Tractor pull, old vs. new.

"Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif" (lumpy44) 12/09/2014 at 12:05 • Filed to: gifs

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Milky > Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif 12/09/2014 at 12:11

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Round 2:

HammerheadFistpunch > Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif 12/09/2014 at 12:15

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Traction, its F=µN!

Hermann > Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif 12/09/2014 at 12:16

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The problem with tugs of war between vehicles is that it is much more about traction than power. And it's the extra weight on the steam engine that's giving it the extra traction here.

Still, amazing video gif.

Kanaric > Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif 12/09/2014 at 12:17

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Old tractor probably had ridiculous torque at like 500rpm or something low like that lol. I'm guessing at least 1000 ft/lbs?

Tohru > Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif 12/09/2014 at 12:24

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On the left: Tractor.
On the right: Traction engine.

Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif > Hermann 12/09/2014 at 12:27

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I fully agree, everything on that old one is iron. Probably weighs 3 times what the new one does. Having back wheels 6 feet across has to help too.

TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut > Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif 12/09/2014 at 12:27

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Hell yeah, steam power bitches. Never underestimate the power of superheated water, traction engines like those can be ridiculously strong.

TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut > Kanaric 12/09/2014 at 12:27

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10,200 lb/ft. Never underestimate steam power.

TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut > Milky 12/09/2014 at 12:30

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Oooh, I don't know...

Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif > Kanaric 12/09/2014 at 12:33

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It has full torque at zero RPM from my research and top RPM is only about 250rpm. As far as HP goes the new one has 850 and the steam engine has 18.

It seems it is very tough to measure torque on a steam engine but the closest estimates seems to be close to 3000.

The tractor also has almost 1hp for every 800 pounds.

Milky > TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut 12/09/2014 at 12:58

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I mean … #YOLOSWAG

2:25 - 2:40

Hermann > Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif 12/09/2014 at 13:03

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Smallish agriculture tractors usually weigh around 4 tons. Including the water-filled tires. And that John Deere probably has a turbo 4 banger, around 130hp. 700Nm, 30% torque reserve.

That old one probably weighs at least twice that. All power being driven directly down. Also. Is it just me or are the front tires of the Deere not pulling?

The man in the iron mask > Milky 12/09/2014 at 13:09

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Also, another issue i saw apart from size, was that the connection between them was higher on the old tractor, than on the new one, so when pulled, the green deer could be getting a bit separated from the ground.

Cé hé sin > Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif 12/09/2014 at 13:15

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Seems like the traction engine pulls like, well, a steam engine.

Tekamul > Hermann 12/09/2014 at 13:16

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Also, the strap is tied high on the older tractor. All the traction advantages favor the old iron here.

deekster_caddy > TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut 12/09/2014 at 13:24

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How did I never know this sport existed?!

Hermann > Tekamul 12/09/2014 at 13:39

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Didn't notice that. Well noted.

Kanaric > TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut 12/09/2014 at 13:48

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grossly underestimated, lmao.

Jay Leno's steam car has 1000 ft/lbs and is tiny compared to this I should have guessed...

Kanaric > Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif 12/09/2014 at 13:50

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I would like to see what a modern steam engine can do that is computer controlled in some automotive capacity.

Racescort666 > TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut 12/09/2014 at 14:30

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I like how the weights are all the way at the end of the sled and it doesn't even slow down.

Axial > Kanaric 12/09/2014 at 14:31

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It could potentially do very well, the problem is weight, though. You can scavenge your water back and reuse it, but that takes extra plumbing. You also need a power source to heat that water; that could be fossil fuels, alcohol-infused ceramic tiles, electricity, etc. You're going to need a pressure vessel in addition to the cylinders, too.

All of this adds weight. Not insurmountable, but things to consider.

Personally, I like the idea of using high-test peroxide sprayed against a platinum catalyst to generate fast, very hot steam. That steam could then be used to directly drive pistons or a turbine or it can be squeezed into a pressure vessel to raise the temperature even more before being applied to do work. Solves the twin-consumables (water + fuel) problem in one shot.

Racescort666 > Milky 12/09/2014 at 14:32

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I love tractor pulling. The absurdity never ceases to amaze me. There's a guy who works for the same company I do and he builds vintage tractor engines for tractor pulls. I wasn't even aware that such a thing existed until I started picking his brain about diesels.

Kanaric > Axial 12/09/2014 at 15:54

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the only serious disadvantage I can think of is if there was an accident and superhot steam started spraying all over, but i'm sure they could build is safely.

Axial > Kanaric 12/09/2014 at 16:46

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Steam explosions would be a problem, and that's part of why weight is a concern. Anything containing steam at high enough pressures to warrant extra consideration has to be overbuilt for safety reasons. That's always been the nice thing about internal combustion: your working fluid is created on the spot and the exhaust is fairly harmless. It's also nice because in the event of a crash, the engine usually stops and all the energy disappears. With a steam engine, your working fluid is somewhere else and pre-energized. It stays energized until it's used or until it has the time to bleed energy away once you turn off the power. This makes it easy to go boom.

A high-test peroxide engine using the direct injection method, however, solves that problem. You may not get as good a fuel economy number as you would with a pressure vessel setup, but it is easier to build safety into. The only problem that remains is the toxic fuel. That's gonna mean weight, again, but it's no worse than weight necessary to try and seal in the exceptionally tiny hydrogen molecules for an H2 fuel-cell car.

Another disadvantage to a steam car, on a totally different front, is having to wait for the pressure to build before you can drive off. I don't think that would take more than a minute (probably use electricity to flash-boil a standing reserve), but some people just don't like waiting.