175: Gas vs. Diesel Fuel Efficiency
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Category: Allis Chalmers
Forum Name: Farm Equipment
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URL: https://www.allischalmers.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=182386
Printed Date: 23 Sep 2025 at 12:01am
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Topic: 175: Gas vs. Diesel Fuel Efficiency
Posted By: 1953ACWD
Subject: 175: Gas vs. Diesel Fuel Efficiency
Date Posted: 08 Aug 2021 at 9:12pm
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Question: About how much gas would be a reasonable estimate that a 175 gas would use mowing with an 8' or 9' rotary mower vs. a 175 diesel? ------------- 1953 WD - Grandpop bought new, sold to neighbor in 1965, I bought back in 2001, restored 2021; 1974 175 Gas; 1980 5050 Diesel, w/400 Loader |
Replies:
Posted By: DrAllis
Date Posted: 08 Aug 2021 at 9:20pm
| These are from Nebraska Test: Diesel at 100% full load uses 4.2 GPH....at 540 PTO speed it uses 3.6 GPH......at wide open throttle zero load is uses 1.1 GPH. Gas engine at 100% full load uses 5.1 GPH....at 540 PTO speed it uses 4.8 GPH and at full throttle zero load 1.7 GPH. Your results may vary !!! |
Posted By: soggybottomboy
Date Posted: 08 Aug 2021 at 9:25pm
| Compared to other gasoline tractors, the 175 gas is as efficient as anything out there. |
Posted By: allisbred
Date Posted: 08 Aug 2021 at 9:36pm
| 8 or 9 foot rotary mower will work the snot out of a 175 in heavy material. General rule of thumb in my opinion — gas would make a great loader tractor and more so for cold weather— diesel for any work. The 175 is still pretty minimal for most equipment that draws power over 55 hp. |
Posted By: Tracy Martin TN
Date Posted: 08 Aug 2021 at 9:42pm
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I wish I could find a low hour late 175 gasser. Be a sweet tractor for me. Tracy ------------- No greater gift than healthy grandkids! |
Posted By: 1953ACWD
Date Posted: 08 Aug 2021 at 10:00pm
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We'll just be clipping pastures with it at about 8", not overly heavy material. ------------- 1953 WD - Grandpop bought new, sold to neighbor in 1965, I bought back in 2001, restored 2021; 1974 175 Gas; 1980 5050 Diesel, w/400 Loader |
Posted By: ksbowman
Date Posted: 08 Aug 2021 at 10:10pm
| I clip pastures at 8-10" with a 15' bush hog behind my 170D and use less than 10 gallons in 6 hours or so @ 1500 rpm. The most economical tractor I have and my favorite of my tractors. Second is my 180D and my gas hog 190 only handle big bales since it starts so easy in cold weather. |
Posted By: 1953ACWD
Date Posted: 08 Aug 2021 at 10:10pm
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We're thinking that some light duty mowing with keep the 175 young vs. leaving her sit in the barn. uploads/8168/1.4_MB.JPEG" rel="nofollow - uploads/8168/1.4_MB.JPEG ------------- 1953 WD - Grandpop bought new, sold to neighbor in 1965, I bought back in 2001, restored 2021; 1974 175 Gas; 1980 5050 Diesel, w/400 Loader |
Posted By: captaindana
Date Posted: 09 Aug 2021 at 5:22am
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That Perkins in my 2200 hour 175 [almost] makes fuel😆 ------------- Blue Skies and Tail Winds Dana |
Posted By: WF owner
Date Posted: 09 Aug 2021 at 5:41am
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1953ACWD's beautiful old tractor ! My only comment is that it is too bad to have to put a chain on that beautiful paint. 
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Posted By: allisbred
Date Posted: 09 Aug 2021 at 5:46am
I was thinking you were talking about the MC rotary mower(Mathews Company) vrs a bush hog style rotary (didn’t think they came in 9ft. I agree the diesel almost makes fuel when not worked hard though! |
allisbred wrote:Posted By: Allis dave
Date Posted: 09 Aug 2021 at 6:36am
| That's a beautiful 175!!! I'd love that. |
Posted By: victoryallis
Date Posted: 09 Aug 2021 at 7:49am
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That little Perkins was the highlight of the 175D I had why would you want a gasser. For an older diesel I started great. ------------- 8030 and 8050MFWD, 7580, 3 6080's, 160, 7060, 175, heirloom D17, Deere 8760 |
Posted By: 1953ACWD
Date Posted: 09 Aug 2021 at 7:48pm
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I would have preferred a diesel, too. However, I fell in love with this tractor when I saw it and had to bring her home. Then, my wife and daugther fell in love with her, too. So, I figured she'll have to get assigned to some light duty work - mowing. If I did my math correctly, clipping our 100+ acres of meadows won't cost enough to worry about fuel efficiency. I might even use a 9' Enrossi sickle bar mower and barely work her for better fuel efficieny compared to a rotary mower. Anyway, she's a keeper and I'll just have to live with a gasser. ------------- 1953 WD - Grandpop bought new, sold to neighbor in 1965, I bought back in 2001, restored 2021; 1974 175 Gas; 1980 5050 Diesel, w/400 Loader |
Posted By: Ed (Ont)
Date Posted: 09 Aug 2021 at 7:59pm
| 100 acres is a fair bit of work. Few years of that would pay for a diesel. And save that one for parades. |
Posted By: 1953ACWD
Date Posted: 09 Aug 2021 at 8:05pm
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Ed (Ont) I agree and am torn about using her vs. preserving her. Part of me thinks that using old iron keep them functioning and useful and perhaps more enojoyable vs. sitting in the barn leaking oil. Another part of me thinks that babying and preserving them is the smarter thing to do. Honestly, I'm still on the fence about it. ------------- 1953 WD - Grandpop bought new, sold to neighbor in 1965, I bought back in 2001, restored 2021; 1974 175 Gas; 1980 5050 Diesel, w/400 Loader |
Posted By: Ed (Ont)
Date Posted: 09 Aug 2021 at 8:34pm
| Yes it is great to use them and I would do that. But I am thinking that on 100 acres the savings on diesel would add up! 😀😀 I wish I had your problem! |
Posted By: allisbred
Date Posted: 09 Aug 2021 at 8:49pm
| For some reason I am recalling the original Jaws movie. 100 acres of mowing? That’s a nice looking tractor currently, may have a different appearance in short time working. |
Posted By: AC7060IL
Date Posted: 09 Aug 2021 at 9:01pm
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Congratulations! That’s a newer AC175 with front mounted hydraulic pump & wide front axle. It’s a great looking tractor, but it was built to work. Why not enjoy it using it on some easy pasture clipping? Sounds like your wife & daughter might run it for you? They’d probably treat it with better care than most of us guys anyway. Many times my daughters who operated our tractors would quickly communicate about any little noise and/or irregularity concerning tractors. I never had to worry. Maybe you’re ladies would do the same? Besides it doesn’t make any great memories sitting quietly in a shed collecting dust. If it uses too much gas for your liking, then retire it for parades/hayrides/drives & find a Perkins AC170 or 175. |
Posted By: 1953ACWD
Date Posted: 10 Aug 2021 at 10:44am
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I sense there isn't a perfect answer to using reconditioned tractors for work or not; it's partly a matter of individual needs/wants. In my case, it's economics, a fondness for old Allis-Chalmers, and having come across this particular tractor for sale. One trip to a repair shop with a newer tractor for diagnostics probably cost more than the extra gas money I'd need to run this tractor for a year of light duty work. Plus, I can work on this one. The issue with this tractor is complicated by its gas engine. TractorData.com provides a calculator to estimate mowing time based on ground speed and mower width. ( https://www.tractordata.com/articles/technical/tractor-mower.html" rel="nofollow - https://www.tractordata.com/articles/technical/tractor-mower.html ) When I plug in a 108" (9') mower and a ground speed of 4 mph, I get an estimated time of just over 25 hours to mow 100 acres. Based on Nebraska's test results (thank you, DrAllis), the gasser will burn about a gallon per hour more than a diesel under various loads. If my math is correct, that's about 25 gallon of extra gas, at about $3.25 (including road taxes for example purposes), for a total of $81.25 more than diesel if the two fuel types were the same price per gallon. Even if we clip the pastures twice a year, it doesn't seem like a huge saving to run a diesel over this gasser if my math is correct. The difference might even be less given the light load of clipping at 8" to 10" high, especially if we use a double-action Enorossi sickle bar mower. Am I looking at this correctly? AC7060IL - You're correct about the ladies having a bit more sensitivity with and gentleness on machinery. I'll probably need to draw straws with them as to who's going to mow. ------------- 1953 WD - Grandpop bought new, sold to neighbor in 1965, I bought back in 2001, restored 2021; 1974 175 Gas; 1980 5050 Diesel, w/400 Loader |
Posted By: Ed (Ont)
Date Posted: 10 Aug 2021 at 4:19pm
| That sounds about right. I think you will be lucky to get it done in 25 hrs tho. But let us know when you are done! |
Posted By: AC7060IL
Date Posted: 11 Aug 2021 at 5:14am
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If using very simple math - here’s a tractor/mower driving a continuous straight 100 acre, 9’ width strip. 100acres x 43560 sqft/acre=4,356,000 sqft. 4,356,000 sqft/acre divided by 9’ mower= 484,000’ strip. 484,000’ divided by 5280’/mile= 91.6miles. 91.miles divided by 4mph=21.9hours. |
Posted By: Tom59
Date Posted: 11 Aug 2021 at 7:25am
| You can put some soft rubber pads on the front axle booster to protect your paint from the chain rubbing it. They put them on new tractors when hauling them on flatbed trailers to the dealership ( at least MF does on their new tractors haul that way ). Might check with a tractor dealership if they got some laying around from delivery of new tractors. |