Dead tractor - help!

[JoeL4330]

I went through the same reasoning chain, talked with knowledgeable dealer's mechanics and concluded it wasn't worth it in my case, at least. If my problems had been that the pleated filter was clogging up with coarse grit, then it would have made sense to put in a coarse filter in front of it.

To my mind, it makes no sense to put a finer filter in front of the pleated filter. As for the putting in a smaller, cheaper, more easily field-replaceable equivalent filter, it would make sense if you had some warning system (other than the tractor dying) to tell you it was clogging, and also a bypass (like your oil filter) in the event that it did clog.

Screens in fuel tanks are generally there to protect the fuel pump, which you don't have ...your's is a gravity feed system.

Again, on the basis of bitter experience, at first sign of a fuel-related stumble, shut down before you empty the injector lines and check the fuel bowl. If it's empty then mouth-to-mouth (and/or check the fuel gauge and fuel level in the tank). If the fuel bowl is full, then suspect the pleated filter and change it. Then hope that the filter did its job and that the problems are not in the injector pump etc.

If you wanted to do more serious mods, RACOR, among others, makes filtration systems with water separation (and warning lights) and heater elements.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Sorry to lead you in the wrong way at first with the screen in the tank but like I said in one of my first post I was not familiar with your tractor but about 1/2 of them have a threaded in nipple with a screen like SoundGuy also stated. I was just trying to give you a general direction to figure out the fuel problem. Anyway I am glad to hear you were able to get it back up and running with my help and the help of others. I think you did a good thing draining the tank. Keep a good strong dose of Power Serve or Howse in there and you should be fine. I would not use that drained fuel for anything but fire starter or a cleaner. Even putting small amounts with fresh fuel could put you right back in the same spot. Working on a tractor in the cold.


Chris

 

[Stargazer]

Hi 5030 don't feel to bad I know 1 towtruck driver had 17 semi tows yesterday here in DSM don't know about other drivers at his business and Monday we didn't have garbage/recyle pick up as City trucks were froze up Hope their not using same fuel for snow/sand grader veh

 

[Soundguy]

I thought I had already posted a diagram, above, from the shop manual for his machine that shows no filter ...here are the two relevant pics from the parts manual ...I don't see a filter, and from experience with my 4330, I had a piece of crud come down the hose that would have been stopped by a screen if there were one.

the pic in the former message was more of a block diagram IIIRC.. this one is more schematic.. though lacking detail.. but yes.. It does not appear to have a screen... A deffinate oversite IMHO... A small tube like screen element would not have been hard to implement at that fuel tap.... that and a shutoff valve..

soundguy

 

[Soundguy]

To my mind, it makes no sense to put a finer filter in front of the pleated filter. As for the putting in a smaller, cheaper, more easily field-replaceable equivalent filter, it would make sense if you had some warning system (other than the tractor dying) to tell you it was clogging, and also a bypass (like your oil filter) in the event that it did clog..

There is a warning system.. it's your tachometer.. when you start loosing power and rpm, and have to idle down, and then it dies again upon throttle up.. you know a fuel filter is clogged. This 'warning system' works in conjunction with your brain.

Screens in fuel tanks are generally there to protect the fuel pump, which you don't have ...your's is a gravity feed system..

If he has an injector pump on that diesel.. then he -has- a fuel pump.

I'd rather loo$e a pre-filter and fine filter, vs loosing my injection pump.

If you wanted to do more serious mods, RACOR, among others, makes filtration systems with water separation (and warning lights) and heater elements.

Many canister fitlers have water seperators built in. Many tractors have water seps too. my NH has 3 places i can bleed water using finger or thumb screws.. I can't imagine a tractor company building a machine with no fuel seperator bowl.. etc. They ford and others even had those back in 1939...

Soundguy

 

[john_bud]

I would NOT put an additional filter in place. The fuel is gravity fed and adding more restriction will make it easier to stop flow in the winter. Probably fine to do in the summer.

An excellent addition would be to use a lift pump out of the tank to a HEATED filter head then to the factory filter. The air bleed screw would then have fuel squirt out when opened to prime when the lift pump was on.


jb

 

[5030tinkerer]

Many canister fitlers have water seperators built in. Many tractors have water seps too. my NH has 3 places i can bleed water using finger or thumb screws.. I can't imagine a tractor company building a machine with no fuel seperator bowl.. etc. They ford and others even had those back in 1939...
Soundguy

Soundguy - I appreciate your wisdom here. Sadly, Kubota doesn't to my knowledge offer such an option. The ONLY way that I have found to drain water is to remove the fuel filter surround canister - a task you are supposed to complete every 100 hours per the manual.

 

[Soundguy]

I think I'd add a seperator bowl with no filter in it.

IE.. no obstruction.. just a canister with a glass bottom and an inlet and outlet, and a petcock on the bottom. It will let you 'see' water and heavy debri.. and drain them.

IMHO.. Kubota missed the boat on that design.. it's pathetic...

soundguy

 

[JoeL4330]

If you want to add something, how about this Racor?

 

[RickB]

I think I'd add a seperator bowl with no filter in it.

IE.. no obstruction.. just a canister with a glass bottom and an inlet and outlet, and a petcock on the bottom. It will let you 'see' water and heavy debri.. and drain them.

IMHO.. Kubota missed the boat on that design.. it's pathetic...

soundguy

That's hardly unique to Kubota. Every compact ever sold by Ford/New Holland is exactly the same as well as many, many larger FNH's. Few, if any Deeres have had separators.

An additional filter won't help if whatever is causing the blockage is too large to make it out of the tank. From what I am reading, I am not sure gelling is the issue so much as one or more large foreign particles in the tank.