New XR3135 at Louisville Farm Show

[cford36]

Yeah I googled it after I posted. Safe to also assume you wouldnt be able to use #1 home heating oil as an alternate fuel in a pinch like you can in the older engines..

No that would not work out well. I always used a fuel additive in my truck for more lubrication for the high pressure fuel pump.

 

[George2615]

Yeah I googled it after I posted. Safe to also assume you wouldnt be able to use #1 home heating oil as an alternate fuel in a pinch like you can in the older engines..

I have the XR3037HC. The owners manual states I can use up to 20% #1 Kerosene (same as #1 HHO) added to diesel for cold winter use. I currently use #2 ULSD HHO with Power Service additive.

This is why I would like to see the specs on the new tractor and loader. It looks exactly the same as the 3037 but it has a different loader.

Went to the Farm Show in Syracuse today. Still no specs on new models available. New Tractors will probably be the same as current models but have different model numbers because of the new higher HP LS motors in them. I was told there will be 5 new models that will have the LS engine.

Somebody please ask a factory rep when LS is going to start putting loaders with competitive lift height on them....plenty of power, but not enough lift height (one of the reasons I sold mine).
My guess is that the new engine will be based on a partnership with an established engine company rather than something they came up with all by themselves.

I provided the LS Rep. with a lift height comparison of competitor model tractors. He will take this info back to N.C. after the show is over. Perhaps newer future models will be more equal in lift height with competitor models. Also the new engine is to be built by LS and will start being installed as engines in stock run out possibly in June / July of this year. New LS engines will also be slightly higher in HP which is probably why the LS engined tractors will have different model numbers.

With you on this point ... also, one of the benefits of the Shibaura on my XU5065 is that it doesn't use a DPF or DEF. Adding either could (if I understand correctly) slightly increase HP at the expense of additional maintenance time and costs? Suppose the upside for current owners could be increased resale value for the Shibaura-engined units sold prior to the transition?

The new LS engined tractors will not affect service or parts availability on previous Mitsubishi and Shibaura engined tractors.

From what the rep said they are going to use up the engines they have then start switching to the new engine in June. It didn't sound like an immediate switch over on all models but a phase in.

This is what I was told today.

I also asked about the regen cycle of my XR3037HC which I thought was excessive. Mine regenerates about every 4-5 hours. I asked how often the engine should go into regen. The Rep. told me on average they go into regen every 4-6 hours and can be used while in regen mode. He said most people don't even realize it's regenerating unless they happen to look at the dash lights. He suggested if you see it in regen mode to let it finish before parking the tractor. You can park it before it completes regen and it will continue regen when you start back up.

 

[cford36]

Thanks for the update.

 

[ProdaddyTX]

Thought I'd add some info to the comments that have already been made. We still have much to learn about the new motors, and probably won't have all the details in hand until April, but here's what we've been told by LS thus far....

The new LS models will feature CRDI engines, designed and built by LS in their new S. Korea engine plant, down to the 30hp range. It's correct that the high injection pressures and computer controlled injection with CRDI produce a stronger and more fuel efficient engine, all else equal, that leaves less particulate in the exhaust, but we're being told that there will still be a "scaled down" DPF to clean the exhaust further. It will operate on much longer cycles than the current Shibaura Regen engines (something like 50 hours as opposed to 4) and won't require any fuel additives or interaction from the operator... I believe that there's not even going to be an indicator light or any concern over high exhaust temps while in regen mode. LS is saying that they've got test engines out in the field that have surpassed the 15,000 hour mark and are performing flawlessly, and that they have the distinction of producing the lowest exhaust particulate of any Tier 4 tractor engine on the market.
The Shibaura engines with DPF in the XR models are indeed proving to be excellent and reliable engines, but that clean emissions scheme doesn't produce the power and fuel economy benefits that the super-atomized (NOT a technical term fuel in a common rail system does. LS is great on parts support...they're still supplying parts for old Montana tractors that they built years ago. Also, they will continue to use Shibaura regen'ing engines in the Tier 4 compliant replacements to the "value" G series machines. I believe they will be the turbo-3 cylinders currently used in the XR3032/37, but I'm just speculating. The downside is that the G's are going to get a pretty sizeable price bump, so if you don't care anything about Tier 4 compliance you should BUY YOUR G NOW while there's still a few in the channel. In other words....NO WORRIES on continued support for the Shibaura engines.

THIS IS ALL SUBJECT TO UPDATES AND CORRECTIONS, but it's what we've been told from our territory manager so far.

To dispell some confusion... LS started out using ALL Mitsubishi manufactured engines across the entire compact and light utility lineup... so that included the J, S, I, R, and U models. They introduced the first engine of their own design and build with the 3-cylinder G models. Then 2 years ago was when Shibaura joined the party with DPF/Regen motors in the XR's, and CRDI engines in the XU's. The only models remaining with Mitsubishi-built engines are the XJ small compacts. The P series heavy utility tractors continue for the current time with the Iveco engines.

 

[mx1alex]

Thank you John Ryan for the info! Very helpful.

 

[snowbelt geauga]

Thank you for the info. Please keep us up dated with any further info.

 

[ProdaddyTX]

Thank you for the info. Please keep us up dated with any further info.

My pleasure! Sure will.

Here's a little more info in pdf form that y'all might find interesting from some LS tech school slides. One is fuel consumption comparison between the shibaura CRDI engine currently used in the XU5055 vs the Mitsubishi engine rated at the same horsepower from the predecessor model, the U5030.

The other is an explanation of what's going on during the fuel injection cycle in the XU's Shibaura CRDI engine. This blew my mind.... There's a lot more going on than just a squirt of diesel!