power loss, Mahindra 2816

[murtom1]

Greetings. A newbie from RI. Have a Mahindra 2816 with just 200 hours on it. A week ago began experiencing power loss when under load. It recovered fairly quickly and would stay at RPM's for a few minutes, then drop or stall out again. First time, I followed the manual's instructions on clearing water from the fuel filter, then bleeding the system. Now it's happening again just days later (it's a low-use tractor, homeowner). Overnight temps have been in the teens or single digits for the past week. Had put additive in the 50-gal drum of diesel when delivered 3 months ago. Is it likely to be a spent fuel filter, a fuel quality issue, or something more serious?

[AchingBack]

Two things I would check on, and both are part of scheduled maintenance: First, your fuel tank. I believe it is recommended it be drained; there could be sediment, but it doesn't sound like it. Second, check your air filter.

[nelsond7004]

Murtom1,

Definitely do what AchingBack is suggesting. I had a similar issue to what you are experiencing, although it sounds like yours is worse than mine. To make a long story short my RPMs would rapidly decrease and the tractor would act like it was going to cut out, but didn't. The RPMs would fluctuate ~300 RPMS when I would put it under load. It ended up being the fuel. I drained the entire tank and went to the local truck stop for fuel. Needless to say I quit buying from my local store.

I know the manual says to drain the fuel tank about every 50 hours, but I find myself doing it a lot more often. I don't drain much, but enough that I feel is effective. Not sure if you have ever looked into your tank with a flashlight, but these tanks actually rust and can be crusty on the bottom.

I would probably recommend draining your tank completely and then refueling with fresh fuel from a high volume distributor. It might be a good idea if you pick up a new fuel filter and change it regardless if it looks dirty or not.

If your 2816 is like mine it tends to run on the cold side. When the temps get low in the teens, I have to cover my grill. This makes a world of difference.

Keep us posted on what you try. Always willing to help if I can.

-Nelson

[LAWALLSTRACTOR]

Everybody here has made good sugestions and they could possibly solve your problem, but I have found 2 tractors that acted like your tractor and the cure for the problem was to disconnect the fuel line after the filter and at the injection pump. Then blow the line out. I found crud blocking that line. I would try this, change the fuel filter, disconnect the line at the bottom of the fuel tank and put a little air pressure at the fuel filler to purge the area at the fuel outlet. I hope this helps.

[murtom1]

AchingBack, nelsond7004, and LAWALLSTRACTOR: Wow, thank goodness I've given up 3"x5" cards and AM radio and gone to the net! Will try all your suggestions, starting with those mentioned more than once. Since fuel seems to be the common factor, should I have insisted on an Off-Road blend on the diesel? First drum was Off-Road/Marine and had zero problems. That was no longer available (only RI distributor had gone out of business, this came from a Boston outfit which carried only standard truck product). It ain't easy living in state the size of a county in a real state. Also, it sounds as though I have to follow the air and fuel filter changing schedule as per the manual; had hoped to cheat on the air filter, since it's such a ridiculous price. Thanks for your prompt, helpful responses.

[AchingBack]

AchingBack, nelsond7004, and LAWALLSTRACTOR: Wow, thank goodness I've given up 3"x5" cards and AM radio and gone to the net! Will try all your suggestions, starting with those mentioned more than once. Since fuel seems to be the common factor, should I have insisted on an Off-Road blend on the diesel? First drum was Off-Road/Marine and had zero problems. That was no longer available (only RI distributor had gone out of business, this came from a Boston outfit which carried only standard truck product). It ain't easy living in state the size of a county in a real state. Also, it sounds as though I have to follow the air and fuel filter changing schedule as per the manual; had hoped to cheat on the air filter, since it's such a ridiculous price. Thanks for your prompt, helpful responses.

murtom, welcome to the forums. Regarding the air filter, you can clean yours until you feel like spending for a new one. In almost 600 hours, I've replaced mine just once. If you clean it frequently, and carefully, you can continue cheating,

[murtom1]

Aching: Will do so on the air filter. Incidentally, your "thank God" list includes Rankin loader-mounted forks. Would love to have forks for log handling but on one search could find nothing under $1500. Is that a going price, or is there something less heavy-duty for a non-commerical, occasional user? Thanks.

[AchingBack]

Aching: Will do so on the air filter. Incidentally, your "thank God" list includes Rankin loader-mounted forks. Would love to have forks for log handling but on one search could find nothing under $1500. Is that a going price, or is there something less heavy-duty for a non-commerical, occasional user? Thanks.

These forks are made by Kodiak, for Mahindra. https://www.forddistributing.com/pro...k-pallet-forks I don't know how much Mahindra charges for the ones with their name on it, but the Kodiaks are attractive, as they also fit on the 3pt hitch. I modified the Rankin forks to fit my 3pt. Altogether, I have about $900 invested.

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Aching: Will do so on the air filter. Incidentally, your "thank God" list includes Rankin loader-mounted forks. Would love to have forks for log handling but on one search could find nothing under $1500. Is that a going price, or is there something less heavy-duty for a non-commerical, occasional user? Thanks.

Murtom. Dubay's off of Cucumber has these forks for $599. So does Northern products.

[murtom1]

Great info. Thank you.