A (too?) full day of seat time

[Gary_in_Indiana]

I spent seven straight hours yesterday mowing a field that hadn't seen a mower in at least 6 years or so. I was using my JD 4200 hydro with a 5' KK rotary cutter and it was slow going at best. After I cut a few laps around the perimeter I started running north to south and back. I had my tractor in low range and left the throttle wide open to get the PTO speed I needed and set the cruise control. It made for some quick wheel work at the end of each row but it worked.

Even at wide open the PTO speed dropped fairly often in the heavier growth but I just kept rolling unless it really bogged down. I planned on going back this morning and running east-west over everything again with the mower maybe 1 1/2" lower.

The two and a half inches of rain we got since I quit last night put an end to that plan. It's probably just as well given the way my old body felt this morning anyhow. The only breaks I took were to add fuel one time and go buy more fuel and add it another. That field was a lot rougher than I thought it would be yesterday and, in turn, I'm a lot more sore than I thought I would be today.

I've got to say the KK rotary cutter seemed to perform well enough. I did get the opportunity to see how it would fare against a 2 1/2"-3" sapling and it went through it without missing a beat. The one thing I wished I'd have had was, of course, more power to keep the blades turning at a higher speed all the time.

I have an acquaintance who has done quite a bit of engine building on cars, boats and semi tractors I'm going to have to ask about a way to get a little more HP out of this Deere. I like the tractor well enough, but a few more HP would make me like it even more. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Slamfire]

Well you could always do what the pullers do. Increase the output of the fuel pump. Kinda hard on the warrantee, and someone's bound to complain about the black smoke, until the engine comes up to speed.

 

[Egon]

Gary:
I have just spent three days [ 7:30 to 05:00 ] tilling and picking rocks .

Definetly feel like a skin bag filled with old bones.

The evening fire and call of the Loon revived the spirits.

Egon

 

[dummy]

<font color="blue"> The only breaks I took were to add fuel one time and go buy more fuel and add it another. </font> 2+ tanks in seven hours? Is this another reason not to be a Deere fan?

 

[frank_f15]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( The two and a half inches of rain we got since I quit last night put an end to that plan. It's probably just as well given the way my old body felt this morning anyhow. )</font>

Sorry ur body is feeling used up, but nice to know there are other folks that can't take the rough stuff anymore /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif thought i was just me getting old /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

<font color="red"> The only breaks I took were to add fuel one time and go buy more fuel and add it another. </font>

<font color="blue"> 2+ tanks in seven hours? Is this another reason not to be a Deere fan? </font>

Dummy,

In this case, it certainly appears that the name says it all. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif Your attempt to denigrate the Deere product only serves to show how assumptions can make one look incredibly foolish. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

To come up with your "2+ tanks in seven hours" you had to assume I started with a full tank. I didn't. I'd guess it was well under half full. You would further have had to assume when I added fuel the first time (when I ran out) that I completely filled the tank. I didn't. I added something under five gallons as that's the capacity of my yellow plastic diesel fuel container. When I'd run the tank fairly low again I took my empty container down to the truck stop and filled it as high as was comfortable. Again, it was under five gallons.

Given that I started with far less than half a tank and didn't add the total of one tankful (my 4200 has a ten gallon tank) and I probably have more fuel in my tank now than I did Friday I'd say that your "2+ tanks in seven hours" comment is not only without any basis in fact but is likely more than double the actual fuel consumption.

Further, I'd like to reiterate that this entire period was spent running in low range at full throttle. I think most would agree that is probably the least fuel efficient combination. The fact that I can't remember the last time I added fuel before this is probably a far more accurate indicator of the fuel economy I experience with my Deere. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[BubbaJr]

I would almost bet real money that any comparable sized compact tractor would get very similar fuel economy under the same conditions. As Gary said he didn't use 2 complete tankfulls. My Kubota will use a tank of fuel about every 8 hours on the tach. It doesn't seem to matter what I'm doing or how fast I'm doing it, it all averages out about the same.

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

Thanks, Bubba. I appreciate your support on this. I don't know how big your fuel tank is so I can't figure gallons per hour or hours per gallon on yours based on what you wrote. I'm going to guess that I burned fuel at somewhere in the 1 1/4 to 1 3/4 gallon per hour range.

If I'd spent the same amount of time driving my truck on the interstate in overdrive with no trailer or load I'd have burned about four times that much so I guess with that comparison in hand, I'm pretty happy.

Is the fuel economy I got about what you all get in similar conditions?

 

[Glenn9643]

My MF 1455v seems to burn almost two gallons per hour when I have it loaded down. Light work isn't that bad, but low range bushhogging in heavy brush makes it go away fast! 12 gl tank, so when I get low I'm ready for a break.

 

[tdenny]

Gary,

Don't take it too hard. This has to be the first time I've ever seen anybody get on the fuel economy thing though. I have never run for 6 or 7 hours straight at full load (I would if I could make my kids nap that long) but I'm sure I'd drain about two tankfulls at that range. My tractor is smaller and thus has a smaller tank but.......In fact I've never even considered or cared what the usage is on <font color="green">my tractor </font>. I can say though that in a year and a half I've only had to fill my 15 gallon diesel storage tank 3 times (150 hours or so). Hope you are well recovered and back in the seat. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif.