power increase for B1700??

Anonymous Poster · Jun 2, 2002

I would be interested in any aftermarket conversions, intake mods, or ideas to increase power of engine. I love this tractor but could use a little more power for climbing hills while mowing and FEL work.

Anonymous Poster · Jun 28, 2002

Talk to a diesel mechanic in your area. One told me that for EPA regulations, and fuel consumption, the injectors are turned down (fuel pressure) about as low as they can go (lean fuel/air mixture) and still be safe for the engine. He said that the injectors can be turned up for quite a bit more power. Claims a 60 HP (factory rated) engine could be turned up to 80-85 HP at no expence in reliability, may be better for the engine because it's not running so lean. I would think you should be able to get 20-21 HP with no problems, based on that. I also know it is common for farmers in this area to turn up the injectors on larger tractors.

yaouk · Jul 2, 2002

Apparantly, extractors (ie free flow exhaust manifold) on a diesel are quite effective. They assist cooler running, improve fuel economy and power, or so I'm told.

Fly_Rodr · Jul 2, 2002

I own a VW jetta TDI, it is a turbocharged diesel. You can check out <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.tdiclub.com/>http://www.tdiclub.com/</A> for ways they increase TDI hp, I use a chip made that increases the fuel delivery and also the turbo boost. You might be able to find larger injectors and a fuel pump. Hopefully a Kubota Mechanic can advise you on what combination might work.

Good Luck

Darren · Jul 5, 2002

Another possibility is to talk to a specialist who knows how to setup injection pumps. There's lots of folks that rebuild pumps but only a few really take the trouble to time a pump for optimum performance. I've seen pumps before and after rebuilding that made it feel like the diesel engine had been rebuilt.

The best guy I know in the business is at Fay Diesel Specialists in Blue Ball, PA. The number is 1-800-864-7723.

bgott · Jul 5, 2002

The other posters have good ideas but there are a thing or two you need to think about. How many hours do you have on this thing? If you have a lot of hours you might severely shorten the engine life if you turn it up. Call a dealer and price a head and a set of pistons for it. Would you really want to spend that kind of money if it decided to grenade on you? In what kind of shape is your cooling system? It might cool fine now but you will definitely generate more heat by feeding more fuel to it. Most of the cooling systems on a small tractor are designed with plenty of reserve for the rated horsepower. Throw four or five more horsepower to it and a little debris on the radiator and you might have a problem. More fuel is also going to raise your exhaust gas temperature. I've heard that the manifolds and exhaust on little Kubotas can be a little light, this could get expensive fast!