Tractor Pulling using a Curtiss-Wright R3350 3700hp 18 cyl

[mowrman100]

Bye the way - notice the straight stacks - they aren't "turbocompund" engines when used this way. My Dad called those units "rotating mufflers" because they were quiter. He said they were good for 450 extra horse power. I'd like to know if these guys are using the direct-into-combustion-chamber injection or the into-the-blower-eye injection or something else?

[mowrman100]

My dad hated working on these fucking engines - but they made nuking japan possible and saved his G.I. ass from a gook D-Day - so he put up with them on connies and DC-7s. I will take the audio from this vid and play it at his grave. He always used to tell me and my hotrod brothers that if you'd use all the RPM and BMEP these things had they'd outpower ANY thing we ever ran!

[brenthoser99]

what kind of transmissions would they use in this application ? That engine as far as I know is for a freakin Bomber plane, how does that mount to a truck/semi tranny. hahahhahaha Thank you for allowing embed, I HATE THE PRICKS who dont allow embed on their radial engine vids. you flat out get more exposure by allowing embeds

[joffeloff]

@danthemanzizzle Crower, Eagle, Allied Precision

SCS or Profab will sell you the gearbox

[jblaker2001]

Actually you don't appear to know what your talking about, since you just answered why these engines are being used in tractor pulling. Let's see, unable to be used in it's normal environment and creates large amounts of HP. Sounds like it can have a second life in pulling. But you insist on every single piece must be saved, even if its no longer airworthy or usable, for at least museum duty. That sounds like a very dumb idea.

[FiveCentsPlease]

@jblaker2001

I understand more about this than you apparently do. Whatever second life these may have being stressed outside of the design limits will be a short one. They serve an entirely different purpose while used in ground-running displays.

[anguspauline]

Brilliant! - Great to see and hear those old radials being worked hard rather than sitting in some static museum display or being muffled by awful propellor noise.

[FiveCentsPlease]

@bsatom

They aren't designed to be ran hard and will have a very short and destructive life in this sport, as demonstrated by 40 years of boat racing and now pulling with the aero V12s. The RPMs and temp fluctuations ruin them. There are enough restorations and new-build replicas around to keep a demand for these vintage engines and their shrinking supply of parts.

[jblaker2001]

@FiveCentsPlease

What about all the test stand engines run at airshows, etc.? Almost all of those owners have no intention of putting those engines to work in the air. So, do you hate them as well?

[FiveCentsPlease]

@jblaker2001

The test stand engines are usually made from parts that can't be inspected and zero-timed for airworthy use anymore, since you don't appear to know that. The requirements are fairly strict to go flying. But they will survive well in that role as an interesting mechanical and historical display, never run for lengthy time or high rpm or stress. The pullers and boaters put a lot of heat stress and rpm stress on these rare motors until they are ruined beyond use or blown to bits.

[rollerbones1]

i thought the connie was powered by 4360's not 3350's

[SittingMooseShaman]

... full pull... like very much!

[FORTY848]

what is the point of that? by watching that ive come to a conlusion: americans are way too easily amused

[GalenReich]

@FORTY848 This is taking place in Europe; note the language of the announcer and the markers on the track are in meters. In the U.S. the track in 300 feet long, in Europe it is 100 meters. I for one am glad that Europeans are "easily amused" by the most powerful motorsport there is.

[FORTY848]

@GalenReich yeah, but it's boring, i'd much rather watch cars drive around a track at 250 km/h and above, there's more entertainment in that. and plus, there's no real danger in 'tractor pulling' even the name sounds stupid. there's heaps more danger in racing

[AlexCail]

@FORTY848 this is america? is it?

[Dokker62]

@AlexCail No, I would say it´s Bettborn, Luxemburg.

[AlexCail]

@Dokker62 Maybe you didnt get the context of my comment but i forgive you for that.

[Dokker62]

@AlexCail Not necessary to forgive me anything! Sure, this is an american engine, but there's no tractor in entire USA using a R-3350 or any similar power plant. Boring modified US-Tractor Pulling mainly is just countless V 8s and a few Allisons. Vehicles like this are only to be seen in Europe and they are made first of all at Luxemburg.

[AlexCail]

@Dokker62 My comment was in the form of sarcasm. the person i was talking to said something in the line of Americans being simple minded for enjoying this sport when this is not hosted there.

[Dokker62]

@AlexCail I now checked some comments your were answering to. This guy doesn't have any idea of tractor pulling. He thinks it's stupid and everybody who likes it also. Due to his preconceptions he links this stuff up to USA and all americans. That's stupid...!

[rennertz]

what a horrible torture for this wonderful engine!!!!

Regards R-3350

[rennertz]

DC-7 and Constellation.

Regards R-3350

[terran698]

hmm makes you wonder what that would do with 1 turbo per cylinder XO

[barthoedemaker]

@danthemanzizzle their used from industrial machines, like caterpillar

[maplemanz]

RUN A DIESEL INSTEAD!

[barthoedemaker]

Parts used for tractorpulling aren't suited for aviation use anymore, so don't worry.

[pliskin555]

I'm trying to allocate parts to rebuild a B-29 to flight status... and I see this and my head hits the desk.

[stoney5970]

@pliskin555 Yes it would be a lot better off sitting in an overgrown field rotting away until you discover it.

[AmoralEngineer]

@pliskin555 Better than the scrapyard, and plenty of people seem to enjoy it eh?

[Dokker62]

@pliskin555 This particular engine was sold years ago by french airforce for a real convenient prize just to clear their storage from old stuff they actually intended to scrap. Why didn´t you make an offer for a dozen R-3350s, or so ? 

[savedlives1]

proof that an aircraft radial engine should not be used for a tractor.

It was made to FLY, not to drag crap along the GROUND!

[OutsiderZX12R]

It was a full pull, by a wide margin.

[Woodsballer209]

I couldn't tell...was that a full pull? Awesome sound, would love to see it live.

[Mattxd351]

That is one angry soundin mother fucker, i want my car to idle like that....

[barthoedemaker]

Watch dragon fire tractor, even a bigger radial engine

[Bamchucknorris]

man they should've put an engine like this in the Grave Digger!!! Fuck that v12 they put in instead, this thing make 3x the horsepower!!!

[mageac]

grave digger is a v8....

[OutsiderZX12R]

One word to describe this video... BADASS!!

[kinktrani]

i love the tiny front tyres

[gschales]

I noticed there is a shroud around the cylindars. Do you have some type of air cooling fan? Nice work and sound great. Bet it shakes the stands.

[DRUMMAGEEE]

it looks like its to stop people from being smacked in the chops by a stray piston if the engine explodes :p

[carguysn]

may be part of the naca cowling from the connie or dc-6 it was pulled from

[pinwizz69]

gordon, I grew up around radialengns+my time in the C.G. & can tell you,with the mags off you CAN use the starter to crank a radial ! Its kinda hard to turn one when the prop is jus a lil, bit outa reach above yer head. Plus at first you have ta geal with a lil, thing called pressure lock due to oil accumulation in the bottom(#1) cyln.. Thats why you crank it first. OH, I was an atamatic NCO when I entered the the C.G. due prior schooling so jus maybe I know what I,m talkin about, ya think ?

[Enginman1]

One of the great engines in Av history. Damn I want to play with that toy.

[pinwizz69]

I used to be a USCG aviation machinest mate and I flew as flgt mech on HU16e,s. I loved the smell of them burning avgas during engine runups after maintaince and inspections as well as preflights. Boy do they leak/use oil tho. Used to have to clean the drip pans out each morning. You also have to turn the engine over 3 revs past the # of cylndrs before turning on the mags so you don,t blow #1 cylinder the bottom 1 due to oil buildup while its sitting static. Loved that sound of power .

[gordonshart]

My father knows all to well about the R3350 he was a mechanic for the usmc in the early 50's attched to a skyraider squadron, VMA 121. He told me they hand cranked the engine a few times before the starter was engaged

[keevo429]

WOW!

[ANewNormalcy]

I crewed on P-2 Neptunes; those 3350s were as reliable as gravity.

[czegeny]

This engine was never fitted to the DC-8 JETliner.

[Motorchampion]

dude

[damo1128]

wow, how much torque?

i wonder what modern engineers could do if they had 54 litres to play around with.

the bugatti veyron makes 1000hp from an 8 litre, i reckon they could rake about 5000hp, which would be absolutely crazily powerful.

[genie187]

they already do around 7000-8000hp with a V8, but with the help of nitro!

[TerminatorFRA]

@genie187 and blown rods.

[TerminatorFRA]

@damo1128 Maybe, the 1000 hp 8 liter buggati will live a maximum of 5000 hours. And such an engine on a plane can live easily 20000 hours... See the difference of the liters.

It's like 900hp 2L of F1 cars, about 1000-2000 kms, they are worn out, good reliability.

[johnnybravo234]

Lol.. from a b29?

[Cthrilla]

b29s have no clutch lol direct mount to prop. LOL

[DragonTamer2345]

Is this safe?

[Marvosa]

nice run

[taylortownmayor]

Nothing like a round engine! I've heard 4 of them loping along on a B-29, nothing like it in the world!

[choatelodge]

Clean running and awsomely strong. A fine example of a round engine.