Fuel consumption guesstimate

[chas0218]

When you guys are running your tractors what are you averaging for fuel consumption? I'm ran the tractor until the light came on and filled it. I'm not sure how many gallons it took but that was about 14 hours of operating on that tank. I have been running right around 1500-1800 RPM. I have been increasing the RPM up to 2000 now seeing that most everyone suggested that in the backhoe thread.

So what are you guys seeing on fuel consumption and please list the HP of your tractor? Usually speaking higher HP means higher fuel consumption.

35hp ~6.5 gallons/14hrs.

 

[RSR]

I have an XR4145HC. Running 1800-2000 RPM (where I always keep it) I use roughly 1 gal/hr. When snowblowing at PTO speed, it's more like 2 gals/hr.

 

[Roadworthy]

That sounds about right. My old Mitsubishi (23 hp) mows about ten hours on five gallons.

 

[CobyRupert]

I’d bet fuel consumption is more of a function to what you’re doing than the size of the tractor...within a range.

 

[Diggin It]

My little 25H squirt tends to run just under 2 hours per gallon. 4-5 gallons gets me 7-8 hours or so. I don't do a lot of high RPM work like tilling. Most of mine is in the 2K range puttering around. I may mow for an hour or two in Summer at PTO speed, 2900+, but that doesn't seem to affect the over all average. At 175 hours in about a year and a half, I've used a little over 80 gallons.

 

[shooterdon]

I have an XR4145HC. Running 1800-2000 RPM (where I always keep it) I use roughly 1 gal/hr. When snowblowing at PTO speed, it's more like 2 gals/hr.

Mine is the next size down and I figure just about 1 gal/hr...maybe a bit less but not enough hours to get a more exact number. Normally operate at 1500-1800 rpm using blade, rake, FEL, forks, tree puller, and grapple...unless snow blowing then 2200-2400 RPM.

 

[4570Man]

I don’t pay a lot of attention to it, it’s a pretty cheap way of getting work done but my 28 hp diesel mower burns about. .5-.75 GPH, my 60 hp M59 burns about 1gph, my 95 hp JD 310 burns 2-3 gph.

 

[jaydee325]

I don't worry about fuel consumption. I just run it and get the job done!:laughing:

 

[Seven Gables]

Something to consider, two identical engines with identical preventive maintenance and doing the same work will not wear out with identical hours of use , they will much closer wear out when a certain equal amount of fuel is burned. In other words if you would like your engine to last the the most hours when at all possible run them at the rpm that they’re most efficient, where their torque is high and fuel consumption is low, generally with most diesels around 1/2-2/3 of full throttle

 

[Hilbilly]

My L6060Cab has averaged 3.2 l/hr since I got it. It now has 180 hrs on it. Before this winter and for the first 100 hrs or so, I was getting around 2.2 l/hr but after a lot of snow blowing and running the tractor at PTO rpm the fuel usage has gone up. I'm pretty sure it's using around 1 gal / hr when blowing snow. Of course it will vary if I'm blowing 6" of light snow or a foot of slop.

 

[3Lfarms]

Too many variables to specify a fuel consumption rate, but there is a truism regarding it....LS sizes their fuel tanks so that a given machine will operate about 8 hours at rated power output.

If you are just using the backhoe, you may see double that, but about 8 hours is what you can expect while mowing fairly lush pasture or pulling a plow where the engine is working near its peak torque.

 

[mikester]

I don't worry about fuel consumption. I just run it and get the job done!:laughing:

Are you the guy delivering our free newspapers driving the Dodge Magnum with the 6.1L Hemi V8 engine? With the price of fuel they must be paying the driver $5.00 a newspaper to break even!

Im getting between 0.9 to 1.5 Gal/hr depending on weather, usage, etc. for a 59HP tractor. Cold weather takes the biggest hit on fuel consumption.

 

[denchen]

I`ve never checked my tractor, but I have a boat that has an old 1,800cc (108 cu inch) natural asperated conventual injectors , no turbo or DPF or cat. and at around 1600 rpm she wants a gallon every 2 and 1/4 hours, and that's on the safe side. Unlike a tractor I might set that engine pulling and not move the throttle for 6 to 8 hours.

 

[buickanddeere]

Diesels , gas turbines and boilers are most efficient at full power .
For example a 3-71 Detroit making 100HP will burn approximately 2/3 the amount of fuel that an otherwise identical 200HP 6-71 loaded to only 100HP.

 

[CobyRupert]

Diesels , gas turbines and boilers are must efficient at full power .
For example a 3-71 Detroit making 100HP will burn approximately 2/3 the amount of fuel that an otherwise identical 200HP 6-71 loaded to only 100HP.

Ahh....finally a meaningful answer to an otherwise meaningless question ("Sorry OP") and meaningless answers ("Sorry everybody else").
....(IMHO) unless your comparing 2 tractors doing identical tasks the numbers don't mean much.

...but why is that Buickanddeere? Are these identical vehicles too and not just a bigger mass vehicle being moved around, up and down hills, stop/started, accelerated? Torque curve (but why)? More cylinders and a minimum fuel rate? Larger spinning mass? More energy spent moving/compressing more air...?
Why, why, why?

 

[kevin37b]

All I do is fill it when needed , really does not matter . Kevin .

 

[ptsg]

For those who say that fuel consumption doesn't matter as long it gets the job done. Well, if you paid $5.50/gal for the cheap/crappy fuel or $6.21/gal for the good one like we do here, I bet you would change your mind.

Anyways, on mine mowing brush about 2ft high, I do about 0.8 gal/h in 540E. I've done about 1.5 gal/h with 4 to 5 ft high brush.

 

[4570Man]

For those who say that fuel consumption doesn't matter as long it gets the job done. Well, if you paid $5.50/gal for the cheap/crappy fuel or $6.21/gal for the good one like we do here, I bet you would change your mind.

Anyways, on mine mowing brush about 2ft high, I do about 0.8 gal/h in 540E. I've done about 1.5 gal/h with 4 to 5 ft high brush.

Well you’re right fuel isn’t that expensive here but it’s still the best option you’ve got. Are you going to hire a crew with axes to avoid paying $6 a gallon fuel?

 

[ptsg]

Well you’re right fuel isn’t that expensive here but it’s still the best option you’ve got. Are you going to hire a crew with axes to avoid paying $6 a gallon fuel?

Nope, but I do care about fuel consumption on whatever vehicle I'm using.

 

[chas0218]

Ahh....finally a meaningful answer to an otherwise meaningless question ("Sorry OP") and meaningless answers ("Sorry everybody else").
....(IMHO) unless your comparing 2 tractors doing identical tasks the numbers don't mean much.

...but why is that Buickanddeere? Are these identical vehicles too and not just a bigger mass vehicle being moved around, up and down hills, stop/started, accelerated? Torque curve (but why)? More cylinders and a minimum fuel rate? Larger spinning mass? More energy spent moving/compressing more air...?
Why, why, why?

I get it but I was thinking for the average user it would be nice have idea what the bigger or smaller tractor gets or if you're a prospective buyer. I wish I would have known what my tractor used before i bought it. My father in laws Deere 3032e sips on fuel at 540 PTO RPM compared to what mine does. Granted mine has 6 more HP but I wouldn't have thought it made that much of difference. I figured for anyone trying to justify bulk tank storage of fuel they would want to know. I ended up getting 100 gallons of off road delivered for $2.36/gallon compared to the $3.07/gallon for on road. That is a huge savings and again if I wasn't going to be using that much fuel I don't know if I would have justified the 100 gallons.

Another note to why I was curious as to what others are seeing for fuel consumption is that I was contemplating getting a PTO driven generator. Once I compared the gallon/hour for the PTO generator to my current gas unit I will just stick with the gas and maybe get the PTO unit as a standby/backup to my gas generator. Doing the math if I'm paying 2.40/gallon for gas and getting 9 hours of run time out of 5 gallons on my gas generator and getting close to 1 gallon/hour on the tractor it will cost me less to run the generator on gas. Also adding to the mix is propane power. I can covert the same generator to propane and it would cost me right around the same price per a gallon but on 20lbs/4.7gallons I can get 8 hours out of the same generator.

If I had money to burn then sure it wouldn't matter much but I think everyone like to get the most bang for their buck. I mean if you don't then why did you buy an LS?