Best Tractor motor

37chief

Well-known Member
Location
California
I am sure there are a lot of good engines out there. I have two tractors with the three cylinder diesel perkins engines. They seam to be a good engine. This engine has been around for a while. Anyone agree with me? Stan
 
We have had some 354 Perkins engines in Oliver tractors and MF combines and were good engines but my favorite is the 504 Case in the big frame tractors(1570,23/2590 ect). They start good, hold up well , have lots of torque and are not hard on fuel for the amount of work done. Anyone who hasn't run one doesn't understand it. You don't have to have them wound up to start a load like you do with a 466jd.
 
Those 400 series IH motors are pretty good engine and I guess the 466 is still being used in trucks, impressive that it started out in the 1970's and was able to have modifications done and still make it all the way to tier 4 regs.
 
I have a 94 IH 466DTI in a truck here, over half a million miles on it, never apart from what I can see, starts at 0F on the second revolution. Beautiful to listen to.

Have 354 perks in my Combines, lots of hours, no major issues, I run with the window open just so I can listen.

The Case 401, 451, 504 are just a totally different animal than any other engine I have run. The torque curves are just flat, all the way across the range. Need to slow down?, just throttle back, no worry about it falling on its face. They always sound like they are just loping along not working, even when you are pounding on them.
 
I haven't had a 3clyinder Perkins...yet...but I have eleven 4cylinder Perkins in MFs and like them a lot. 203,236,300. They're good on fuel and for the most part problem free.
 
Got a semi tractor with a N-14 Cummins engine. Put 1.4 million miles on it before doing a inframe overhaul. Buddy of mine had a Cat in his truck, the Cummins always got better fuel mileage pulling the same loads.
 
The best engine has yet to be invented. It would run on air, create plenty of power, wouldn't pollute, would require no oil, no maintenance, would always start in any weather, never overheat and would never wear out!

Rick
 
I own a MF-35 X with the 3 cylinder Perkins....in the under 50 HP, water cooled class, these engines are GREAT!

I try to always operate the engine at STANDARD PTO speed and gear accordingly when working the Tractor:

Bob..
 
I agree 100% on the Case engines you mentioned above for the higher HP (90 -150) but also agree on Perkins for anything under that.
 
I put a Cummins 855 in a Case 2470 tractor. Found a guy in WI that had done the same, got his source to have the adapter plate made. Fantastic lugging power!
 
JD 466 and IH 466 motors in a couple of my tractors, the 3 cylinder Yanmar diesel in my JD 850, and the 2 cylinder engines in my 55 JD 60 and my JD 630. All of these engines have been bullet proof over the last many years, basically zero major repairs except for a couple of water pumps and batteries. Have a new $400 Echo HC-155 hedge trimmer with two hours of service and it already needs a new carb according to the repair shop.
 
400 series IH engines did have some cam issues on #4 or 5 cyl. I cant remember for sure but some of them did drop valves. Alot of guys just repaired them with a piston or whatever was bad but the real problem is that the cam lobes on that cyl. were worn out, something to do with the breather tube and lube issues, they were for the most part good engines as were the 361/407, an IH engine in a 4430/40 would have made a good tractor, never was impressed with the 404/466 jd engines, some didn't start well and all were harder on fuel than other brands and lacked low end torque, the 282 IH dsl. isn't high on my list either
 
The Deutz air cooled motors are good ones that run a long time and require very little upkeep. I have a 2 cylinder in a trencher that has 8000 hours on it and still runs fine. I think it could sit there and plug away 24-7 for 365 days a year if it had to.
 

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