Tractor idling

[gregjo1948]

Bump rpms up a little and let it run.

 

[RandR10]

With a turbocharged engine it's a good idea to let it idle for a minute or so immediately after it's been worked hard to help cool the bearings in the center section of the turbo. Otherwise the oil can cook in there and coke into abrasive carbon and shorten the life of the turbo bearings. OP doesn't have a turbo so not a concern here, but it's something to note. Modern oils are much more tolerant of this as well, and many newer turbos have have actual coolant flowing through them, so they're also less prone if they have that, but still not bad practice to have the last half a minute or so of running be not under load. Other than that, 9/10 I typically run my tractor for just a few minutes to load something or move stuff around, so if I've got the opportunity to keep it running and heat up the oil more I let it idle in those circumstances. Oil doesn't like to be run cold over and over again because it will accumulate moisture which will lead to sludge buildup. Big problem on forklifts that don't get run all day or cars that see only a very short commute too. This is why manufacturers will tell you to do oil changes either at a certain hour/mileage count or yearly, whichever comes first. The oil will go bad in much fewer hours of running if it rarely gets up to temp. The yearly oil change covers all scenarios. If none of the above apply, there's no reason to keep it idling and you're probably doing more harm than good. At the very least you're wasting fuel.

 

[Yankum42]

Kubota B3200. Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't.
"Starters only have so many starts" before they die"!!!!!! LOL

 

[Too many Kubotas]

"Starters only have so many starts" before they die"!!!!!! LOL

Unlike diesels, that run forever.

Actually, it's kind of odd that they come with starter motors. You'd think the dealer would start it for you when buying the tractor, then there's no reason to shut it off. Ever.

 

[beenthere]

I like the peace and quiet when I get off the tractor, unless I'm connecting to a piece of equipment or going to just step off briefly. Rather hear the birds chirp than the diesel run. 1500 hours on the JD 4300 3-cyl Yanmar and have never detected a problem.

 

[Mcdust]

Hi all,
I was wondering what is the norm for letting my Kioti 3 cylinder diesel idle between using and then doing some hand work, say for 5 to 10 minutes. Would you shut it down or let it idle? Thanks as always for the expert advice!View attachment 807535

In my early working life (70's), I had a couple of jobs with fussy owner operators driving ten wheelers, Two of the rules were Never shut down an engine that had been working hard (just pulled a long hill) without idling a while to let it cool and never let the truck idle while you went for coffee etc without setting it up to high idle which involved putting a stick behind behind the brake treadle and twisting it to press on the throttle. The first is still true but the second may not apply any more.
I have a 3 cyl New Holland with no emissions tricks, and set that up to a modest high idle while off the machine for a bit. A lot of each to their own.

 

[JimR]

The real bad part is, there could be a time when the regen process is not enough to actually clean things up. Thats one reason they advise you to not interrupt a regeneration unless its necessary to do so. Interrupt the process enough times and you will be removing everything and having it professionally serviced and cleaned because a normal regen wont cut the mustard.

Never interrupt a regen unless absolutely necessary. If your tractor goes into limp mode the dealer has to reset it. Unless of course you have the expensive equipment and software to do a reset.

 

[Williy]

Most of the wear on a diesel comes from starting, hence the reason of letting it idle. I find this very hard to believe as almost all oil in tractors
now days is synthetic and it leaves a film on the metal. Standard oil is
just the opposite it does not leave the protective film on the metal

willy

 

[rScotty]

Most of the wear on a diesel comes from starting, hence the reason of letting it idle. I find this very hard to believe as almost all oil in tractors
now days is synthetic and it leaves a film on the metal. Standard oil is
just the opposite it does not leave the protective film on the metal

willy

What? That's a brand new idea. At least I've never heard either of those things - that most oil today is synthetic rather than refined, or the bit about sticking to surfaces. Where did you get those ideas?

I thought the difference between synthetic and conventional refining was in how that they were made, not in the way the oil lubricates.
rScotty

 

[JimR]

Most of the wear on a diesel comes from starting, hence the reason of letting it idle. I find this very hard to believe as almost all oil in tractors
now days is synthetic and it leaves a film on the metal. Standard oil is
just the opposite it does not leave the protective film on the metal

willy

I find that hard to believe too. I add ZZDP to my oil. I run T6 full synthetic.