Oil & Fuel 2015 Branson 3520h DPF Issue

[cbs2016]

Ron50...that makes sense as I was slightly on a hill. But after abt 30 minutes of starting and stalling, starting and stalling. It started up and I was able to move about 50 yards then it stalled again. I waited a few minutes and started it up and moved it another 30 to 40 yards and parked it in the garage. It has been extremely windy the past few weeks and with that is dust. The tractor was covered in dirt. It could be a combo of low fuel (sucking air), dusty filter, and low rpms....

 

[Fernland]

I only have 11 hours on my new 3520h but I have learned two things,

Heavy FEL useage and moving, it likes to have a higher rpm than 2000. I have not stalled it but have pulled it down to nearly a stall.

Working the tractor leaning to the left will starve the tractor when the fuel is low.

 

[Mr Bitz]

Keep her topped off with fuel. I don't' like seeing my tractor below half most of the time, especially on hilly property.

 

[Hayloft]

Anybody have advice for cleaning the DPF once the idiot light comes on ?

I'm thinking the DPF system is too sensitive - I work my 3520H Gen 4 reasonably
hard - it may idle occasionally but it's minimal. That should be the time particulates
are heavy in the filter. No short operating times usually - I typically run for several
hours at a time - and keep rpm up around 2000 to 2200. I carry respectable load
with FEL but never at low rpm. I use the backhoe to dig out stumps pretty often
and I tend to run a little lower rpm at around 1800 or so...that's still not real low
and it's only while simple digging without unusual loads. But maybe I need to
bump it up while digging too.

Thanks for all the feedback on DPF -- I'm all for clean air and all, but the reality
is that China and South American countries and others who continue to pump
out guzillions of tons of pollution and carbon emissions every year vastly overpower
our efforts with emissions in U.S. Besides cars and trucks now we have choking
emissions rules for our tractors, weed-eaters, and lawn mowers. Won't be long
till somebody comes up with an all electric tractor and you'll need to put charging
stations out in the fields.

 

[tb8100]

Bransons have a super simple tier IV solution. They are not computer controlled- the computer you see on there is just a data logger on the DPF. A DPF delete would be extremely easy, but as Dave said, not recommended.

The DPF has a small amount of palladium media, and it MUST heat up to 600*C (1,112*F) or it will just clog up. It is a "continuous regen" design, which nobody else in the industry has. It's brilliant! As the filter starts to clog, at first, the DPF light blinks once every 5-6 seconds, and over time, if the tractor continues to be run at a low RPM and load, it will come on more frequently. Finally, it will come on and stay on, and that's when pressure is building up to an extreme and major harm can come to the engine.

Also, NO biodiesel in these bad boys. I'm not sure what it does to the palladium, but it will destroy the injection pump.

Don't run your tractor for 5-10 minutes at a time, except on occasion. You will be glad you made this choice down the road as injectors and an injection pump are a fraction of the price of the CRD tractors!

 

[JonnyRed]

tb8100: You seem very knowledgeable about the operation of our tier 4 Bransons. I have a new 4520R, does the progressive DPF light sequence you described above apply to my machine. Also, am I clear in figuring that if I had the DPF light blinking every 5-6 seconds I could simply put the machine in neutral and run it at PTO rpm for 10 minutes or so and that would clear things up?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Btown]

tb8100: You seem very knowledgeable about the operation of our tier 4 Bransons. I have a new 4520R, does the progressive DPF light sequence you described above apply to my machine. Also, am I clear in figuring that if I had the DPF light blinking every 5-6 seconds I could simply put the machine in neutral and run it at PTO rpm for 10 minutes or so and that would clear things up? Thanks in advance.

Tb8100 is a tractor dealer for Branson, TYM and Massey Ferguson, so he he knows his stuff.

 

[tb8100]

tb8100: You seem very knowledgeable about the operation of our tier 4 Bransons. I have a new 4520R, does the progressive DPF light sequence you described above apply to my machine. Also, am I clear in figuring that if I had the DPF light blinking every 5-6 seconds I could simply put the machine in neutral and run it at PTO rpm for 10 minutes or so and that would clear things up?

Thanks in advance.

You have a GREAT tractor. Yes, if your tractor has the ginormous silver "can" above the valve cover, under the hood, this applies to your machine. Running your machine in a high RPM without a load might help a little, but it would be better to go pull a box blade, disc, etc. AND run the RPMs up. Increasing the load on the engine will increase the exhaust temperatures, which in turn cleans the DPF.

If you ever get in an absolute bind and the DPF stops up, there is a small screw that is used for recovery to get it to run long enough to get it on a trailer and in the shop.

 

[pblanton]

You have a GREAT tractor. Yes, if your tractor has the ginormous silver "can" above the valve cover, under the hood, this applies to your machine. Running your machine in a high RPM without a load might help a little, but it would be better to go pull a box blade, disc, etc. AND run the RPMs up. Increasing the load on the engine will increase the exhaust temperatures, which in turn cleans the DPF.

If you ever get in an absolute bind and the DPF stops up, there is a small screw that is used for recovery to get it to run long enough to get it on a trailer and in the shop.

I'm giving up on the DPF, removing it and replacing it with a regular muffler. The little rescue screw may as well be welded in. I tried removing it but bent an allen wrench then stripped out the inside of the hex head with a new, stronger allen wrench. This was after soaking it in WD-40 overnight.

I took off the DPF and tried to blow it out as best I could, but the **** thing is still hopelessly clogged. The tractor just won't run. Not even long enough to park it in the barn or get it on a trailer.

When I remove the DPF and add a muffler, can I just unplug the DPF sensors from their wiring harnesses and plug the vent tube? I know there isn't a computer that controls the DPF, so I presume I can just remove the sensors; since I assume they only control the dash light.

I don't use my tractor hard enough to keep the DPF clean. I only use it for some FEL work, backhoe, and occasional snow removal. I will NEVER use it hard enough to keep the DPF from clogging, so off it comes.

I just need to know the right muffler to replace it with.

 

[smithrd6]

Anybody have advice for cleaning the DPF once the idiot light comes on ?

I'm thinking the DPF system is too sensitive - I work my 3520H Gen 4 reasonably
hard - it may idle occasionally but it's minimal. That should be the time particulates
are heavy in the filter. No short operating times usually - I typically run for several
hours at a time - and keep rpm up around 2000 to 2200. I carry respectable load
with FEL but never at low rpm. I use the backhoe to dig out stumps pretty often
and I tend to run a little lower rpm at around 1800 or so...that's still not real low
and it's only while simple digging without unusual loads. But maybe I need to
bump it up while digging too.

Thanks for all the feedback on DPF -- I'm all for clean air and all, but the reality
is that China and South American countries and others who continue to pump
out guzillions of tons of pollution and carbon emissions every year vastly overpower
our efforts with emissions in U.S. Besides cars and trucks now we have choking
emissions rules for our tractors, weed-eaters, and lawn mowers. Won't be long
till somebody comes up with an all electric tractor and you'll need to put charging
stations out in the fields.

I run mine full throttle for 20 minutes with no load, just put it in neutral and let it run. This has to be done about every 25 hours ~. This has always made the idiot light go out. A perminent fix would be to remove n replace the dpf with an earlier gen muffler. Believe the dealer to be a good source for this part.