What do OTT experts think??
So sitting around the morning coffee shop table, our group consists of retired and semi retired farmers and commercial farm business owners/operators/employees. Combined we joke that soon we could have 1,000 years of farming experience between us. Enough of us are hoping to live long enough to achieve this milestone. I think we will make it.
Today's conversation was about buying small diesels. Hands down a decade or two ago we would all agree we would have bought diesel powered zero turn mowers, UTV's, sub compact and compact tractors etc.... As well as powering our woodlots and small gravel pits with diesels.
Today though we are very mixed with most saying no to smaller hp diesels. Combines, wheel loaders, highway tractors, rock crushers, etc... 100% diesel as advantages are clear.
What we were arguing about were the smaller ones that say get less than 200 - 500 hours use per year (less than a days use per week). The very low use stuff like a lot of BX's and B's Kubota sells
Why the death of the diesel for low use stuff around our farms versus say choosing gas options?
- the need for very specialized computerized software for re-sets, diagnostics, etc..
- the ever increasing extra cost to buy
- gas doesn't have dpf/regen/def concerns
- the increasing need to call out the dealership tech's for stuff we would have historically done ourselves.
- the risk of the greater use of computer components and their failing and trouble getting such specialized parts in the future and diagnostic
- the ever increasing complicated diagnostic / trouble shooting techniques and tools required
- diesel being priced > gas in a lot of cases
- etc....
the list was very long.
now don't get me wrong we are all BIG fans of diesels and burn thousands of gallons annually but where our go to would always be diesels for say zero turn mowers, our utility sxs's, our small tractors to muck out stalls, clear driveways, etc.... motors on equipment say under 50hp, our collective belief going forward this is likely not going to be the case unless we are putting on 1,000 hours annually.
For low use, gas engines getting to be attractive again.
Kubota makes many many commercial gas engines. Here is a pic of their 75hp gas engine one of our guys considering for his log processor. Yanmar also has many gas options.
So what say you about the choice of diesel being better for non commercial / smaller hp uses?
So sitting around the morning coffee shop table, our group consists of retired and semi retired farmers and commercial farm business owners/operators/employees. Combined we joke that soon we could have 1,000 years of farming experience between us. Enough of us are hoping to live long enough to achieve this milestone. I think we will make it.
Today's conversation was about buying small diesels. Hands down a decade or two ago we would all agree we would have bought diesel powered zero turn mowers, UTV's, sub compact and compact tractors etc.... As well as powering our woodlots and small gravel pits with diesels.
Today though we are very mixed with most saying no to smaller hp diesels. Combines, wheel loaders, highway tractors, rock crushers, etc... 100% diesel as advantages are clear.
What we were arguing about were the smaller ones that say get less than 200 - 500 hours use per year (less than a days use per week). The very low use stuff like a lot of BX's and B's Kubota sells
Why the death of the diesel for low use stuff around our farms versus say choosing gas options?
- the need for very specialized computerized software for re-sets, diagnostics, etc..
- the ever increasing extra cost to buy
- gas doesn't have dpf/regen/def concerns
- the increasing need to call out the dealership tech's for stuff we would have historically done ourselves.
- the risk of the greater use of computer components and their failing and trouble getting such specialized parts in the future and diagnostic
- the ever increasing complicated diagnostic / trouble shooting techniques and tools required
- diesel being priced > gas in a lot of cases
- etc....
the list was very long.
now don't get me wrong we are all BIG fans of diesels and burn thousands of gallons annually but where our go to would always be diesels for say zero turn mowers, our utility sxs's, our small tractors to muck out stalls, clear driveways, etc.... motors on equipment say under 50hp, our collective belief going forward this is likely not going to be the case unless we are putting on 1,000 hours annually.
For low use, gas engines getting to be attractive again.
Kubota makes many many commercial gas engines. Here is a pic of their 75hp gas engine one of our guys considering for his log processor. Yanmar also has many gas options.
So what say you about the choice of diesel being better for non commercial / smaller hp uses?
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