Kerosene tractors- spark plugs?

[CalG]

Those were the days when kerosene was less costly than gasoline.

Can we get those times back again?

 

[sandman2234]

Allis Chalmers also had some dual fuel tractors. I had one, once upon a time. Never ran it on anything but gas.
David from jax

 

[RayIN]

Those were the days when kerosene was less costly than gasoline.

Can we get those times back again?

Just Monday I bought 10G Kerosene for my garage space heater, $5,999/G. Same price as alcohol-free gasoline for my 1932 Chevrolet sedan. (Speedway station)

 

[CalG]

Just Monday I bought 10G Kerosene for my garage space heater, $5,999/G. Same price as alcohol-free gasoline for my 1932 Chevrolet sedan. (Speedway station)

gas here is $2.87 a gallon.
Kero is about $6.

I guess keeping the airplanes up in the air is driving up prices!

 

[RayIN]

gas here is $2.87 a gallon.
Kero is about $6.

I guess keeping the airplanes up in the air is driving up prices!

Alcohol-free gasoline. Blended gas here is $2.58 at the Rocket station, for about another 2 months. Then summer-blend is sold = higher price.

 

[CalG]

Alcohol-free gasoline. Blended gas here is $2.58 at the Rocket station, for about another 2 months. Then summer-blend is sold = higher price.

"Your tax dollars at work" keeping alcohol a cheap admixture in gasoline.

It's "cheaper" to make the alcohol in Mexico from Gauva and who knows what else. Then transport it first by ship and then overland up to the Dakotas, than it is to produce it from local grown corn!

But BOTH means are only viable as a "fuel" through heavy government subsidies.
But this is a discussion suited for alternate topics. ;-)

 

[SmallChange]

Thanks everybody -- this is fascinating!

 

[EdGooding]

There was a dual-fuel version of the '48-52 Ford 8N called the 8NAN. Here are a couple of pics of a restored model showing the dual fuel tanks and the two-valve sediment bowl to select which fuel you wanted:

 

[5030]

My very first tractor was a 1941 Farmall dual fuel. They were made to be used during wartime when distillate (not diesel) was more readily available than regular leaded gas.

It had crank close radiator shutters and a hood on the Marvel-Schiebler carb you could close both to get the engine hot enough to run distillate and it had 2 fuel tanks as well.

Tried it one time using kerosene and that was enough for me. The unburned kero coming out the exhaust stack coated everything including me with black oily crud.

Tractor is long time gone. Should have kept it for a collectible but I own enough collectable junk as it is.

Had spark plugs and a magneto as well.

 

[shirleyujest]

The story in my area is that the fuel (distillate) was called "Tractorlene". I have seen 2 types. One used spark plugs for the Tractorlene. The other had spark plugs to get warmed then a lever was thrown to raise compression to use Diesel. The owner of the second type complained of head problems.