Kubota L345dt starting and hour/rpm gauge

[rchristo]

Bought this old machine a year ago when we moved to a small farm. Two things I'd like to get input from you all. First, the hour meter reads 1500+ hours and the gauge seems to work (needle moves and time clicks off) but when running a brush hog, I can't seem to get the rpm high enough on the gauge, though engine rpm sounds like it is high enough. How does the gauge work and is it possible for it to read something less than the actual rpm (I haven't kept track of the time to see if it is accurate)?

Second, I've always gotten this machine to start, and the owners manual says to always use the glow plug preheater, but is it normal for this machine to require 25 seconds of glow plug heating even in summer? I replaced the glow plugs last year as a precaution. Is it possible that only some of the plugs are heating, or all plugs only partially heating?

This tractor is not pretty, but it seems to be a capable machine for snow plowing, field mowing and hauling logs. Other than some blow by (is this really a problem?), it is a tight machine that I have a soft spot for (more than the ford 110 TLB and Kubota bx2320 I acquired for mowing).

I've been a frequent reader of this forum, so enjoy the quite substantial expertise of its members.