Author Topic: old tractor question... (Read 2619 times)

TMM · « **on:** December 17, 2009, 04:57:04 PM »

ok, so i'm quite the tractor aficionado and gearhead in general. i love tractors and machinery, especially the older stuff. there's one thing that i've been scratching my head over, though, and i thought i'd ask you guys.

i've noticed on many old (up to, say, 1930 or so) tractors the air intakes are very long and seemingly excessive, while the exhaust usually consists of a manifold and a straight pipe, like this : http://farm1.static.flickr.com/53/139561227_d547adbc54.jpg

so. anyone know why so much care was put into the air intake and so little to the exhaust? seems to me that the long path traveled by the air would reduce efficiency... or maybe the air is cleaner way up high in the stratosphere.

TMM

mtnbkr · « **Reply #1 on:** December 17, 2009, 05:00:19 PM »

My guess is in case they had to drive it into deep water. The positive pressure of the exhaust would keep water out, but the suction of the intake would, well, suck water in.

Chris

Bigjake · « **Reply #2 on:** December 17, 2009, 05:05:12 PM »

Tractors kick up a good deal of dust. The vintage you're asking about was prior to K&N's fine product.

Sometimes, after a day of fitting or planting, you wouldn't know what kind of tractors we run. They're all COVERED in a fine, thick layer of dust.

mtnbkr · « **Reply #3 on:** December 17, 2009, 05:05:56 PM »

Quote from: Bigjake on December 17, 2009, 05:05:12 PM

Tractors kick up a good deal of dust. The vintage you're asking about was prior to K&N's fine product.

Hadn't thought about that. I assumed there was some sort of filtering mechanism in there.

Chris

Harold Tuttle · « **Reply #4 on:** December 17, 2009, 05:35:36 PM »

My old VW had an oil bath cleaner,
but running one on a tractor on a dry farm field,
you would have to change it daily

TMM · « **Reply #5 on:** December 17, 2009, 09:20:00 PM »

hmmm, interesting. i never thought of that - never worked in fields or the farm.

thanks for cramming one more bit of knowledge in my head about tractors.

TMM

mtnbkr · « **Reply #6 on:** December 17, 2009, 09:21:40 PM »

Mine did too. Another problem with an oil bath air cleaner on a tractor is that they don't handle extreme angles well. Might be a problem on a tractor.

Chris

Jim147 · « **Reply #7 on:** December 17, 2009, 11:55:48 PM »

All of my tractors have an oil filled air cleaner. Keeping the dust and the grass or weed seeds out was the plan. The exhaust just had to get the fumes behind the driver.

jim

myrockfight · « **Reply #8 on:** December 18, 2009, 12:00:50 AM »

I'll second the dust issue being the main reason for a tall intake stack. It IS absolutely ridiculous how much dust and dirt is caked onto absolutely everything at the end of a dry day. Although I have never run a tractor older than a '40s model, that would have to be my guess.

Hawkmoon · « **Reply #9 on:** December 18, 2009, 12:03:59 AM »

Quote from: Jim147 on December 17, 2009, 11:55:48 PM

All of my tractors have an oil filled air cleaner.

Oil soaked, or oil bath?

I used to wrench on Hudsons (the cars, not tractors). They used two types of air cleaners. One was basically like a layer of steel wool sandwiched between two layers of perforated steel sheet. The steel wool was soaked in oil, which attracted and held the dust. Periodically, the element was washed out in something like kerosene and then re-oiled.

The oil bath cleaners, on the other hand, literally had a round oil sump below the filer element. They worked like those vacuum cleaners with the water tank -- the air was drawn in either across or through (don't recall which, it was a long time ago) the oil in the sump before it ever got to the actual filter element. The oil bath filters were extremely effective in dry, dusty conditions. But they were an unprintable to service. YUCK!

Jim147 · « **Reply #10 on:** December 18, 2009, 09:54:32 AM »

They are the oil bath type. I just cleaned and refilled the oil on the Harry Ferguson (pre Massey age) last month and put the blade on the back to clear the snow off the drive when it comes.

I'd rather do the air cleaner then change the hydraulic fluid. That always makes a big mess.

jim

Gewehr98 · « **Reply #11 on:** December 18, 2009, 09:56:30 AM »

My '60 Chevy Apache 20 had an oil bath air cleaner on the 235 Straight Six. It wasn't that tough to maintain...

JonnyB · « **Reply #12 on:** December 18, 2009, 10:49:05 AM »

The photographed tractor is equipped with an oil-bath air filter.

And I agree with the idea that it's to get the intake as far from the dirt & dust as it practical.

Exhaust is simply waste, so it treated as such. As long as it wasn't dumping heat and noise at the operator, all is well.

jb

Tallpine · « **Reply #13 on:** December 18, 2009, 11:07:41 AM »

That tractor looks like a Hoyt-Clagwell

My 1950 Case has an oil bath air cleaner.

Sergeant Bob · « **Reply #14 on:** December 18, 2009, 12:56:00 PM »

My 1946 Allis Chalmers WC had an oil bath air cleaner as well

You tractor loving folks should check out Yesterday's Tractors Magazine

Harold Tuttle · « **Reply #15 on:** December 18, 2009, 01:40:57 PM »

TMM · « **Reply #16 on:** December 18, 2009, 02:15:21 PM »

Quote from: Tallpine on December 18, 2009, 11:07:41 AM

That tractor looks like a Hoyt-Clagwell

it's a 20's or 30's mccormick deering 10-20.

TMM

Tallpine · « **Reply #17 on:** December 18, 2009, 05:40:18 PM »

Quote from: TMM on December 18, 2009, 02:15:21 PM

it's a 20's or 30's mccormick deering 10-20.

TMM

Then the wheels don't fall off all the time?

Larry Ashcraft · « **Reply #18 on:** December 18, 2009, 08:19:40 PM »

My 1950 JD AR and my 1953 JD 40 have oil bath air cleaners. They actually work quite well as long as they are maintained properly.

Here's a pic of an early JD D. The exhaust is the little pipe right behind the radiator.

bedlamite · « **Reply #19 on:** December 19, 2009, 03:23:35 PM »

Here ya go:

News:

Author Topic: old tractor question... (Read 2619 times)