some newbie questions for b3200

[dcosto]

hi folks, great site, very informative. have a few questions as this is my first diesel tractor.
1. when starting tractor in the cold, it smokes pretty bad for the first few seconds before smoothing out. is this normal?
2. does the differential lock only work when in 4 wheel drive? i've noticed that both rear wheels spin together when in 2 wheel drive.
3. i recieved the tractor the first week of nov. and am still patiently awaiting the delivery of the 63" front blower. the question is, after winter, do i need to remove the blower mount to operate the front end loader, or can it be left on?
4. when engaging the mid pto for the blower, should it be done at low or full throttle?
5. the tachometer shows an rpm band for the 540 rpm pto. does this only apply to the rear pto?
thanks in advance for any guidance. its snowing like crazy outside right now. sure wish i had that blower. its not supposed to be in til christmas week.

 

[devildog1]

hi folks, great site, very informative. have a few questions as this is my first diesel tractor.
1. when starting tractor in the cold, it smokes pretty bad for the first few seconds before smoothing out. is this normal?
This is completely normal for cold N.Y.S. starts.
2. does the differential lock only work when in 4 wheel drive? i've noticed that both rear wheels spin together when in 2 wheel drive.
On it works in or out of 4 wheel drive.
3. i recieved the tractor the first week of nov. and am still patiently awaiting the delivery of the 63" front blower. the question is, after winter, do i need to remove the blower mount to operate the front end loader, or can it be left on?
Take off the front drive shaft, loader on my BX23 worked with snow-blower mount.
4. when engaging the mid pto for the blower, should it be done at low or full throttle?
ALWAYS at LOW THROTTLE.
5. the tachometer shows an rpm band for the 540 rpm pto. does this only apply to the rear pto?
That's the ideal band for running attachments in the rear, answer is yes.
thanks in advance for any guidance. its snowing like crazy outside right now. sure wish i had that blower. its not supposed to be in til christmas week.

Your be amazed at how well front snow-blower makes cleaning up any amount of snow and how far it throws it.

Congratulations on your new B3200, I know you'll love it, I know because I have one.
DevilDog

 

[JTPass]

Dave,
Congrats on your new B3200. I took delivery on a B3200 in June and had the 63" showblower installed in Sep. I am sure you will love it...I do.
I agree with what Devildog has said, except...I would take the Quick Hitch off before putting the loader back on in the spring. It cuts down on your ground clearance and could get "beat up" depending on where you go with it. It doesn't take that long to remove/install. If you needed the loader for something small during the winter, I would have no problem leaving the quick hitch on.
Wekcome to TBN

 

[dcosto]

thanks for the replies. i wonder if there is an issue with my rear end, because like i said, both rear wheels spin together in 2 wheel drive without the diff.lock pedal being pressed.
one other issue i forgot to mention in my post. when testing the starting interlocks, i noticed that the one that prevents the tractor from starting without the clutch being depressed does not work. i notified my dealer who tested a couple other tractors and found this same issue. he also notified a local rep. have not heard the outcome. any other b3200 owners have this issue?

 

[rpraymond]

My B2320 will also start without depressing the clutch. I didn't know this until I turned the key one day without the clutch in and it started. I don't know if it's supposed to be this way but I like it.

 

[Ductape]

Congratulations on your new 3200...... very nice tractor !

1 A little black smoke on start-up, or under a heavy load is perfectly normal.

2 Your diff lock works in 2, or 4 wd. Do not try to engage it while your wheel(s) are spinning. Ease up on the go pedal, let the wheels stop, then step on the diff lock. Trying to jam the diff lock while a wheel is spinning will cost you money.

3 I believe there is enough room the have the loader on with the quick hitch in place, though you will likely need to leave the quick hitch low to the ground so the bucket doesn't hit it. At the end of winter, you will want to remove it. It only takes a few minutes to remove.

4 When engaging the PTO, do it down near idle..... then raise the RPMs up to PTO speed.

5 Check your owners manual, but i'd guess the mark on the tach is an indicator for both PTOs.

 

[gyro433]

Ductape,

You said not to push the differential lock while the wheels are spinning. Did you have bad experiences on the Kubota ? I checked my manual for my B2320 and they don't mention anything other then pushing on the lever when required. I grew up on a farm and we used to push the locking diff whenever we needed traction and don't seem to recall any problems with the tractors (International). Just wondering if the Kubota's are designed differently.

Gyro

 

[Toolguy]

Just because both wheels spin at the same time in 2WD does not mean that the diff-lock is engaged. It means that both wheels have equal traction. One wheel only will spin when it has less traction than the one not turning. If your diff-lock was engaged all of the time you would have much difficulty turning as the outside wheel needs to turn faster than the inside wheel.

If you are moving slowly you can safely engage the diff-lock if one wheel spins. At high speeds it is quite a shock to the diff lock pin when it catches and tries to turn the wheel that is stopped. Remember that the wheel that is not turning is the one with most traction. It is all about momentum and power. Trying to start something moving quickly from a dead stop creates a lot of stress on the parts involved. Slow is OK, fast can get expensive. Good luck.

 

[Evil the Weasel]

The quick hitch comes off very easily. The manual strongly emphasizes that the FEL not be used with the quick hitch installed. The rear supports for the quick hitch never have to come off the tractor which is the beauty of the design.

 

[Ductape]

Ductape,

You said not to push the differential lock while the wheels are spinning. Did you have bad experiences on the Kubota ? I checked my manual for my B2320 and they don't mention anything other then pushing on the lever when required. I grew up on a farm and we used to push the locking diff whenever we needed traction and don't seem to recall any problems with the tractors (International). Just wondering if the Kubota's are designed differently.

Gyro

Gyro,
I've not broken a diff lock myself...... but have read of other members here having to repair theirs.

From my Kubota owner's manual :
To prevent damage to the powertrain, do not engage the differential lock when one wheel is spinning and the other is stopped.