Will Today's Tractors Be Retrofitted With Tomorrow's Electronics?

[coralhead]

I purchased my Branson 4520r because it does not have all the electronic crap to make it run. They stuck with the tried and true mechanical fuel injection pump and a simple catalytic converter type exhaust. If the exhaust goes bad, replace it with a standard exhaust and keep going. It does have sensors for the temp, oil, fuel shut off though but these are standard items. To make it run you need to have fuel in it and no air in the fuel.

The real question is how to keep electronic operated tractors running without all the electronic stuff????????

 

[npalen]

I still see a potential market for an aftermarket retro programmable microprocessor to resurrect one of today's "electronic marvels"

 

[David_Kb7uns]

Think the hardest one for the Kubota is the Grand Lxx30GST tractors with the Glide Shift Transmission system.

The controller tracks transmission temp, engine speed, and tractor speed. When you shift it drops the hydraulic clutch pack, and hydraulic pistons move the shift forks with the fully synchronized gears and then modulates using PWM the clutch packs to feather in the clutch pack back in. Unless you got a real good programmer with PLC controllers I think it would be hard to replicate, and oh yeh everything is calibrated using Super UDT and if you get some other fluid in there you can feel the change.

They do have it set up so you unplug the controller and plug 2 cables together you can get 1st gear to move in an emergency.

Think you could rig a rotary stepping switch maybe to run the solenoids for the hydraulic pistons on the shift forks but they have 12 speeds instead of the usually 8 and then you still need to shift the clutch pack after moving the shifting forks.

David

 

[npalen]

Interesting that you mention the Glide Shift, Dave. I've spent the last couple weeks (plus a couple more weeks to go of 12 hour days) on a Deere 8420 powershift pulling a grain cart. LOTS of shifting up and down the range trying to keep pace with the combines which are constantly changing ground speed in difficult field conditions, then back to the truck ASAP at up to 20 MPH.
Though the powershift is a marvelous invention, it doesn't always understand what the operator is thinking. It can only accept the various inputs and then provide outputs based on what it "thinks" the operator wants. Sometimes it can't react fast enough and some times it reacts with a jerk based throttle position. Dropping from 5th to 4th, for example, must operate a couple clutch pacs as it's not a smooth transition.
Thanks for the feedback on what makes the Glide Shift work. I was not aware that Kubota was that far advanced. Look out deere!

 

[Fallon]

Interesting that you mention the Glide Shift, Dave. I've spent the last couple weeks (plus a couple more weeks to go of 12 hour days) on a Deere 8420 powershift pulling a grain cart. LOTS of shifting up and down the range trying to keep pace with the combines which are constantly changing ground speed in difficult field conditions, then back to the truck ASAP at up to 20 MPH.
Though the powershift is a marvelous invention, it doesn't always understand what the operator is thinking. It can only accept the various inputs and then provide outputs based on what it "thinks" the operator wants. Sometimes it can't react fast enough and some times it reacts with a jerk based throttle position. Dropping from 5th to 4th, for example, must operate a couple clutch pacs as it's not a smooth transition.
Thanks for the feedback on what makes the Glide Shift work. I was not aware that Kubota was that far advanced. Look out deere!

I've driven a Kubota GST recently on a relatively newish 4000 series machine. I spent a several summers in the late 1990s driving 7000 & 8000 series JD PowerShift & Power Quad machines. PowerShifts were 19 forward & 7 reverse, the GST was only 8ish forward. The GST had a 1-2 second lag when shifting that left you sitting there unpowered for that time. I recall the PowerShifts generally being sub second for most shifts. It blew my mind I'd stall the tractor tapping the clutch while plowing, yet in similar circumstances I could often upshift a gear & the PowerShift would just take care of business.

Different class of machines, but I recall them functioning basically the same, with the PowerShift performing better. Could be the fuzziness of a couple decades though. I dont think Kubota is anymore advanced than JD or really engineered fundamentally differently.

 

[David_Kb7uns]

From what I understand about Powershift tractors is that there is always a constant mesh of gears and the shift is preselected with two alternating clutch packs doing the work.

The Kubota Glide Shift is a manual gear transmission that moves the shift forks for you and handles the clutch packs modulating the wet clutch to feather the power transfer smoothly. There is a time when if you are moving you are without power to the wheels and just coasting if you have momentum or running away on a steep hill. When the engine is shut down there is no such thing as leaving in gear or a Park mode as there is no fluid in the piston on the clutch pack and you need to either set a good parking brake or chock the wheels and drop your implements to keep from moving.

The good side of Glide Shift is you can pull heavy all day long and not worry about power loss from high temps. With a little practice on the throttle and shift timing I can get good loader work and quicker cycle times if you have a further distance to carry then a Hydro as you have no gear ranges to change

David