Another IH in the shop.
 

Got another one in, I think it's a model 400 but not sure. It's here mostly for mechanical work. It's an interesting machine since it runs off gas and diesel. As you can see in the pics the engine is gas on one side and diesel on the other, you start it on gas and then flip a big lever and it switches to diesel.

Yup, that's a 400 Diesel. The gas start diesels made by IH were awesome.

That reminds me of an air compressor we used for operating a jack hammer when I was in high school back in the mid 60's. We were excavating under the seminary school building to add more room in the lower levels.

Started on gas, warm it for a few minutes. Flip a lever and it ran on diesel. A really serious piece of equipment. Brings back fond memories.

My grandmother had an ID-6, roughly same engine but in an industrial/wheatland style machine. It was traded for a utility style machine when I was 2. I've heard tons of stories about it over the years, evidently it was one tough machine. Better ask an old timer, but I think you are supposed to switch back to gas before shut down, for easier starting---I know that was the rule on the older kerosene machines.:bigthink: I bet George or Zippy would know.

I don't think we did on that compressor. But that was over 50 years ago. I seem to remember having to prime the gas carb before firing it up. Too long ago. Those brains cells have been recycled many many times since then.

A little dig at George and Todd won't win you any "most popular" votes. Nor mine. HOORAH for senior citizens.

An M 18 will run on diesel fuel. Don't ask how I know.:biggrin2:

We had an IH TD -18A dozer from the early 50's on the farm up til 7-8 years ago. Similar set up. Start on gas, let it warm up. Pushed a t-handle lever on the dash to kick it over to diesel. When done with task, pull the t-handel to switch back to gas for a minute or two then turn off the gas petcock to drain the carb for shut down. Gas tank only held a gallon or so. Turn the key off. Clean the tracks and your job was done.

I was never around a Farmall gas/diesel tractor. But I can't imagine those being much different though.

They aren't. Same type of engine. In 'gas' mode there is a butterfly inside that opens the carb so it can start. (no throttle on the carb, just a choke.) Let it warm up for about 5 min and then move the conversion lever the correct way; that shuts the butterfly to the carb, grounds out the distributor and then starts the diesel pump. To shut the engine off one can either change it back to gas and shut off like a gas engine, or just shut the diesel off and that will stop the engine too.

How is that a DIG at them??? They are older farm guys that happen to hang around here and play with lawnmowers. Both have real life experience with older farm equipment--as in using it. Haven't you ever seen Georges photo? That tractor is 40+ years old. Not many folks have ever heard of those engines, fewer still have ever played with one of those antiques, and even fewer have real experience using one. I can't see where referencing a piano tuner or pharmacist would have been really relative to the machine in question. I really don't care about any popular votes, sure as heck not yours.

So to those that have dealt with these engines...What was the point/reason for the dual fuel? Was it that the electronics of the era weren't powerful enough to crank/start the higher compression diesel engines?

I have heard it was a fuel cost issue.

Heats the compression chamber so the diesel would ignite easier. Not like the pony motor Jane Doe's used to spin over the diesel motor. Pre-glow plug or direct injection engines. The gas side also opened small valves in the head, one for each cylinder, to drop compression so it would start easier on gas. These gas start diesels are nice when they run good. Can get very pricey if the motors are stuck or there are issues with the motor/head. Notorious for cracking heads as well. Used to have 3 gas start diesels. Sold em and wish I had a couple back. Dad still has his 400 Diesel and 450 Diesel. Nice tractors.

Bet back in the day, it was an engineering nightmare. First gas start diesels Farmall had were the WD40's. Those were brutes..

Tim, that's a nice, straight 400.

One engine only, no pony like Cat and Deere. Batteries/electrical just were not that reliable for diesels at the time. Also, you could still hand crank these machines. Dad worked for a neighboring farm driving their TD-14, he had to hand crank it--to be clear he had to crawl over the blade to do so, I certainly wouldn't have guts enough to hand crank anything in that confined of a space.
The gas was strictly for warming up, you may could putter around the farm yard but that was it. Don't confuse these with the older engines that ran on kerosene (distillate) or gasoline.

Interesting footnote (going by memory) IH made the first wheeled tractor with a diesel, Cat made the first crawler (tracked machine).

I used to want one of these tractors bad. Lucked up on an ID-9 not far from the house. Rainwater had gotten on a piston and busted a sleeve (dry sleeves), so the engine was gone. Sent it down the road as a parts machine. Seems like it wasn't that long ago, it was actually 25 years ago.

the engine was not a high compression diesel as today's are, which made them hard starting. once warmed up with the gas it would take right off when switched to diesel. once glow plugs were developed as with the 656, 706 tractors the gas part of the motor was not needed. now the diesel engines are high compression and are direct start engines with no assistance needed unless your in colder climates like here in mich. in the winter we use block heaters.

...right. When the gas start diesel engines were developed/manufactured there was no such thing as a start on diesel engine. It wasn't a thing. JD couldn't do it so they had a pony motor. (a 4 cylinder engine to start a 2 cylinder one. :bash:)

No assistance? Like glow plugs? My car has glow plugs for starting. I have to wait for the little "coil" light to go out, otherwise it starts hard. That's why I was curious about why the gas side was needed. I assumed the electronics technology wasn't there for starting aids.