Tractor News DPF PROBLEMS ON A BRASON 4520R

[RFJ]

I have 2018 Branson 4520 R tractor and I have been having a problem with the exhaust emission system, In April with 52 hours on tractor it just stop running and wouldnt restart. I called the dealer and they determined that the problem was the DPF filter was plug up. I removed the filter and used compressed air to blow it out, put it all back together and its been running since.
About 2 weeks ago I noticed when ever I increased RPM when using backhoe that DPF instrument light would come on and stay on untill I reduced engine speed to normal idle. The DPF light now has start to stay on almost all the time . I have called the dealer and they tell me not to worry about that it wont damage the engine?
The first time that I had a problem I was loading fire wood in the front end loader over a 2 month period of time and I would let tractor idle while I load. Since it stopped running at 52 hours I have been careful to set idle at 1500-1800 RPM if I need to load or do ground work.
The tractor now has 82 hours on the clock and Im worried that I will get stuck again.
Has anyone eles had similar problems?

 

[jeff9366]

Have you closely read about "regeneration" in your Operator's Manual?

The Diesel Particulate Filters clogs with engine combustion soot. You may be able to blow out some of the soot with compressed air but not much. It is possible pressure from the compressed air you applied has broken some of the ceramic matrix within the DPF. It takes high heat within the DPF to burn off the soot, converting it to ash/carbon, which is then exhausted.

If the soot is not burned off completely when sensed by the computer, the computer will first slow the tractor engine, then shut it down. This is "normal". Your Branson may be in this stage.

Note: I am not a Branson owner but DPFs share the same technology across tractor brands.




Tier IV emission controls and DPFs began to phase in dealer tractor inventories ten years ago.
Old news in 2019.

Consensus considers DPF problems 90% caused by operators who do not carefully read regeneration procedures in Operator's Manual or refuse to follow the procedures. Many small property users regenerate just once per year. This creates regeneration procedure uncertainty in itself.

Operator Manuals for DPF equipped compact tractors do a poor job of explaining DPFs and a poor job of explaining regeneration cycles. Most manuals do not inform that filter soot accumulates faster during low weather temperatures, none inform time required for DPF to attain 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit, the ignition temperature for diesel soot and none address faster soot accumulation at higher altitudes. It seems to me a DPF temperature readout on electronic instrument panels would address many DPF complaints, as would more descriptive technical writing.


VIDEOS: No need to Panic! DPF's explained. - YouTube

6 Tips to prevent emissions system trouble - YouTube

 

[ptsg]

Branson uses a DOC instead of a DPF. Than means it need to run hot all the time. So idling too much or not putting enough load on it, will cause it to plug, since it won't get enough to burn the particles.

You have a couple solutions, either run it harder and depending on your climate, it may or may not happen again. Or take the thing off and be happy with it. A couple members here, have done that.

You do have the right brand of tractor to deal with the second solution, since you can simple remove the whole emissions parts off and put a regular muffler in. The tractor will run just fine, it allow you to idle as much as you can without any warning lights flashing at you. It's a mechanical engine and it's not tied up with an engine computer.

https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums...-mod-my-3725-a.html?highlight=branson+exhaust

If it's the right solution for the problem, maybe, maybe not. But at least you'll have a perfectly good running tractor that will actually breathe better since it won't have the DOC blocking the exhaust gases.

 

[K5lwq]

There is not a computer on the Branson. I would replace DPF with a muffler and be done with it.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

OP,

Unlike other brand's design, the Branson system in current production is entirely passive. There is no interconnection to the engine controls of any kind. There is no computer either. The only thing the Branson has is a pair of pressure sensors and a pressure monitor. The sensors compare the exhaust pressure of the inlet to the DOC filter to the outlet of the DOC filter, and if the pressure balance gets too far out of whack, it starts lighting the light on the dash. That is it. When the DOC filter starts to get restricted in air flow through the filter grates, the pressure changes between the inlet and the outlet ports.

When the DOC filter (looks like an oversized muffler under your hood) gets plugged enough, it starts to affect engine performance. Much like a plugged muffler would do. It won't damage your engine, but it can get plugged enough to stop your engine from running.

Your options you can try:

1. Run the Holy Crud out of your engine. Max rpms, and put a load on it, not just free revving the engine. I used to "road" my tractor down a gravel road on a 1.5 mile trip. Roading it in High range on the HST (Tallest gear in your gear driven tractor), and sometimes it would take 2 or 3 trips around to get the DOC to burn clean, if I let it go long enough.

2. Take it to your dealer. If your filter is plugged and you can't clear it by running it hard, take it to your Branson dealer. That DOC is under warranty, and they will replace it under warranty. When you get the new one on, run it harder to try and keep it from plugging again.

3. Take your DOC filter off and knock the stuffing (filter grids) out of the inside, then put it back on. It will run fine this way.

4. Take the DOC filter off and put a muffler on in it's place. This is what I did, I'm the OP in the thread PTSG linked to earlier. It will run just fine with a muffler instead of a DOC.

Only Options 3 or 4 will allow you to just idle your tractor around anytime and all the time when you feel like it. If you retain the DOC system, you CANNOT idle your tractor for any real length of time at all.

Feel free to ask me directly on here or by PM if you have any questions at all on the mod I did to mine. It has been 8 months and roughly 70 hrs since I did the mod on mine. The tractor runs perfectly fine, and I can idle or low speed use my tractor any and all the time I wish. It runs and behaves exactly like a "pre-Tier" tractor now.

 

[ericm979]

Bransons do continual low temp regen rather than high temp discrete regens. My understanding is that there's both a DOC and DPF. There is a computer, but it's a data logger. It monitors the DPF+DOC's temperature for overtemp and the pressure differential across the unit to determine if it's getting clogged. The dealer tool can read more data from the logger.

There are four states indicated by the DPF light on the dash-
-on for a few seconds when you turn the key on: normal system check
-blinking every 2 seconds while running: carry out a cleaning of the DPF
-blinking every .5 seconds while running: check sensor
(both of those also say to take it into the shop, this is from the shop manual)
-on solid while running: Emergency, stop engine, DPF could be damaged

Members here who have had this problem have "cleaned" the DPF+DOC by running the tractor under load to get it hot. Going up the road in high range is one way. (The shop manual calls it a DPF but I'm told there's catalyst in it, which means there's a DOC). Anything that loads the engine down should do it. I use a pto chipper often. So far approaching 200 hours that seems to be working. I also try to not let it idle for too long- if it's going to be more than a 30 seconds or a minute I usually turn it off.

My 3725's tach is marked in green from 2000 to 2500 rpm. That's where you should operate the engine (according to Branson) to keep the DOC+DPF happy.

 

[RFJ]

Thanks for the response,part of the problem is the owners manual tells you nothing about the operation of dpf. And when I ask dealer about doesnt seem like they no much more.

 

[ptsg]

Yeah, that happens with pretty much every brand, even in cars and trucks in general.

These emissions systems are meant to work supposedly without requiring the user to change it's operation or driving. In a perfect world, the user wouldn't even noticed that there was a DPF or DOC on the vehicle. But the reality is completely different as you noticed.

Most of the emissions problems out here are caused by operator error, but on the other hand, the dealers can't provide any instructions on how to properly operate a tractor or drive a car/with the emissions crap.

 

[fried1765]

Thanks for the response,part of the problem is the owners manual tells you nothing about the operation of dpf. And when I ask dealer about doesnt seem like they no much more.

DPF and DEF are the very reasons that pre-emissions tractors have such amazingly high resale values.
Demand far exceeds supply!

 

[ptsg]

DPF and DEF are the very reasons that pre-emissions tractors have such amazingly high resale values.
Demand far exceeds supply!

At least, with Branson you can still get a brand new tractor and have the possibility of also having a emission-free tractor.