The discussion centers on the phenomenon of diesel engine explosions in tractor pulling trucks, highlighting that such incidents are common due to the extreme power levels involved. Specifically, the failure of the left-hand engine mount under high torque leads to catastrophic engine displacement, as observed in a recent incident where the engine shot out of the truck. The conversation also notes that these engines often operate at ten times their factory-rated power, resulting in significant mechanical stress and potential failure. The physics of these explosions, including the transfer of rotational energy, is briefly touched upon, emphasizing the inherent risks of the sport.
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ElliotSmith said:A diesel engine explodes and literally shoots out of a tractor pulling truck.
Apparently this type of thing is fairly common in the sport of tractor pulling, but it's much more common for the engine to simply explode.
Looks like the LH engine mount broke under tension due to high torque, so motor lifted and rolled to the right. The gearbox mount and tail-shaft then broke, fuel and air stopped, exhaust blocked, so the engine stopped suddenly, with all rotational energy transferred to all engine as a lump. The twisted RH engine mount finally let's go as the motor rolls forward out of the engine bay.mcastillo356 said:No idea about the physics behind
That happened to me, but writ small. My first car was a Toyota Tercel. I remember wondering what those lumps of rubber were, under the front-end.Baluncore said:Looks like the LH engine mount broke under tension due to high torque, so motor lifted and rolled to the right.
That reminds me of that old joke about CPUs.DaveC426913 said:That engine was not made out of engine.
Bringing up an old post, (I was looking for a specific tractor engine blow-up and came across this) but you're not correct there, if you look when they're pulling the truck away, the crank, harmonic balancer, etc are still all in the frame.. this is a split block.Baluncore said:Looks like the LH engine mount broke under tension due to high torque, so motor lifted and rolled to the right. The gearbox mount and tail-shaft then broke, fuel and air stopped, exhaust blocked, so the engine stopped suddenly, with all rotational energy transferred to all engine as a lump. The twisted RH engine mount finally let's go as the motor rolls forward out of the engine bay.