OK, now I'm really confused

[s219]

My Kubota has a mechanical hour meter -- pretty sure it's tied to the tach, which is also mechanical.

I can see how digital/LCD hour meters may just measure key-on time, but the mechanical ones are definitely tied to RPM somehow.

[CBW1999]

Sleep?....Sleep? Who's got time to sleep?!
Sleep?....who's got time to sleep? I'll sleep when I'm dead! I've got a new Kubota coming!!!!

Don't forget that for the first few nights you'll want to sleep in the barn with it so it doesn't get scared......

[rScotty]

Quote:

"BTW, gauges keep track of engine hours at full RPM. So unless you run wide open all the time, don't be surprised if at the end of the day you've put on less hours than you expected. "


Having just gone through a tractor buying process, I was surprised to learn that hour-meter no longer work this way, they are just "key-on" hours (even if the tractor isn't even running!). At least this is true for JD & Kubota. I don't know when the change happened as my old JD 850 and MF135 before that had their hour-meters as part of the tachometer and measured engine hours at some fixed RPM. So some time between 1980 and 2012, it changed.

It's too bad as I always thought the engine hours measurement through the tach was a brilliant measurement of usage. "key-on" - not so much.

Darn! I wonder when that got changed?....and why? It does explain why I seem to rack up hours quickly on the M59 as opposed to the other three older tractors. No real harm done, as we were talking about older tractors in that post anyway, and one of the points being made was that when considering a tractor's hours and condition it's way better to go with condition.
This new way of measuring engine hours by the time the key is on instead of by the number of times that the engine rotates is sure counter-intuitive. Whatever the reason for the change, we can safely bet that the idea didn't come from the technical, mechanical, or engineering side of Kubota.

If true, one can only hope that JD & Kubota's Engineering Dept. got something useful in exchange when they swapped away that traditional and useful rev-counting hour meter. Hopefully it was something to benefit the consumer.....maybe an extra 200 psi on the hydraulic specs, or maybe a thicker coat of corrosion protection. We'll never know, but one can hope something like that is what happened.
rScotty

[CBW1999]

Probably made the change when they realized that "key-on" hours led to quicker routine maintenance. Engine hours may not have racked up quick enough for the added revenue from those supplies.

[rScotty]

Probably made the change when they realized that "key-on" hours led to quicker routine maintenance. Engine hours may not have racked up quick enough for the added revenue from those supplies.

What?? Do you think that dealers really make money on those routine maintenance visits? I thought everyone negotiated a warranty's worth of that commodity as part of the purchase price....Where I come from that's the way it is commonly done.
rScotty

[yankeerider]

Teikas Dad Congrats on the new machine headed your way.

As to the topic of engine hour meters, I suspect that the change occurred when hour meters became electric rather than driven by a mechanical tachometer. Frankly, I'd rather have an electric meter. Would you want to buy a machine with seemingly low hours just because the owner lugged it most of it's life, rather than operating it at the rpm it was designed to be at? In over 20 years, I've never once accidently left the key on on any of my machines.

Sent from my iPad using TractorByNet

[Carl Bert]

Teikas Dad Congrats on the new machine headed your way.

As to the topic of engine hour meters, I suspect that the change occurred when hour meters became electric rather than driven by a mechanical tachometer. Frankly, I'd rather have an electric meter. Would you want to buy a machine with seemingly low hours just because the owner lugged it most of it's life, rather than operating it at the rpm it was designed to be at? In over 20 years, I've never once accidently left the key on on any of my machines.

Sent from my iPad using TractorByNet

My hour meter on my John deere X595 has a digital hour meter. After reading some of the other threads about hour meters, I was curious to see if it was counting actual time or not. I left the key on and timed it. To my surprise, no hours were being added, just because the key was on. There is a small symbol on the bottom of the hour meter that flashes on and off when the engine is running. If its not flashing, it's not adding up any time, and as I said, it only flashes when the engine is running.

I haven't checked my B26 yet, but as far as the JD, the concern I always had about accidentally leaving the key on no longer exists.

[CBW1999]

What?? Do you think that dealers really make money on those routine maintenance visits? I thought everyone negotiated a warranty's worth of that commodity as part of the purchase price....Where I come from that's the way it is commonly done.
rScotty

Well, if you do the service yourself it costs less, much less than having the dealership do it. So- yeah they do make quite a bit of money on it. I do like the idea of getting all those goodies thrown in as part of the initial deal. There are only so many hats one can own....

Teikas Dad Congrats on the new machine headed your way.

As to the topic of engine hour meters, I suspect that the change occurred when hour meters became electric rather than driven by a mechanical tachometer. Frankly, I'd rather have an electric meter. Would you want to buy a machine with seemingly low hours just because the owner lugged it most of it's life, rather than operating it at the rpm it was designed to be at? In over 20 years, I've never once accidently left the key on on any of my machines.

Sent from my iPad using TractorByNet

Very true statement. Wouldn't it be nice to have some type of ability to see all that variable data. Unfortunately, another added expense

[LBrown59]

I bought this whole truck load from BARLOWS.
Couldn't be happier with the price the tractors or the dealer.

[Guesseral]

If you are still worried about any warrenty work or you feel the dealer is putting you off undually call Kubota and see how or where they suggest to get your warrenty work done. There is always a dealer who doesn't have a problem doing warrenty work for tractors sold by others, as long as they get paid that is. Oh yea congrads on the new bota!