 2 years later winter snow using a heated cab IHC 574 tractor instead. Better power, with better power delivery systems by far.

On the Ferguson here on the DOW search up Canadian David Baillie’s “Tractor on Charcoal Gas” A TE20? model I recall.
Regards
Steve Unruh

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I think to20, and the sister to30. Both of which are super easy to work on and still get parts for on our side of the pond. I just did a clutch in one last summer, couple hours. Replaced exhaust manifold and steering brakes as well, IV been watching for one to woodgas just for fun. Early gasoline motors, super simple

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JO, do you know anything about this?
Do you know where they usually stand in price?

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20,000 Swedish Krona = about $2200 US Dollars
That is about what you would expect to pay in the USA for that tractor in similar condition. A few years ago, much less, but now it is what the market will bear. If it was well restored, that would bring double or more.
Edit:
I checked Craigslist, and I standby my estimates. Some JUNK high priced, some reasonable. This is farm country. LOTS of collectors nearby. Plus, it depends on the brand, color and model so far as what is “collectable”. You need to look at what work you need the tractor to do, Vs. do you just want something to run on woodgas to show you can do it. For myself, If I ever get a tractor, it will be a smaller four-season spark ignition workhorse (must have a PTO) that will not be pampered. I don’t care what color or how old it is, just can I get common parts. :cowboy_hat_face:

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I was doing some digging last night thinking on this thread and the price seems to fluctuate depending more on location then condition of said tractor. I found several Ford 8 and 9n, and several furgeson to20 and to30 all around the 1,600-2300 price tag in nice operating condition. Some with bucket systems, several with brush hog or 3pt blades most upgraded to 12v alternator instead of the 6v generator. Had my wife restrain me from emptying the car trailer in the middle of the night for a 8n that needed a clutch down in Oregon for 600$

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Nice to hear that I’m not alone, when I’ve got some ideas. :grinning:

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Jan, I have no first hand experience with MF35, but it’s basicly the same as the Fergie.
I could se this was of course a petrol tractor.
All I know is the earlier diesels were no good. Later on the 3 cyl Perkins motors are excellent.
Later years of the MF35 have sparate clutches for transmission and pto. Could be useful. Also, diff lock, if I remember right.
Price? I have no idea, but if it has the extra bells and wistles it could be worth it. Try offer him 15 :smile:

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I miss our old Massie Ferguson. I was maybe 3 or 4 when dad traded it for a truck. I sat in the middle of the driveway bawling my eyes out trying to keep them from taking my tractor.

Dad says it was too big for what we needed and eventually got the little Kubota.

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https://www.tractordata.com/farm-tractors/007/5/2/7529-massey-ferguson-35.html
Fellows use this tractordata site for you information. Also a site called tractorhouse. Excellent for US/Canadian/English productions. Open up the header “Tractors”. Lots of non-North American brands listed too.

Just pass on the 8n’s and 9N’s for actual working tractors. Power weak engines. Weak slow hydraulics. ONLY four speed forward transmissions. These get winter shop dolled up every year then spring summer sold to a new sucker. I’ve had family and friends suckered in.

Go with late 1950’s; 60’s; into mid 70’s gasoline and propane tractors instead.
Must have’s:
Overhead valve engines
Battery; distributor ignition systems
Manual; dual range gearboxes
Pedal differential locks
Internal hydraulics fast enough for quick cycling times
These all based on my small dairy farms working.

Pay 2X, 3X to get 3-4 times the true working useability’s.
Steve Unruh

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Do you have any examples Steve?

I agree with Steve. Those little Fords and Fergusons were 20 to 25 hp new. Not a lot of power. They did a lot with that little horsepower. Most are used around here are used to mow with. No live power take off limits them. If they have a loader they are hard to steer without power steering. Look at Ron Lelmer and Wayne’s tractor on here. They would be a more useful utility tractor.

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Jan I really like the Allis Chalmers D series or newer number serries. I like them for one big reason they have live power in the form of a hand clutch for high low range or a forward reverse. The number serries has hydraulic clutches for the live power but it is the same clutch pack.
The live power that is a two stage clutch on one peddle is very hard to use it is far to easy to push the peddle too far and engage both clutchs.
My take on live power is Bush hogging or field work like baling hay it is a must if you want a loader skidder it isn’t so important.
As to hydraulics most older tractors per 70s will require a front mounted hydraulic pump to be any good there my D15 and D17 allis Chalmers from the last 50s early 60s both have a front mounted 12 or 15 gpm pump which gives you live hydraulic power and good response on a loader. But it is a complete adon system and in my case I had to have custom drive shafts made to power the pump as the one from AC is crazy expensive.
The trouble with tractors from the 70s forward is most of them are diesel. That said if I could find a good deal on a 80s or 90s case international I forgot the model numbers but they made 4wd in about 50 hp. Those would be worth putting some real repair work into. But you would be dealing with a diesel engine.

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JanA choice would be very regional. What is available? What has parts availability?

Here current, USA It would be the last gasoline model IHC’s. Back in the late 60’s, 70’s for the small light tractor we used gasoline and propane Cases’s. Actual fields, mud working, generator and pumping duty was done by larger diesels. Olivers, and inline engine John Deeres’.

You in Sweeden? J.O.'s recommended Volvo’s? English tractors?
Leave the rare, rare imports to be someone else problem child.
Remember you are already searching and international ordering for Chevrolet pickup parts.
S.U.

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Yes, I have checked a bit on who has spare parts here, and Volvo has only a few things, MF on the other hand, there is almost everything to buy for older machines.
One more thing I came up with, I have a small electric unit of 15KVA, how much hp, is needed to run it?
Zetorn fixes it, but it is quite large.


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