Breaking in a new tractor

[Botabill]

I ran my Kubota L3940 at full PTO RPM for a full day right off the delivery truck.
No problemo
These tractors are ment to be WORKED. That's what they were designed to do. Don't abuse, but certainly use....
It's not like a car or a motorcycle that may, or may not, need to be broken in (I had to break-in my motorcylce before thrashing it on the race track). Again, these are designed as work equipment, not comfort rides.
My philosophy

You might be right but my owners manual suggests a light load break in period on a Kubota B2620 diesel. I did a light break in on my last 18 HP kubota BX and when I traded it at 1200 hours the engine/tractor was in geat shape in my opinion and had needed no service. I'd be interested to know how many hours your L3940 has on it. If it has over 1200 hours then I'll bow to your opinion until someone else comes foward with an experience that indicates the contrary.

 

[Happyman]

You might be right but my owners manual suggests a light load break in period on a Kubota B2620 diesel. I did a light break in on my last 18 HP kubota BX and when I traded it at 1200 hours the engine/tractor was in geat shape in my opinion and had needed no service. I'd be interested to know how many hours your L3940 has on it. If it has over 1200 hours then I'll bow to your opinion until someone else comes foward with an experience that indicates the contrary.

Stay on your feet
I have a bit over 200 hrs. But I guess my point was that there should be no need to "baby" these tractors. Like I said, don't abuse the machine, but you should feel free to use it within its recommended speeds and loads right out of the factory. There may be a difference between the "B" and the "Grand L" machines that I'm not aware of.

 

[TRUST]

Well, I certainly feel better about how I used the machine for the first 3.2hrs after reading all of the posts. Like I said before, I don't feel like I'm babying it, but I do plan to use it for what I bought it for. However this is my first diesel and I'm certainly no expert. I grew up with a Ford 8N and I beat the crap out of it.....it was my dad's. I don't have any 3 point implements, I will only be using a loader and backhoe for now. I have many downed trees and several that need to come down. I plan to do some skidding and brush clean up. I intend to get a grapple to snatch up all the trash. I will prolly pick away at some stumps that are the remains of logging years ago, and a couple that are more fresh.

Joel

 

[john_bud]

You might be right but my owners manual suggests a light load break in period on a Kubota B2620 diesel. I did a light break in on my last 18 HP kubota BX and when I traded it at 1200 hours the engine/tractor was in geat shape in my opinion and had needed no service. I'd be interested to know how many hours your L3940 has on it. If it has over 1200 hours then I'll bow to your opinion until someone else comes foward with an experience that indicates the contrary.

Light "load", yes. Reduced RPM's, No.

There are technical reasons, but a lot of the confusion is that people with valid gasoline engine experience pipe in with gas points of view. The burn rate, temperature and pressures of a gasoline combustion are different than the same activities in a diesel. Also, the physical stoutness of the parts are very different. Gas pistons have 2 compression and 1 oil ring. Some diesels have 3 compression and 2 oil rings. A gas engine needs to operate at viable RPMS. A diesel is run at a single rpm for many thousands of hours. A diesel may run at a set rpm, but the amount of fuel given will vary drastically as the gov keeps it at that rpm when the load changes.

No need to take my opinion as gospel. Trust me, it ain't! But, at least read it and then take the time to verify with other sources and compare it to diesel tractor break in and not gasoline automobile break in.

Interesting point. Why do you vary the vehicle speeds and avoid running continuously on the freeway with a new truck? It's nothing to do with the engine. The reason is the differential gears. The clearance is so tight that they heat up enough to cook the fluid, so you must give it time to cool off. It's why you need to change the fluid in the differential after the first 500 miles of towing. That fluid will be about all done in.

jb

 

[BigD23]

Was told by an "old timer" years ago, run it the way you're going to be using it.

Don

 

[Danno1]

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Drive it like you stole it!

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