Time, what is time? or how does your tractor count hours?

[newbury]

It's tractor selling/buying time again and lot's of people are comparing tractors and often they compare clocks.

I'm not trying to establish if 5,000 hours is an "old" tractor or 500 hours is a "new" tractor.

I'm trying to figure out if there is any general rule that brands/models use to track time on their clock.
from the past:
2007

The answer is different depending on what tractor you are talking about. Most models made in the last 10 - 15 years have electric hour meters that count clock hours anytime the engine is running, regardless of engine speed. Older tractors that had mechanical, cable driven tach/ hourmeters, counted clock hours only at rated speed. If rated speed was 2000 rpm, and the engine was running at 1000 rpm, it would register 1/2 hour for every hour run. Neither type needs to have wheels rolling like an odometer on a car.

This is wrong. My B7610, made the same year of that post, counts hours based on PTO speed. here.

You need to check for your particular tractor.

My 4110 is PTO speed hours. That is, it counts clock time only if I'm running at PTO speed. It counts less if I'm running at lower RPM. In a sense, it's counting engine wear, so people can do their maintenance based on the hour meter.

Cliff

And there is "time when the clock is on even if the engine isn't running":

My daughter has left the key turned on in my JD lawn tractor twice and it has more than 150 extra hours on the meter. It doesn't stop clicking until the battery dies. Luckily she doesn't drive my 5205.

On my M4700 turning the key off doesn't stop the tractor, I have to pull a lever (and push the same lever in to start it, before turning the key). I'm sure that I would have several hundred MORE hours on it if it counted all the time the key was in the "ON" position.

A recent thread

<snip>
Is 4600 hours really THAT many hours? One thing I have noticed about this tractor is that the hours go up no matter what the rpms. If it idles for an hour it puts on an hour. If I mow at 540 PTO (2200 rpm) for an hour it puts on an hour. Seems like that hour mowing is much more wear than the hour idling. I'd say 95% of my work with this tractor has been below at low RPMs.
<snip>

Some of us leave the tractor idling rather than turn on/ turn off when we are doing stuff like loading a trailer, having coffee, etc. If I leave my tractor idling for an hour the clock doesn't change.

Does anyone have a link to a database that tells how different makes track time?

If I tracked time like my tractors do - only counting minutes operating at full speed - I'd probably still be a teenager

 

[brown40]

Don't know about a database, but mine never stops ticking, whether its key on or PTO speed they all rack up the same. I try to avoid idling after its warmed up between tasks--just in case I'd ever trade/sell. Would probably have 5-10% more hours if I had it count my time dragging cable, hooking chains, gathering brush, shifting rounds, setting up workspace, etc.

 

[Fiziksgeek]

I'm pretty sure my little Massey GC2400 counts hours by engine rpms...I think 1800 rpms is the baseline, meaning 1 hours of running at 1800 rpm=1 hour on the clock.

 

[crashz]

I never really considered it but have looked at my hour meter and found it to be odd. Like I worked all day, the tractor running most of the time, and hours didn't add up. Now I'm really curious.

Most heavy equipment dating back to the sixties (I reference our old Hough loader and IH TD15 dozer) record running hours on the key. The Hough's hour meter broke back in the 80's and I think it registers 9K hours. WE figure about 20-25,000 hours now. But she hasn't been used in a long time.

 

[davesl708]

My BX starts timing the moment you turn on the key.

As to 5000 hrs being old it is subjective. Depends on how well it was maintained. My friend has a 30yr old Kubota L with over 20,000hrs. Still works fine.
500hrs would be broke in.

 

[Will_C]

I bumped the key getting off my RTV and put 45 hours on it before the battery died. It went from 12 hours to 57 without being started! I don't think it will be a problem, as I plan to keep it indefinitely.

Will

 

[DK35vince]

My BX starts timing the moment you turn on the key.

As to 5000 hrs being old it is subjective. Depends on how well it was maintained. My friend has a 30yr old Kubota L with over 20,000hrs. Still works fine.

Your friend averages nearly 700 hours per year for 30 years ??

 

[DK35vince]

My 2001 Kioti DK 35 hours is based on engine speed. Near PTO speed for 1 hour= 1 hour.

 

[davesl708]

Your friend averages nearly 700 hours per year for 30 years ??

Commercial use and 10 acre lawn. Get year round use.

 

[ch1ch2]

I find it hard to believe a tractor counts hours on PTO speed. I use the FEL 90% of the time. If it was PTO time my tractor would still be brand new.

 

[DK35vince]

I find it hard to believe a tractor counts hours on PTO speed. I use the FEL 90% of the time. If it was PTO time my tractor would still be brand new.

It counts hours by engine speed. Counts slower a low RPM and faster at higher RPM.

 

[Utopia Texas]

I believe you will generally find regular hour meters these days on engines that are run mostly at constant speeds such as lawn mowers.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I guess it all depends on the quality of the tractor as to whether you get an engine monitor or a clock. A clock (commonly called a Hobbs meter)runs when you turn on the key and many will run for a few minutes after you turn off the key (see airplane Hobbs meters) but many things will have a Hobbs meter AND an engine RPM counter type of hour meter. I wouldn't care to have or base my maintenance schedule on a clock that starts everytime you turn the key unless it is on a lawnmower that pretty much runs WOT from time of start till finished.

Of course all my tractors, trucks, RTV and lawnmowers get serviced by year not hours anyway because I don't use them enough to rack up the hours to change by that. My 5 year old LS P7010 only has 130 hours on it's hour meter but likely has double that or more on actual run time. It registers PTO speed hours but I never run it that fast and it idles when I am off the tractor picking up limbs, rocks etc. My Kubota only racks up an hour at WOT which is rated PTO speed of 2600 RPM and I rarely run it past 2000 simple because it performs well at that speed without a lot of engine noise.

 

[newbury]

I find it hard to believe a tractor counts hours on PTO speed. I use the FEL 90% of the time. If it was PTO time my tractor would still be brand new.

Well open up your beliefs. Counting hours based on the percentage of PTO speed is much more accurate for engine wear. I do not believe anyone wrote counting hours was based on "PTO time", i.e. when the PTO was being used.

I started this thread because I'm always on the lookout for another tractor.

Based on the response I won't trust NH clocks as an indicator of usage, rather as when the clock was turned on.

 

[LD1]

I have no idea, but my assumption would be that "most" analog meters driven with a cable are going to be RPM compensating. Digital ones are more likely just to be total hours the key was on.

But in reality, I really dont think it matters a whole ton. Sure, 2000hrs on a clock type might only be 1500 if an RPM type, but does that really make a ton of difference?

Like buying a used vehicle with 100k city miles vs 100k highway miles. Sure, the hwy mile vehicle should be in overall better condition, but 100k is 100k and valued as such. I think there are more important things to consider like condition and maintenance upkeep

 

[davesl708]

I have no idea, but my assumption would be that "most" analog meters driven with a cable are going to be RPM compensating. Digital ones are more likely just to be total hours the key was on.

But in reality, I really dont think it matters a whole ton. Sure, 2000hrs on a clock type might only be 1500 if an RPM type, but does that really make a ton of difference?

Like buying a used vehicle with 100k city miles vs 100k highway miles. Sure, the hwy mile vehicle should be in overall better condition, but 100k is 100k and valued as such. I think there are more important things to consider like condition and maintenance upkeep

Agreed. How many hours on an 8N? Or any of the other old tractors that are still working. How the tractor was used and maintained is more important than hours. You can usually look at a tractor and assess how well it was maintained and or abused.

 

[DK35vince]

I have no idea, but my assumption would be that "most" analog meters driven with a cable are going to be RPM compensating. Digital ones are more likely just to be total hours the key was on.

But in reality, I really dont think it matters a whole ton. Sure, 2000hrs on a clock type might only be 1500 if an RPM type, but does that really make a ton of difference?

I have an RPM based hour meter on my tractor and a clock type meter on my zero turn.
I personally don't see much difference.
As long as they stay working I'm fine with either.

 

[bcp]

I've heard that hours on your tractor are not deducted from your life span,



Bruce

 

[ch1ch2]

It was your statement..."This is wrong. My B7610, made the same year of that post, counts hours based on PTO speed. here." That I have and issue with. Maybe you did not intend it to be taken literally. If you have N0 PTO speed then it stands to reason you have NO time. A percentage of 0 is still 0. Also if it is PTO speed or time I wonder if there is a tractor that has the economy mode that uses PTO time. All of that seems complicated for such a simple function.
I am not looking for an argument. And I hope I did not get you upset. I can understand hours based on engine rpm or just clock hours.
I am glad you started this thread.

 

[LD1]

It was your statement..."This is wrong. My B7610, made the same year of that post, counts hours based on PTO speed. here." That I have and issue with. Maybe you did not intend it to be taken literally. If you have N0 PTO speed then it stands to reason you have NO time. A percentage of 0 is still 0. Also if it is PTO speed or time I wonder if there is a tractor that has the economy mode that uses PTO time. All of that seems complicated for such a simple function.
I am not looking for an argument. And I hope I did not get you upset. I can understand hours based on engine rpm or just clock hours.
I am glad you started this thread.

Seem you are the only one that didnt get it.

I believe the correct way things are worded are "based on Engine speed at rated PTO SPEED"

He just left out some typing to shorten things up because he figured we would understand.....for the most part, he was right.