The beast is a pig!

[jpm1]

I do not have a DK45 but when my DK35SE Hst was new and low on hours i thought the same thing. Lots of power but very hard on fuel. I'm at 172 hours now and its very easy on fuel, even when using the PTO on the rfm. I guess i can run about 12 engine hours if memory serves me correctly mowing now. personally i would say, give it a while and things will change, and you'll like the results . . . .John

 

[IndyIan]

I've been trying to figure out a good way of tracking fuel usage but its a pain to try to fill right to the brim consistently, plus the hour meter doesn't have tenths... So the only easy way is just to record how much fuel I put in at what hour, which would give a decent average consumption over say 100 hours.
I did some light brush hogging though and it didn't drain the tank as fast as I thought it might. A rough guess would be 5 gallons in the 4 hours. Loader work seems to be somewhere a bit under a gallon an hour. I also suspect the HST is most efficient at a middle pedal setting instead of at full pedal just from how the idle is affected by using the HST in neutral, but I don't seem to spend alot of time traveling at full speed.

 

[dirtdevil911]

We got 16 hours out of our first tank of fuel in our new DK45SE Cab. There was 2 hours on it when it showed up on the farm.

Cheers Don.

 

[murphy1244]

I get about 20 hours a tank.

 

[kiotiken]

We got 16 hours out of our first tank of fuel in our new DK45SE Cab. There was 2 hours on it when it showed up on the farm.

Cheers Don.

I get about 20 hours a tank.

Wow, I'm going to have to track it, but I don't get anywhere near that. With less than 40 hours, I'd still be on my second tank if I got the mileage that murphy gets!

 

[IndyIan]

Wow, I'm going to have to track it, but I don't get anywhere near that. With less than 40 hours, I'd still be on my second tank if I got the mileage that murphy gets!

+1 The tank is only 12 gallons, but I guess if your doing backhoe work at 1800rpm and then let the tractor idle for extended periods warming it up or cooling it down, or leave it idling while you are cutting brush and then using the loader to move the brush, I could see how a full tank lasts 20hrs. I suspect Ken, like me, you only fill up a 5 gallons at a time and don't top it right up everytime, so the gauge goes from below 1/4 to over 3/4? So it looks like its gulping alot, but also roading the tractor at full speed and at PTO rpms does really use alot of fuel with an HST.
Anyways, price out hiring a guy to do your tractor work for you and wether its $5 or $7 per hour for fuel, its still pretty cheap entertainment!

 

[kiotiken]

You are right, I add a 20 litres (5 gallons) at a time and it goes to a little more than 3/4 and then down to 1/4 before I fill again. This time I saw the 1/4 mark and kept going a little longer only to look down at it was breathing fumes. I didn't know it was a 12 gallon tank, but I'd be surprised if I was that far from full. I was never able to get a full 20 litres in my CK without it overflowing.

 

[Stick895]

Pah! Your other tractor probably got same mileage (hourage?) you just didn't know it because you were never able to run it long enough! Enjoy! Fuel is just a cost of doing business! I mean this in the nicest way possible!

 

[dennis52]

4 litres (1 gallon) an hour using a gear transmission and the pto at 2200 revs slashing horse pastures . My 17 hp kubota uses one third of that but takes 3 times as long to do the same job.

 

[kiotiken]

Well, I haven't needed the tractor again until today, so I just went out and filled it up. I was able to get 35 liters in it and the hour meter shows 39hrs. As IndyIan said, I only ever put in 20 liters (5 gallons) in at a time and since it would go above the 3/4 line, I figured it was almost full. I'm very surprised I was able to get almost twice that in.