let her idle or shut her down

[thcri]

If it is just going to be a few minutes I let mine run at a little higher than idle. Idling a diesel is not good and you should always let it cool a bit before shutting down anyway. Even at a fast idle you will cool down. If it gets to be more than you figured you can shut it down then after a few minutes or so, just pull the throttle back for ten seconds and then off.

murph

 

[California]

Think Safety. Shut it down.

Everything around here is on a slope. Sooner or later a piece of idling equipment might start creeping away while I'm looking the other way. Or worse, toward you while your back is turned.

Also these old Yanmars are a tight fit and it is hard to climb off without brushing the gearshift or several other controls, or possibly releasing the parking brake. Harder still to get back on without bumping something, particularly the throttle, and if it were an emergency re-mount to stop a rolling tractor, well that's a recipe for disaster.

Finally with the racket of the engine running you don't have an awareness of unexpected guests within the danger zone. You could toss a chain or piece of firewood toward the loader bucket and hit somebody's kid. 'Accidents' are by definition the unexpected, something that shouldn't have happened except somehow it did happen.

I once looked up while chainsawing a downed tree (in the city) and found a baby carriage right where I would have thrown the chainsaw if I got in trouble. The lady wanted her baby son to experience the noise and drama of real men's work. Some nutty acquaintance of my wife who I had never met. No matter what I said she stayed too close. I finally shut down to file the chain and try to talk some sense to her. She was an RN and should have understood danger, but simply didn't.

Fuel conservation and engine carbon are significant, but I think reducing safety hazards to the practical minimum should always be the first consideration.

 

[escavader]

For my little tractor it barely uses fuel ,so ill let it idle.Compare the price of fuel your using to rebuiding a starter and i dont think id be saving nothing.[I think a gallon would idle it all day.]I had heard that it was bad to let it idle,like previously said.I asked my dealer about it ,and they said not with yours it wont hurt it a bit.Another thing to look at is all your oil is draining back down,and they say an engine wears most during start up.just a thought.
ALAN

 

[Boomerang1]

It is a fact that when most diesel engines idle at their base idle speed, they will not create enough heat to efficiently burn the fuel which can cause sooting. But, most diesels idle around 600 rpm - 750 rpm. If you bump up the idle to 850 rpm - 1000 rpm, you avoid the problems associated with a cold running engine.

Most of the compact tractors I have seen have a base idle of about 1000 rpm. This makes me believe that the manufactures have set the base idle high enough to avoid any problems with a low idling engine. Maybe the manufactures realize that the majority of consumers are ignorant when it comes to proper operation of a diesel engine.

I would bet that a lot of first time diesel owners (exept those on TBN ) do not have a clue when it comes to this subject. Is there anything in any of your operators manuals that comment on letting your engines idle? It would be interesting to hear what's in the manuals from the different tractor manufactures. The manual for my DX33 states nothing about idling.

 

[Doc_Bob]

in the course of a project if ya'll need to get off and do some grunt work do you shut the tractor off and restart or let it idle ?
Some times what looks like a 2 minute task off the tractor to pick up limbs or rocks, etc, it turns into 5 - 10 minutes or longer.
those minutes add up over the life of the tractor.
What are ya'lls thoughts.
rack up the time or wear out the starter ?

I have a turbo, so I must let it idle for 3 minutes before shutting it down so I don't "coke" the oil cooled turbo bearing. I always shut down when I can. I also lift the hood when I have parked it in the barn and I am done for the day. Allows nice cool air to cover the engine and let the heat escape from around the muffler. This is for the summer only. In the winter, I will let it idle and when I park it, keep the hood closed. I won't need the cold (WI air is cold!) air like I do in the summer.
Bob

 

[Doc_Bob]

Most of the compact tractors I have seen have a base idle of about 1000 rpm. This makes me believe that the manufactures have set the base idle high enough to avoid any problems with a low idling engine. Maybe the manufactures realize that the majority of consumers are ignorant when it comes to proper operation of a diesel engine.

MY TN70A idles at 700. No mention of idling in the manual. I move it out at 700 RPM in 1st gear when I leave my mini-barn. No need to come off of idle with this much power. Just crawls out into the open air at 700 rpm. Never struggles at 700 rpm in 1st gear. Another reason why I like a gear tractor.
Bob

 

[ccsial]

I shut mine down unless it is just for a few minutes. Then I let it idle at 1200 RPM so it stays warm. That is the speed that is normally used by trucks for long periods of idle, which is illegal in some states.

 

[sandman2234]

For just a couple of minutes, I would let mine idle, but it has a turbo which needs to cool down anyway.

David from jax

 

[LarryD]

I'm going to have to say I'm an idler. If only off for a couple minutes I'll leave it a little higher than low idle. I have been skidding up some logs from the neighbors property and since I'm a one man show, it takes a minute or two to chain one up. I can't see starting it 20 times in an hour. All safety switches are operational so nuetral and park brake are required.

Now if I'm picking rocks up, I'll usually park it in the middle of my work area and shut it down. Collect half a 5gl bucket and throw it in the loader. Once I've worked a pretty good area around the tractor, I'll move it.

No long idles but certainly for a minute or two.

 

[neverenough]

The only time the motor should be completly idled down, is just before shut down (diesel motor). If your getting off for a few minutes to talk to someone, or look at something, or whatever, go to about 1/3 throttle, set the brake, or put it in park, or whatever, and get off. If your going in the house to eat and watch the 12 o'clock news, shut it down. Remember, this is another one of these OPINION threads, so take it FWIW.