Best RPM for fuel econemy and FEL work? (Piggy back thread from Kioti forum)

[Piston]

Hey guys,
I just noticed this thread from the Kioti owning and operating and it made me wonder the same about my L4610?

Best RPM for Fuel Economy and FEL work - TractorByNet.com

Basically asking what is the best RPM to run the tractor at when doing FEL work? I'm about a month into being the new owner of an L4610 and very happy with it. I did a lot of snow removal and snow plowing over the last month, about 26hrs which is a lot for me, and was usually around 1300-1500RPM.

I noticed that running on idle was too slow for the hydraulics and when stepping on the HST pedal the engine would lug down. I know that isn't good for the engine so what is the proper/ideal RPM? If I go much more than 1500 I feel that its sort of overkill (except when I have a heavy load and need the power)

Is it bad if I hear the HST sort of whine? It seems anytime it does I just bump up the RPM and it seems good. My fluids are all up to par.


Thanks to CowwFace for posting his question and reminding me of mine :thumbsup:

 

[bigbull338]

when i work my tractor using the loader for hauling hay i run it between 1500 an 2000 rpms.an thats where id run it doing loader work.that gives you enough power when you need it.

 

[dodge man]

My experience is that people tend to keep the RPM's to low. They are thinking by keeping the revs down, they are saving wear and fuel. This is even more true when mowing. I say keep the revs up a little. That doesn't mean having the throttle wide open when doing loader work, but I think I would keep it more towards the 2000 rpm range.

 

[TripleR]

I honestly don't worry about fuel economy. Modern diesels seem to like a little more engine speed. For me it is really a matter of finding what fits your tractor. I routinely run three different tractors with a FEL and the RPM will vary with each; two are HST and one is a geared unit. The geared tractor is an 85 HP and replaced a different make with 80 HP and even they needed a little bit different. Once you get use to your tractor, you won't even look at the tach unless you are setting it for PTO speed.

I will even run different RPM's depending on what I am doing with my loader as I need less moving rock than digging in dirt. Just be sure to not bog your engine down and that you are getting good hydraulic flow and you will be fine.

 

[Jay4200]

Well, how about this comment:

"There were comments made by some dealers, implying that using the foot throttle a lot is hard on the injector pump."

What about that? I use the foot throttle on my L4200 all the time, especially when doing loader work, since I like the chop the throttle when shifting with the shuttle.

OTOH, when I use the hand-throttle for backhoe and snowblower work, I almost always run WFO. I run my Woods 9000 backhoe at close to full PTO rpm (2100-2200), and I pretty much always run my 6' snowblower at full PTO speed (2300) or better (except when shifting with the shuttle). The blower will clog up in heavy snow at less than full blast, and I like the backhoe to move as fast as it can. It may be notable that I can run my backhoe all weekend with the throttle WFO on all of 5 gallons of fuel.

JayC

 

[TripleR]

Well, how about this comment:

"There were comments made by some dealers, implying that using the foot throttle a lot is hard on the injector pump."

What about that? I use the foot throttle on my L4200 all the time, especially when doing loader work, since I like the chop the throttle when shifting with the shuttle.

OTOH, when I use the hand-throttle for backhoe and snowblower work, I almost always run WFO. I run my Woods 9000 backhoe at close to full PTO rpm (2100-2200), and I pretty much always run my 6' snowblower at full PTO speed (2300) or better (except when shifting with the shuttle). The blower will clog up in heavy snow at less than full blast, and I like the backhoe to move as fast as it can. It may be notable that I can run my backhoe all weekend with the throttle WFO on all of 5 gallons of fuel.

JayC

We have almost always used the foot throttle on our geared tractors for FEL work too, so I don't know about it being bad for the injectors; sure hope not.

 

[rjkobbeman]

I always use my foot throttle unless I am wanting to keep the engine running at a constant speed. (Keeping the PTO running at 540 RPM comes to mind.)

For FEL work... it depends. If I am just doing a little job I will just use the foot throttle. If I am doing A LOT of loader work, I will bump up the throttle a bit so the hydrualic pump will work the hydraulics good. This does not take much of a bump. I will ALSO use the foot throttle for moving from load to dump locations and vice versa. In other words, my hand throttle is set to about 1,200 RPM (give or take) and I use my foot throttle when I want to drive faster.

In all cases, I don't let the engine lug...

 

[kuboman]

"There were comments made by some dealers, implying that using the foot throttle a lot is hard on the injector pump."

Yep but it is harder on the engine than the IP. Every time you jump on the throttle you get a surge of diesel which all is not burnt which gives you cylinder washing and fuel dilution in the oil. It of course all depends how hard you push the throttle. If you are getting a puff of black smoke than you are getting dilution.
It will take a long time of course to really wear out the engine but technically it is not the best for your engine.

 

[AceDeuce]

If fuel econ is your sole concern, the most efficient engine speed is the lowest RPM without lugging under load. The obvious problem with that approach is low productivity due to slow hydraulics. So, the most efficient engine speed becomes that which allows you to work at a reasonable speed without wasting fuel by running higher RPMs than you can put to practical use.

Bottom line: it depends on the load and how fast you want to move it. But somewhere in the 1500-2000 range is probably where you'll find your own sweet spot.

 

[Piston]

Alright thanks for clarifying that for me guys. I definitely was running my RPM's too low then because quite often I would pick up a load of snow and hit the HST pedal and the engine RPM's would drop down and the engine would start to lug, I knew this wasn't good so I would bump up the RPM's a tad until that didn't happen, I seemed to worry more about running too high of RPM's rather than too little.
Like I said I'm new to all this so I'm learning, I'm glad I asked before I continued to possibly damage the engine. I'll run the RPM's higher now and not worry about it. I don't really know why I asked about the fuel economy because I really don't care about that.

Thanks again :thumbsup: