Oil & Fuel new kioti dk45 hst guzzling diesel

[DK35vince]

as far as rpm's, the dealer told me to keep it on that "mark" on the rpm display. obviously, when you start it, it seems way to much--and smoke billows out the exhaust.

Start the engine at slow Idle.
Cold starting an engine(with no oil pressure at startup) at high RPM's is BAD!!!

 

[irwin]

as far as rpm's, the dealer told me to keep it on that "mark" on the rpm display. obviously, when you start it, it seems way to much--and smoke billows out the exhaust.

I agree with others, that's a good way to prematurely wear out an engine. Not all tractor dealers are experts in machine care, not all salesmen know what they're talking about.

I start my engines at half throttle and lower it a bit after it starts, depending on ambient temperatures I'll warm it up for a few minutes at 1300-1500 rpm. Working rpm's is dependent on the job at hand..cutting grass = higher rpm, backhoe = mid-rpm.

My advice for a new diesel engine is to keep it slightly under PTO max throttle for 50 to 100 hours. Let it break in gently for a while.

 

[jimmyj]

I asked the same sort of questions recently. The TBN'ers were a lot of help.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/kioti-owning-operating/140459-ck-30-rpms.html?highlight=rpms

 

[DK35vince]

Idle down to lower RPM's to engage the PTO also.
If you are running high engine speeds like that when turning on the Power take off with a brush mower on you will be picking up and replacing parts.

 

[steve0413]

According to Kioti the DK45SE HST has a 11.9 gal (45 L) fuel tank.

The specs do show that it holds 11.9 gallons, but, I have refilled it a couple of times when I could see the bottom of the tank (with the gauge showing E) and it will only take on slightly less than 8 gallons. Maybe my local store where I fuel up is giving me 3 gallons extra. Either way, at 47 hrs it's a fuel hog in my opinion.

All that being said, now that I'm getting used to the hydrostat and proper operations of the backhoe, I'm loving it and it is a timesaving workhorse.

 

[Gil Case]

Somewhere in this forum is a very good post by Rick Wallace on the reason for keeping RPM's up when using an HST. Not that I understood all the technical stuff, but as some one said, I do understand that HST's love high RPMs. On my CK20HST I was told to keep it at 2100-2200 if your moving. Also Jamming the HST pedal down is a big NO NO according to the gospel of Rick. I am a believer.

 

[stwyatt]

well i used the tractor alot this weekend, starting it at lower rpm--seemed much more logical. i think it just uses a lot of fuel, because it works great, and i have no problems. there's no doubt i'm still learning to use the hst but its worth it. thanks for all the ideas, help

 

[PA hayseed]

I have 300+hrs on my dk45 se hst which is almost 2 years old. When cutting grass at high rpms I use a good bit of fuel. When doing FEL work and not travelling at high speeds I don't use nearly as much.

An additional note when comparing the DK's fuel consumption vs. other models/brands, take into account the weight of the two different tractors. More weight requires more power to move. I start my tractor at lower rpm's then crank it up as needed. I tramp down on the hst pedal everytime I am on the road, or mowing grass. I don't cut grass in high and medium seems too slow (HST).One other thing to consider, take your loader arms off your tractor when cutting grass. You will notice a very big fuel saving when your not lugging about several hundred pounds. If taking the arms off is a bit of a chore, make sure to remove the bucket at least.

My 45 does not have a 11+ gallon tank. No way it does. When I bought it the website said it did. I have filled that tank so many times I know it takes about 8 when it is almost bone dry.

 

[steve0413]

PA hayseed,

Some good points about lugging around the extra weight when not needed. I also have a cab on my DK45 which adds additional weight.

Also, thanks for verifying my observations about the capacity of the fuel tank. Kioti really needs to correct their documentation when referring to the fuel tank capacity.

 

[IslandTractor]

Also, thanks for verifying my observations about the capacity of the fuel tank. Kioti really needs to correct their documentation when referring to the fuel tank capacity.

Is it the capacity or the fuel gauge setting that is off? Sometimes vehicle manufacturers are conservative in how they set the "empty" level on the gauge to avoid running out of fuel. I've never run dry and I typically add 5 gallons at a time when the gauge reads about half so I don't know.