WD45 dual fuel?

Does anyone know how many wd45 dual fuel tractors were produced? Also how do you go about switching from gasoline to LP, do you have to shut the supply off from one untill it runs out then start it on the other?
Thanks in advance for any help,

no lp - just    k ereosene on the one i seen

To switch, just turn off the one fuel and wait a bit then go ahead while it is still running turn the other fuel on; it will run rich and run a bit rough till the fuel in the carburetor from the fuel just turned runs out then it will run fine. I have done it both ways on my WD dual fuel and its acts the same way regardless of which fuel I start with.

Edited by Michael Crowe - 17 Apr 2016 at 7:03pm

For an engine that size it would take a LP tank nearly as big as the tractor to vaporize enough LP for full load from ambient heat, so the liquid propane is run through a vaporizer heated by the engine coolant. That means starting on gasoline or on a pure LP engine on vapor. There's enough vapor to start and warm up the engine but not to work a load.

Procedure from the JD 4020 manual is to close both LP valves, vapor and liquid when stopping. For starting open ONLY the vapor valve, start the engine and when the temperature gauge rises a certain amount, open the liquid valve and close the vapor valve. When stopping turn off the liquid valve and let it run until all the loose LP is burned.

There's also an inlet valve on the LP 4020 to allow running from a BBQ tank. Used at the factory to load the tractor and at the dealer to unload the tractor without putting and LP in the fuel tank. That's also useful to get the tractor back to the farm LP tank (with liquid tap) when it runs out of LP in the field.

I can see dual fueled WD45 using that Deere LP procedure to run on LP, or alternatively starting on gasoline for the warm up without a vapor valve from the LP tank. More likely the gasoline tank was bigger than just a starting tank allowing half a day's work on gasoline, or a day or two on LP so the most economical and available fuel at the time could be used. Except for a couple years ago in the past 46 years that I've been buying LP for house heat, LP has been significantly cheaper than gasoline or diesel per gallon and per BTU. So burning LP has been more economical. The pain with LP is filing the tank on the vehicle. Its not very difficult but its more complex than pumping gasoline because you don't want to waste LP venting it to the atmosphere.

I have a 1949 Onan 5 kw generator that has a dual fuel carburetor to run on either gasoline or various gasses, like coal gas, LP vapor, and natural gas. The Continental Y91 engine is oversize so it will produce enough power to run the generator on poor quality coal gas with far fewer BTU per cubic foot than LP or natural gas. The main jet was fixed and on gasoline it was a fuel hog burning a couple gallons an hour. It has a separate gas mixing control, and an automatic choke for remote starting. I made an adjustable main jet and with a thermocouple in the exhaust weaned it to about half a gallon an hour with the exhaust temperature up about 300 degrees F. Ought to exercise it some of these days.

Gerald J.

Does anyone else have any info on these tractors? I will try to post some pictures when we get a chance to get it running.
Pete

Gerald, my WD has the factory log setup on it. I was lucky enough to find a nos ensign carb and it works beautifully. If you want to call sometime my number is 816 898 7277.

Pete I confused your thread regarding the engine serial number with my comment on the 45 lpg. To clarify, and I'll give credit to AJ, since a WD never came from the factory in a lpg version, the 45 was the first to come out on lpg, a WD would not have had a separate engine serial number designation. Early WD's had a PA engine serial number suffix for gasoline, and a KA suffix for kerosene. Later the PA was changed to GA.

Our WD had the propane put on back in 1960 and it has been run on propane vapor for 55 years that it has been here. Plowing or winter work, we just turned the vapor valve on and went. and the fuel did vaporize fast enough to use full power, couple different times we turned the liquid valve on when we were pulling hard to see if it would make difference, and it did not and that was when we were chopping corn and when we were plowing. the area of the tank is greater laying down than it is standing on end as in the JD... and the tank is out front where its always cold where as the WD had the tank where engine heat could get to it.
Though I do admit that when we were driving the old tractor home from picking corn and the temp was -10, you better have 20% fuel in it or you would be pulling the hill in third gear with your load of corn, and if the needle was hanging at 5%, it might be second or first gear.

my book says about 5000 factory dual fuel

all I have seen had power steering

c.h. Wendell allis chalmers story

am assuming all years

but suspect was last couple years due to amount of power steering on these models

also seem to be about as many of these bouncing around as 45 diesels
I use this as a production indicator, I think books are good reference
but wouldn't bet my life on them.

Just a little update. Tractor runs great on propane but needs a little carb work on the gasoline side.