Dragon Fire

It won't be if Barry O'Bama has his way....

PWSlack -

Honest to God, I don't understand why a person as intelligent as yourself would make such a statement. You are certainly entitled to disagree with, or even despise, Barack Obama and his policies. But making statements like yours, and the 'apparent terrorist fist jab', or the 'he's not a US citizen' comments serve no purpose in any way. It just makes you sound silly and nasty and negative, and that is why the Republican party is crumbling right in front of your eyes. Personally, I am not a Democrat, or a Republican, or even an Independent. I don't trust any of them; it's their job to tell you what you want to hear, whether they believe it or not. That's how they get elected - all of them, Republican and Democrat alike. The ultimate goal in politics, and science, is to search for the Truth and to solve problems. I just watched the President's speech advocating a new national Corporate Automotive Fuel Economy (CAFE) standard and tough greenhouse gas emissions standards. He did not say one word about abolishing tractor pulls, as your comment suggested. That is the Truth, and that is Reality. What he did say is that the United States absolutely has to take a new direction to stop the further collapse of the American car industry, and that is also the Truth. I can not believe that anyone can watch the sickening downward spiral of all three US car companies into imminent bankruptcy for so many years, and then suggest that we should continue in the same direction. That is just wrong on so many levels. Barack Obama is not the messiah, and I have some serious doubts about some of his policies myself. But he is not a terrorist, and he is an American citizen. Rush Limbaugh is not the messiah either, and hoping that Obama will fail is by definition unAmerican, unpatriotic, and unproductive. You can scream and rant and call me any frakin' name you want, I don't care. It won't change Reality. Science is not Republican or Democratic, it is the Truth. And the Truth is, we should all be working together in a positive manner to not only solve the problems of the United States, but of the World. We're all in this together...

Good answer, we as Engineering and Technical people should hold our selfs higher than the bar for politics.

I used to be a neocon, damn them all now, they killed the economy.

I quit aligning myself with anyone party a long time ago.

President Obama brings many more new ideas and challenges to our profession all over the world.

Yeah, Slack!!! You should be ashamed of yourself!!!

Allison airplane engine?

That is one purtiful engine! Don't know how the thread managed to get onto the subject of politics but, I think any engineer regardless of political leanings can appreciate that mill. Thanks.

I don't get the politics either. I put up some pictures of a pretty cool tractor, and I get an insulting remark about 'Barry' Obama. Glad you liked the tractor, it's an amazing engine but I think it blew up and haven't seen any recent videos. Too bad.

Blimey chill out man..
Do we need to put 'joke' in iverted commas on every witicism so that people with humourectomies will geddit...?
PW has manfull stepped away from the keyboard...let it lie...take some deep breaths.
That's it..
Nice big breaths...
I'm certain no offense was meant... you are quite free to take the mickey out of our latest political goings on...the difference is you are probably unaware of anything outside the USA.

I'm a baaaaad kitty and only teasing.
Peace and chill...just don't put out that contract on PW, else we'l all come over there and make you drink tea and eat toast.
(The above post has been aproved as 'humourous', terms and conditions apply...buy reading the above you have agreed to not retaliate)

Del

Yeah, I know, I definitely flipped out and I'd like to appologize to PW and everybody else. The truth is I wrote this reply after watching Obama's speech about the US auto industry. A friend of mine immediately went into his usual screaming rant about how Obama is destroying the auto industry and the US in general, and I guess I just took it out on PW.

Kind of embarrassing, really, but I still have to say that automatically rejecting anything Obama says is not going to solve the problems with the US auto industry and the US economy in general. We can't keep on doing the same thing and just watch GM, Ford, and Chrysler go bankrupt. So that's it, no more political rants, I promise.

Politicians, like diapers, have to be changed frequently - and for the very same reason.

looking at the picture i would say no

I WANT IT!!!!!!!!!!!

My 35,000# SUV (motorhome) is hill challenged.

That engine would sure be a fun cure.

Plenty of clearance in that motorhome, although weight distribution might be a problem (12,000 lbs). I'd suggest a mid-engine configuration with an automatic transmission from a Greyhound bus, like the Blastolene. If you can't find a Zvezda M503 engine, maybe you could use a Sherman tank engine or a Rolls Royce Merlin. I say go for it!

you should put a tupolev 95 turbo fan on that thing it'll be the biggest tractor ever

Anyone notice the other one in the background on the last picture? 353 of 353. Looks like they have another toy.

?to run wat?To , someone machinates of great usefulness(utility), as a ship train or somethig like that, it needs to be sick to waste this technology in thinking these idiot ideas, in search of reputation. Let's make something useful for us and the humanity, and let's not contaminate the environment with this type of games, we are before a world crisis due to so many stupidity and greed, where to displaced to produce more consumer goods with robots, I ask the human being of the work to whom him(her) there are going to sell the things if it(he,she) is not workers who gain(earn) money to buy, if to leave of the topic, we make something useful.

thank you

J B

"It's primary use was in Soviet missile boats, which used 3 of these engines. This engine may have had other applications, but due to its extreme weight (12,000+ lb), it would have been limited to ground or naval applications."

Sulzer

48 cylinder motorcycle

And then there's this: 24 chain saw engines

and this: Hemi powered chain saw

Good posts, my point, excellence from the unrestrained and untaught backyard engineer rocks.

Beautiful piece of machinery and no, this "Hobby" sure as heck is not a waste of time. I have worked with many tractor/truck pullers and these guys are pushing engines, components, etc to the limit. I consider them craftsmen of the highest degree. There is a great deal of innovation and thinking beyond the envelope with these guys. Besides it is an awesome thing to watch! Maybe not the best analogy, but look at the technological benefits gained by the U.S. shooting human beings and metal into orbit and to the Moon! Dave, dkimmel@300below.com.

For sure, I think the freedom of the backyard and personal garage has create more innovation than any commercial facility.

Look how all of the great Industrial Revolution's ideas started.