>On 23 Jul, 23:03, BretCah...@peoplepc.com wrote:

>> The Tesla is powered by 7,000 Li-Ion laptop batteries for an output of
>> 200 kW.
>>
>> A similarly powered 300 kW electric tractor (10,500 batteries) would
>> turn a 400 hp articulated 22 gallon/hour diesel tractor every which
>> way but loose in a tractor pull which apparently is vitally necessary
>> education as well as entertainment for those too ignorant do basic
>> IEOR calculations.
>>
>> Running either tractor wide open to work a square mile at 0.5 mph
>> would take 3 months of 7 day work weeks at 8 hours / day.
>>
>> It would also require 17,000 gallons of diesel.
>>
>> Today the cost is "only" $80,000 for the diesel.
>>
>> In 2 years, with the price of hydrocarbon fuel spiraling by 30%% a
>> year, that cost will be $150,000/yr.
>>
>> In six years the cost of the fuel will be half a million dollars.
>>
>> And that's just for one field.
>>
>> Maybe if we have massive truck and bus conversion to natural gas --
>> include farm tractors in Pickens plan -- the price will "only" be
>> $350,000/field in 6 years.
>>
>> The battery tractor would be cheaper even if grid power tripled and
>> even if you went to your overpriced Apple Inc. store and bought the
>> batteries one by one and wired them together one by one yourself.
>>
>> Now, if you don't believe laptop batteries exist, please go to alt.
>> conspiracy and post there.
>>
>> Bret Cahill

>
>I've read that over time, crop fields suffer from the compression of
>tractor wheels.
>
>Would it make sense, for heavily utilised fields, to lay down a rail
>track?
>
>Whatever the tractor / harvester is doing, it could be a 20m wide
>vehicle necessitating a single track spaced every 20m.
>
>The track could also be used to provide electric power.
>
>A few details to work out about how the tractor changes track at the
>end of the rails.