Geez,  this has been  brutal!

 

almost  5 hours to upload  a measly 2 minute clip..     

 

So,   I told you guys  I got to  fire up  a  turbine powered  pulling tractor  at the county fair  a couple weeks ago...      Here's a face  to the  'rancherman'!

 

http://youtu.be/xfXxSCRUX68

 

So, that was you in the seat? How come you just sat there? You should have given us a view of you flying down the track with it!! Cool video!

yep!  yours truly  at the wheel...

 

The owners  only  concern  was  that I kept  my left leg  firmly  planted on the brake...         even though these  use  a  large truck transmission,  in neutral,  they  still like to 'creep;...   the airflow by itself  will  pull it along..

 

I was really amazed at how  quiet it was...  even  when  I   kicked it  up about  1/3  throttle...  still could  talk to the guys.

(Big Grin) You must of had fun sitting in the Captains seat of that beast.

 

Fixed your youtube link..

Oh heck yeah! 

 

the  scariest  part  was   NOTHING WAS LABLED..       dude would say  "push this,  turn that"...   cripes  I didn't know if  I was  hitting the ejector seat,  or  the kill switch!

 

The fire ball  was  for 'wowing the crowd'...   simple  hand bent copper tube with holes drilled (like a soaker hose)   in the exhaust stack...   push a button to  get the  sparker  going,  and   another to  squirt  JP8..  

 

It 'idled'  at ~  6000  rpm....     100% throttle    was  around   32-36k.   there  was  a   4;1 reducer  on the  turbine output shaft..  so his  truck transmission was still seeing   about 8000 rpm.   no vibration at all,  none!       

 

the  owner of  this machine  runs  a  turbine  rebuilding service here in Ne.  and     says  these  really  are  cheaper to buy  and maintain than  just about  any engine.. especially in THIS  sport.

 

about  8 grand  gets you the engine and   supporting  hardware..  (engine,  instruments, and  starting system)   a single  12v battery  is  all he needs...  and   you'll need about  3 gallons  of  JP8 per  15 second  pass.     

How much HP and TQ do those put out? That is insane RPMs!

When I used to frequent pulls, the turbines never seemed to pull as far as the diesels or the blown gassers.

How much HP and TQ do those put out? That is insane RPMs!

I heard   anywhere from 1500  up to  2500  HP...      so   the math  in figuring    torque.... lets say  32,000  rpm,  and  1500  HP =  246 ft.lbs. @    the input to the  gear reducer..   so  @  4:1      and  100%  efficiency  ( never happen)  lets  just  say it's   ~ 850   torque 

 

2500  HP  @  32,000 rpm  would be  about    410  @ the  input side of the  reducer... so     ~ 1200-1300  ft.lbs..

 

When I used to frequent pulls, the turbines never seemed to pull as far as the diesels or the blown gassers.

 

As you can see, ^^^^^  it's all about  rpms!   soon as  they start lugging,  they are done...     Talking  about  'slipper clutches/ in another thread...... here's the  perfect place  to   use one!   The  clutch isn't hooked up  until  almost max  engine  rpm..   and  will   'let go'   pretty  quickly  as  the turbine lugs.  This is  where a good  driver  can 'see' how the  track is  grabbing... so he  can  adjust  tire pressure/weights...  to  keep  those  tires  spinning!  They really  don't want 100%  traction..  50%  or less  for a turbine   I really can't remember  a turbine ever   lugging down to zero...  only spun out.

 

Now,  when there are  3-4 of these   turbines  tied together on the same  chassis...      No amount of  drugs or alcohol  would  prepare me for a ride on those!

Hey Michael, if Ranchman is gonna post videos, a Mopar1973Man T-shirt and decal are in order!!!  They'd look good on them big fenders wouldn't they??!!

 

Rancherman.....................must've been nerve racking to take instructions from a couple of "fat boys" with beers in their hands!!!!  They look like beers anyway!!!!!

Hey Michael, if Ranchman is gonna post videos, a Mopar1973Man T-shirt and decal are in order!!!  They'd look good on them big fenders wouldn't they??!!

 

Rancherman.....................must've been nerve racking to take instructions from a couple of "fat boys" with beers in their hands!!!!  They look like beers anyway!!!!!

The association or  'club'   they  belong to,    really  is      entertainment.   Meaning    yes,    the   association    has members  (pullers)   they  join and  pay dues,  and   'enter'   the  sanctioned  pulls..    At this level,    it  costs  about  20 bucks   for  each  'hook'.

 

The  County  fair   'hires'  the    association   to put on  a  show.     This year,   4500  was  spent to  'book'  them.    These  pullers,   are running  for  year end  points...   sure,   If you  win  a  class   on  a particular  weekend   you'll win  some  money,    1st is ~ 150 bucks    hardly  worth it!     doesn't  cover the gas money to show up!!

At the  end of  the year,  the  bigger  money   is awarded to the   total point leaders  in each class...  ( 'booking money)      Still,     it  isn't  a    paying proposition!    

     These  guys  do it for the  camaraderie,    the   women  ,   and   most importantly...    BREWSKI!!!    Yep, Dorkweed,   you  got it!

I imagine it is  'structured'  very similar to the local rodeo,  when they  come to town.

 

if  I  start posting  videos more often...   I gotta find a way to upload them faster!        I burned up  the whole night  for that 2 minute clip..

Hughesnet  satellite   speed are  'ok'.... for  downloading,  but  uploading is  about 1/3  of  that 

if  I  start posting  videos more often...   I gotta find a way to upload them faster!        I burned up  the whole night  for that 2 minute clip..

Hughesnet  satellite   speed are  'ok'.... for  downloading,  but  uploading is  about 1/3  of  that 

 

Like with Linux I pre-process the video file with KDEnLive by converting to like a MPG4 or MP4. This typically compresses the file a bit more. Then upload it. My speeds are nothing to write home about at...