Electric Tractors

[9973720wb19]

With the onset of electric cars, when do you think electric tractors will be in barns and shops everywhere?

 

[Argosy]

GE made the ElecTrak years ago. Just saw one on CL a few months ago.

Electric Tractor - GE Elec-Trak E15

 

[Craig Clayton]

There is alot of info about small electric vehicles. I also found the site about GE tractors. I have a frame and a 24 VDC motor from a floor sweeper but the assembly is way down on the wish list.
Craig Clayton

 

[LD1]

For full sized ag tractors i think it will be awhile. It is going to take a ton of batteries to be able to go out and work ground from sun up until sun down.

I think the closest they may come in the near future would be diesel/electric. Like a train. Big electric traction motors, and a diesel generator providing power. And that doesn't even provide much advantage over just straight diesel.

 

[20 20]

I also don't think we'll see anything in the AG range for some time.

GE made the ElecTrak years ago. Just saw one on CL a few months ago.

Electric Tractor - GE Elec-Trak E15

I also just noticed one on CL

 

[MaJYk]

Diesel electric could be soon.
CAT has this set up in a D7E. A contractor I work around demo'd one. The operator felt it had more "push" than the traditional 7, but it weighs about 10%more. Used about 1/3 of the fuel, the main benefit.
Downfall, upfront cost and seemed to have several bugs that still needed to be worked out.

 

[Thomas]

Years..years ago Wheel Horse offer electric garden tractor,it was heavy costly and short life span..hope tomorrows electric tractor works better when temp well below 32F.

 

[brain55]

Ransomes (which purchased Cushman and was later bought by Jacobsen) had an electric greens mower for golf courses over 10 years ago. It was a ride-on tri-plex reel mower. It was very analog and easy to repair. It was 48 volts and would mow 18 greens or more between charges. The golf courses liked them because they could start mowing earlier because it was nearly silent, fewer complaints from nearby homeowners.

I think we will see hybrid type powertrains before we see full electric in Ag or Construction type equipment. I could be wrong, considering the advances that Tesla has made in battery technology.

Brian

 

[nspec]

Large mining equipment has been diesel electric for decades. All of the large mining haul trucks have diesel electric power (diesel generator, electric drive motors at each wheel) with the exception of Caterpillar which still uses a planetary gearbox and a torque converter.

 

[/pine]

Large mining equipment has been diesel electric for decades. All of the large mining haul trucks have diesel electric power (diesel generator, electric drive motors at each wheel) with the exception of Caterpillar which still uses a planetary gearbox and a torque converter.

likewise with rail locomotives...a lot of folks don't realze that "diesel" train engines (locomotives) are really just big generators that power electric motors that drive the wheels...

 

[Ford tractor]

When? Never. The energy density of batteries is orders of magnitude lower than a tank full of diesel. Hook a prius up to a 10,000# trailer, flip on the electric brakes and see how far you go towing it. Imagine doing that for 8 hours straight just on batteries.

Now, diesel electric is different.

 

[brain55]

Large ships are similar too. They are actually using super-conductor generators and motors reducing the weight of each by nearly two-thirds.

Brian

 

[crazyal]

likewise with rail locomotives...a lot of folks don't realize that "diesel" train engines (locomotives) are really just big generators that power electric motors that drive the wheels...

Or that trains use the electric motors as generators to heat up a large resistor bank on the roof to brake.

For the most part electric vehicles are going to be stuck in the economy class. Weight of the batteries just limits them too much.

 

[k0ua]

New Holland has a test tractor, on their website, it is Hydrogen Electric. Hydrogen fuel cell driving electric motors. in the 6000 class. they are promoting farmers becoming energy self suffiecient by using wind or solar or biomass or something to generate hydrogen, ( I assume by cracking water) and storing the hydrogen as fuel to drive their hydrogen fuel cell tractor. So kind of a electricity to hydrogen to electricity again cycle. Might be doable, gotta wonder how much all of that is going to cost to get it going though. So that is the closest thing to an "electric" AG tractor I know of.
James K0UA

 

[adjusterr]

Thomas mentioned an electric Wheelhorse tractor. I have a New Idea electric,(8, 6volt golf cart batteries) sitting behind one of my sheds. It has three rotary blades on a floating deck and with a full charge,(builtin charger), I could mow about 6 hours. It was a great mower. It required micro-switches to operate and the supply of them dried up years ago. I called all over the Country trying to locate switches and the story I heard time and time again was one of the big gas mower mfgrs bought the patent or rights and stopped making parts, too bad.

 

[Craig Clayton]

If you were post some pictures of the machine the group might some ideas as to how to substitute parts. The original components are usually off the shelf and the design engineer just strings them together. The electric golf cart industry has controllers for their machines that should fit into a electric tractor. These micro switches that you mentioned could you please explain.
Craig Clayton

 

[eepete]

Years..years ago Wheel Horse offer electric garden tractor,it was heavy costly and short life span..hope tomorrows electric tractor works better when temp well below 32F.

If I remember right, Wheel Horse bought the GE Electrac line when GE bailed out.

My dad had Wheel Horse tractors. I grew up using 5, 8, and 12 HP gear garden tractors to clear the driveway in New England. My dad was in a wheel chair but loved to mow the meadows and enjoy nature. As kids we helped him maintain paths in the woods. When the Electrac came, he jumped on it (so to speak!). About a year after he got the 1st one from GE, there were no more kids at home. The ability to plug in the tractor instead of having to lift a gas can was great. When moving, it was quieter. When he stopped, he could hear the noises of the wild. He got a 2nd Electrac from Wheel Horse that was Wheel Horse red (instead of GE Yellow). All during the late 70's and 80's he used the electric tractor. Here's a shot of him in 1982- compare to the picture of the GE unit. You can see the straps to hold his legs in and the handle that extended the brake.

They guy who fixed up the tractor for my dads use also got polio in the mid 50's. He welded, fixed tractors, and the like. I remember him muscling his way out of the wheel chair and pulling himself under the garden tractors to work on them. Different era.

It's odd that in the 70's GE saw a market for such a device. Imagine how much nicer it would be with todays microprocessor design and better batteries. Deere just came out with an electric Gator, maybee the electric tractor is due for a comeback. IIRC, weight for traction was not an issue due to the batteries :laughing:. We had the snow blower attachment for it and didn't need chains.

Anyway, it's an expensive riding mower with attachments but the electric aspects of it do have a small market if only the business pinheads who make decisions today could see it. Maybee it will get back in vogue 'cause it "green". Now if only it was John Deere green .

Pete

 

[AlbionWood]

Guy just across the canyon from me has been using one for years.
RENEWABLES.com : Toward Sustainable Agriculture
YouTube - Electric Tractor Test Drive

 

[Thomas]

eepete.
Pic sure brought back some memorie,like you said didn't need extra weight and one better hope they didn't get struck,for they weren't going to push that beast out by hand.

 

[kenstrac]

New Holland has a test tractor, on their website, it is Hydrogen Electric. Hydrogen fuel cell driving electric motors. in the 6000 class. they are promoting farmers becoming energy self suffiecient by using wind or solar or biomass or something to generate hydrogen, ( I assume by cracking water) and storing the hydrogen as fuel to drive their hydrogen fuel cell tractor. So kind of a electricity to hydrogen to electricity again cycle. Might be doable, gotta wonder how much all of that is going to cost to get it going though. So that is the closest thing to an "electric" AG tractor I know of.
James K0UA

Main article: List of Allis-Chalmers tractors

United tractor on display at Heidrick Ag History Center, Woodland, CAIn 1959, a team led by Harry Ihrig built a 15 kW fuel cell tractor for Allis-Chalmers which was demonstrated across the US at state fairs. This was the first fuel-cell-powered vehicle.[11] Potassium hydroxide served as the electrolyte.[12] The original AC fuel cell tractor is currently on display at the Smithsonian.[12]

[edit]

They did this in 1959.