Need to buy a tractor - concerned about emissions stuff (sacrifice hp?)

[ovrszd]

I sure wouldn't like to go back to "the days" of engines being noisy, dirty, low on power, and drinks fuel.

I agree. At 250hrs the inside of the exhaust stack is just as clean as it was the day we got it.

We are definitely building more HP from smaller engines now. That's not necessarily a good thing. In large HP machines there have been some mistakes made in that regard. Some manufacturers have corrected their mistake and went back to larger displacement engines. As the old saying goes, "no replacement for displacement".

I think in a decade or so no one will be using DEF to control emissions. I think it's a horrible solution. I think the manufacturers were rushed by EPA deadlines and had to come up with something quick. Someone created the DEF system. All manufacturers that were still lost in regards to a solution jumped on the bandwagon. For that reason I look at EPA with a bit of disdain.

 

[K5lwq]

:

At full load I estimate the loss to be 10%. Since I am at full load so frequently that is a substantial loss of production at the end of the day.

I would agree you are probably correct at 10%. When we were farming 8 rows at a time, every tractor we got we turned up at least 10%. We needed every bit we could get out of them to put in almost 6,000 acres of row crop every year. Then taking care of the remaining 9,000 acres pasture and timberland, those poor tractors never rested. If we lost 10% power I am not sure we could have done it.

Even though I don't need that kind of power anymore, I hate giving any up. Also I pretty much run my tractor at full power and use gears to control speed. Most likely, I would not have much problem with the emissions system on the Branson I just ordered but as soon as I get a good plan on how I want to delete it, gone it will be! :thumbsup:

 

[Texasmark]

Maybe after all the years of making engines as noisy as they can be, you just couldn't HEAR the Ford 3000 running with the quiet muffler so you thought it wasn't running? I sure wouldn't like to go back to "the days" of engines being noisy, dirty, low on power, and drinks fuel.

Nice try. Any idiot can realize an engine that is running VS one that is just coughing and farting on the starter.

 

[pattycake]

FYI: I ended up getting a new Massey Fergusen 1735M - no regen. Being delivered today.

I was previously convinced that I only wanted a Kubota or a Kioti but after all the comments in this thread, I elected to go with the Massey Fergusen. Hope I made the right decision.

 

[jeff9366]

FYI: I ended up getting a new Massey Fergusen 1735M - no regen. Being delivered today.

Enjoy your new tractor. A fast decision by the standards of T-B-N!

 

[stephenh]

I am one of the new owners of a new Kubota [L4710] and can affirm, again, the paucity of info' regarding the regen thing. I mostly use my tractor to plow snow from our private road, and the terrain is very steep. Very. My past two Kubotas without regen system I ran a lot at 1500 RPM or even less, no need to power up for pushing snow downhill on an 8-degree narrow drive and slick surface, hillside off the driveway is as steep in places as 50 degrees.

Therefore, during our first really cold snowstorm in October, 10 degrees and two feet of white stuff, imagine my dismay when the tractor, after about 20 minutes, began to run so rough I couldn't plow, plus enormous clouds of white fuel exhaust. Called service dept of dealer, manager acted clueless but no help. Emailed Kubota [which I've done before with good info returned] and they replied I needed to talk to service dept. of dealer.

Owner manual for tractor pathetic.

I finally got on YouTube and found a number of videos discussing, explaining, and giving advice about this problem. Then I re-joined this forum and found more.

Now, I so far am doing better; I began running the tractor at a lower gear with higher RPM. Bugs me, though I'm getting used to it. I rarely let it idle for long, just switch it off and then back on when needed. It goes against my grain to be unable to use the tractor for any length of time at lower RPM. But I sold the other tractors, and this is what I have.

It takes a bit of re-wiring one's habits of engine running [I still refuse to start a cold engine and race it immediately at 2000+ RPM for warm-up, which is what one Kubota mechanic told me to do: "Man, soon's you let go of the ignition key, jam that throttle up to 2000 or even 2500 for 15-20 minutes." I gradually bring it up from 1000 RPM to 1500 over a period of five minutes or so. So far this is working ok.

 

[fried1765]

I am one of the new owners of a new Kubota [L4710] and can affirm, again, the paucity of info' regarding the regen thing. I mostly use my tractor to plow snow from our private road, and the terrain is very steep. Very. My past two Kubotas without regen system I ran a lot at 1500 RPM or even less, no need to power up for pushing snow downhill on an 8-degree narrow drive and slick surface, hillside off the driveway is as steep in places as 50 degrees.

Therefore, during our first really cold snowstorm in October, 10 degrees and two feet of white stuff, imagine my dismay when the tractor, after about 20 minutes, began to run so rough I couldn't plow, plus enormous clouds of white fuel exhaust. Called service dept of dealer, manager acted clueless but no help. Emailed Kubota [which I've done before with good info returned] and they replied I needed to talk to service dept. of dealer.

Owner manual for tractor pathetic.

I finally got on YouTube and found a number of videos discussing, explaining, and giving advice about this problem. Then I re-joined this forum and found more.

Now, I so far am doing better; I began running the tractor at a lower gear with higher RPM. Bugs me, though I'm getting used to it. I rarely let it idle for long, just switch it off and then back on when needed. It goes against my grain to be unable to use the tractor for any length of time at lower RPM. But I sold the other tractors, and this is what I have.

It takes a bit of re-wiring one's habits of engine running [I still refuse to start a cold engine and race it immediately at 2000+ RPM for warm-up, which is what one Kubota mechanic told me to do: "Man, soon's you let go of the ignition key, jam that throttle up to 2000 or even 2500 for 15-20 minutes." I gradually bring it up from 1000 RPM to 1500 over a period of five minutes or so. So far this is working ok.

For those advocating high RPM...... those pistons/rods/valves etc. all moving at high RPM, will make those engines last so much longer?
Of course!
I suppose the new oils eliminate all high RPM wear.

 

[pattycake]

Enjoy your new tractor. A fast decision by the standards of T-B-N!

Actually, I've been looking for several months - knew what I DIDN'T want, or what I THOUGHT I didn't want. This thread confirmed what I didn't want.... and led me to find what I did want - a new quality tractor 35+hp, with no regen. Thank you TBN and those in this thread to showed me the light

 

[deserteagle71]

It takes a bit of re-wiring one's habits of engine running [I still refuse to start a cold engine and race it immediately at 2000+ RPM for warm-up, which is what one Kubota mechanic told me to do: "Man, soon's you let go of the ignition key, jam that throttle up to 2000 or even 2500 for 15-20 minutes." I gradually bring it up from 1000 RPM to 1500 over a period of five minutes or so. So far this is working ok.

I can't believe some of the crap supposed "experts" throw out there. Start the tractor and immediately floor the throttle?? That's looking to destroy your tractor right away!

Here's some relevant snips from my Kubota's owner's manual:

So the tractor needs to be warmed up at about 50% of rated rpm for 10 minutes before operating. With my Kubota that means at about 1100-1200 rpm. Idle speed is 900 rpm so it is to be warmed up at just above idle!

The mechanic who advised you to run your tractor at full rpm right after starting it is obviously hoping you'll be bringing in more work for him to do!

 

[Jstpssng]

^^^^
It's amazing how much you can learn from reading the owner's manual.

Congratulations to the OP for your new purchase. Hopefully it will give you many years of trouble free service.