A Kubota engine in a Saturn

skeets

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Wasnt there a guy that marketing a small car that used a Kubota engine and the big K put a cease and desist order on him ?
 

D2Cat

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Mark, he has time because he lives between Hutchinson and Wichita and doesn't have the hassle most have to put up with! ;)

Interesting link. Thanks for posting it.
 

lynnmor

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Most of us know that a diesel engine is more efficient than one fueled with gasoline. The question should be "why is diesel taxed more which discourages its use?" Of course that will be answered right after electric vehicles no longer ride for free and the free money ends.
 
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Daylight

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In several European countries that's been the case for a couple (or more) years now: it's all about fine particles emission (but no one ever mentions tire, brake and road wear dust).

As a european, these fuel consumption figures are only normal to me [well, at least for modern small cars. Neither my '90 Mercedes SE (1:20), '79 Monte Carlo (1:16) or '89 Land Rover (diesel, 1:17) get even close to double that :p ].

Most of us know that a diesel engine is more efficient than one fueled with gasoline. The question should be "why is diesel taxed more which discourages its use?" Of course that will be answered right after electric vehicles no longer ride for free and the free money ends.
 

jyoutz

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Most of us know that a diesel engine is more efficient than one fueled with gasoline. The question should be "why is diesel taxed more which discourages its use?" Of course that will be answered right after electric vehicles no longer ride for free and the free money ends.
I think that’s pretty obvious. Most diesel is used in heavy trucks, which contributes substantially more to road wear and maintenance costs than lighter duty vehicles. Fuel taxes primarily are assessed for road maintenance and construction.
 

lynnmor

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I think that’s pretty obvious. Most diesel is used in heavy trucks, which contributes substantially more to road wear and maintenance costs than lighter duty vehicles. Fuel taxes primarily are assessed for road maintenance and construction.
Similar to the tax the rich strategy? Of course the fuel tax for heavy trucks is simply passed on to the consumer in the form of higher prices, fuel conservation be damned.
 
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jyoutz

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Similar to the tax the rich strategy? Of course the fuel tax for heavy trucks is simply passed on to the consumer in the form of higher prices, fuel conservation be damned.
The fuel tax isn’t about conservation; it’s about funding road construction and maintenance.
 
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lynnmor

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The fuel tax isn’t about conservation; it’s about funding road construction and maintenance.
I don't have an excuse for every form of tax like some. Heavy tax on a light small car is typical nonsense from so many lemmings.
 

D2Cat

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The fuel tax isn’t about conservation; it’s about funding road construction and maintenance.
You're just saying it differently. If the roads were maintenance free and new roads not required wouldn't that be conservation? It's money for keeping transportation moving and the small guy chips in to make it easier for the heavy hauler. It all gets averaged out, the little vehicle pays more for wear and tear he doesn't cause and the big guy can't pay for all wesar and tear he causes!
 

jyoutz

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You're just saying it differently. If the roads were maintenance free and new roads not required wouldn't that be conservation? It's money for keeping transportation moving and the small guy chips in to make it easier for the heavy hauler. It all gets averaged out, the little vehicle pays more for wear and tear he doesn't cause and the big guy can't pay for all wesar and tear he causes!
I do agree with what you’re saying.
 

skeets

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Jay I dont remember all the particulars of the article, I thought it was a pretty good idea, but the big K had problems with him using their motors. Maybe like HD has with so much stuff
 

jimh406

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Fuel taxes primarily are assessed for road maintenance and construction.
If only this was true, the amount of gasoline/fuel used vs the damage aren't necessarily proportional. That's even before you count EVs of different types. For instance, some vehicles run hard narrow tires while others may be running studs several months of the year.

Fuel taxes are assessed because governments can get away with it. Otherwise, why do different states charge different amounts? Unless physics is different in some states, they should all have the same tax per gallon, right? ;)
 

lugbolt

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I put a V3300DI-T in a fox body Mustang. Never ran, but I just set it in there for giggles. Heavy sucker. Had a kubota rep once, he build a BMW bike, but with a Kubota V2403 engine from an MX5100 I think it was. I thought it was cool but it didn't have any sort of aesthetic appeal. Told him I thought he ought to clean it up, put a turbo on it with a straight pipe and cone filter for the whistle noises and then it'd be cool. If I remember right, he had to pull the transmission out and have some gears made for it as top speed with the 10,000 RPM+ original engine was about 125 mph, where with the 3000 RPM kubota, it was topped out at about 50. He had the gears made, which increased top speed to up around 85 on the governor.

I guess I could go put a D782 in the Mustang since the engine is out of it currently.
 

jyoutz

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If only this was true, the amount of gasoline/fuel used vs the damage aren't necessarily proportional. That's even before you count EVs of different types. For instance, some vehicles run hard narrow tires while others may be running studs several months of the year.

Fuel taxes are assessed because governments can get away with it. Otherwise, why do different states charge different amounts? Unless physics is different in some states, they should all have the same tax per gallon, right? ;)
Huh? Are you saying that all states have the same road mileage and construction needs?
 

jimh406

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Huh? Are you saying that all states have the same road mileage and construction needs?
No, I'm saying there is no correlation between "need" and what the tax per gallon is. Note: it's not a blue/red state thing. The taxes are all over the place. Sure, we can pretend some states "need" more road work, but looking at the data it's clear there is something else going on.

Pennsylvania leads with $0.611 tax per gallon. Alaska is the lowest which is kind of an outlier at $0.0895 per gallon. The lowest normal state tax is Hawaii at $0.16 per gallon.

 

johnjk

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I keep having that pop on my YouTube feed. Need to watch it. Owned a 2005 Saturn Ion. It redefined economy but consistently got 38mpg. Little 2 liter and a 5 speed manual. I think it may have collapsed under the weight of a Kubota diesel. Got rear ended at a stop light and that was all she wrote. Fun car.
 

skeets

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If you want to understand the tax thing,,,, follow the money and see what politician has their fingers in to what, in Pa it would seem they all have their dirty little fingers in to everything. I mean how can you get elected abd earn middle class income, and in 2 years be a multi millionaire. Just sayin
 

radas

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If you want to understand the tax thing,,,, follow the money and see what politician has their fingers in to what, in Pa it would seem they all have their dirty little fingers in to everything. I mean how can you get elected abd earn middle class income, and in 2 years be a multi millionaire. Just sayin
That's every politician that didn't already come from a rich family. The oligarchs pay them to represent corporate interests via legal *cough*bribery*cough* lobbying.