JD4520 e-Hydro not pulling up slopes

[jenkinsph]

Belky,
After the engine is warmed up for 20 minutes or so with just light duty work you should notice where the temperature needle is positioned. Then when you work it harder and it heats up then let it idle back to the previous needle position before shutting it down. It is better to establish your own reference points on your gauge to know when the engine is cool enough to shut down and when it is hot enough to check the screens and radiator for blockages. I keep my Stihl back pack blower handy to blow the crap off of the engine and radiator on a frequent basis.

Most of the newer diesel engines can be harmed more from excessive idling than running at rated speed under load. From what I have read most diesels fair best by working at near rated speed with an 80 to 90% load. You can run the engine over a wide range of speeds and you can idle the engine some too but don't think that by idling the engine you are saving on wear. My cab is quiet enough that I don't wear ear plugs but I suspect an open station would require them. I am getting old enough that I have already heard more than I wan't to hear for the most part but it is a good idea to protect your hearing.

 

[wolc123]

I have heard many times that is better to run any diesel at high rpm to increased engine life. However, after running a lot of diesel tractors, some to 10,000 hours or more, I have never really seen that backed up by any "real world" experience. My 4120 is going on 11 years old now, with a few thousand hours and has never used a drop of oil or lost any compression. I always run mid to low when I can, mostly because I have not found any hearing protection that is real comfortable. I can see where running at idle all the time would be bad.

On that tractor, the only time the temperature gauge gets close to the red is when the grill or radiator screen starts getting plugged up, when I am running the 6 ft rotary cutter. Sometimes, especially when dry, cutting them weeds dislodges lots of seeds and stuff, which find their way to that screen and plug it up. Most of that stuff is actually stopped by the outside grill screens however. Those are easily wiped off without even opening the hood. When that stops working good to bring the temperature down, it is time to open the hood and clean the removable screen. On those tractors, the radiators are so well screened that I never saw any junk make it into the radiator itself. Even with a plugged radiator screen, I can run those smaller implements (designed for 28 hp) without the temp getting close to the red.

 

[belky]

To follow up: drove tractor down and back up sealed road today and noted that does pull much better in C range when on tar compared to dirt. Slight grade wasn't much of a problem and it sure feels nice driving in high range.
As for temp gauge, with usual operating sits just above half way and moves just past ⅔ towards red with heavy use. Did get close to red once, when slashing dry reeds, but noticed it and stopped and opened hood until temp came back to normal: that intake sure does suck in debris! The whole grill was covered in a mat of reed "dust" and it was sucking it back up as quickly as I could brush it off the grill.
Overall, moving revs just 200-400 higher , to 2000, and taking load match off has made for a happier tractor owner!

ps. looking at ordering telescoping links from US, not available in Oz; could someone confirm that part number for a 4520 is: "TELESCOPING DRAFT LINK KIT LVB25309" Also, any experience with John Deere EXTERNAL TOOLBOX, 4X20 KIT LVB24865, as really do miss some storage on the tractor. Is it sturdy or a cheaply made, though not cheap in price, trinket?

Thanks again for all the advice guys.