What RPM do you set from front end loader work?

PACountryGuy · Jul 27, 2011

What RPM do you run when you are using the front end loader to move loose soil?

I was moving a pile today one bucket at a time to rebuild some sloppy trails and I set the RPM on my normal 1600 or so. I just have always done that with my 27-horse B 2710.

Then I got to thinking what is the correct RPM. What are you thoughts on this?

Isn't it odd what you think about when you're on the tractor?

k0ua · Jul 27, 2011

It depends on how the tractor is running into what kind of material. if the motor starts to bog a little I bump it up, if it is buzzy, bump it down.. I usually start at about 1600 and work up to 1800 2000 if it needs, it, I just listen to the tractor and tranny and kinda go from there.

James K0UA

Wolfy · Jul 27, 2011

I believe 1,700 to 2,000 is normal. The year its made has a big impact.

joemd11 · Jul 27, 2011

I have an LS R3039 and I do the same as you - 1700 to about 2000 rpm. Seems to be a good range for getting the job done and not waste fuel.

InThePines · Jul 27, 2011

I like the tractor to be responsive. I usually end up around 2200.

5030 · Jul 27, 2011

All well and good for a hydrostat but the clutch in a gear drive would last maybe a day........

I do a bit of loader work and move round bales and I operate between an idle and whatever the job demands.

Bird · Jul 27, 2011

The biggest part of the FEL work I did with my B2710 included breaking loose pretty solid dirt one place and breaking up and moving an old well compacted crushed rock driveway. I found that 2200 rpm was about right. On some smaller jobs, a little lower rpm was OK.

blueriver · Jul 27, 2011

I believe ... from oldtime intelligence, a diesel engines best performance is at PTO speed. They are built to work.

Lugging a diesel engine ... imo ... is not good.

johnrex62 · Jul 27, 2011

Most of my FEL work has been while in the midst of clearing woods and such and I am normally running a shredder so I am almost always still at full 540 on the PTO at the time. The very few times I have tried to do something after shutting down the PTO and throttling back to idle resulted in a stall or relief valve opening, so I bumped it back up to 2400.

savageactor7 · Jul 28, 2011

I'm pretty close to PTO rpm's if I'm digging in piles material or back bladeing swale holes to clean them out for drainage.

Not that I'm working fast mind you, the machine is actually operating rather slow and deliberate. Now once I get a load of dirt for travel I lower the bucket to just above ground level and quite often lower the rpm's for traveling if on a hard packed trail.

jonyyuma · Jul 28, 2011

I do know that that little 3 cylinder is making a sweet sound ,right at pto speed...Makes the fel a lot more responsive. I usually drop it some for the traveling..both for smoothness and worrying about clutch wear..

TripleR · Jul 28, 2011

Pretty much like kOua, it depends on what I am doing and the tractor I am using. I run at the RPM that gets the job done comfortably without lugging or too much jerking in the FEL. This varies from one tractor to the next. I also often vary the RPM depending on the job and distance traveled etc.

bigbull338 · Jul 28, 2011

doing loader work i run from 1600 to 2000rpms depending on the work thats being done.

RobertN · Jul 28, 2011

This is a depends topic; it depends on what you are doing. My old B8200 and current TC40D are both HST. I always run where I am not lugging the engine for the task at had. My old Kubota was 19hp; I tended to run a little higher rpm. This New Holland I have now, is 40hp; I can run lower rpm.

I have spent time on a Bobcat S185 skidsteer, and have rented Kubota L35 TLB's. Same with those. Mostly set the RPM for the task at hand, again without lugging them.

In all cases, the RPM could vary as the situation changed.

Mike_Kanzer · Jul 28, 2011

? I don't get it guys - What are the advantages of running a diesel below the PTO RPM speed. Seems to me they are designed to run at that level - ? Mike

TripleR · Jul 28, 2011

Mike_Kanzer said:
? I don't get it guys - What are the advantages of running a diesel below the PTO RPM speed. Seems to me they are designed to run at that level - ? Mike

The PTO RPM speed is what is needed to turn your PTO at 540 or 1000, not what is needed for other tasks. Why would you run it higher than needed and not only waste fuel, but put more wear on your engine. For some of the smaller tractors, you may need to run it at that, but not the bigger ones.

Of course I am not a mechanic or engineer, so maybe I have been doing it all wrong.

I am sure someone else can give you a better explanation and maybe even set me straight.

Bird · Jul 28, 2011

And besides wasted fuel, the lower rpm was quieter than PTO speed which I certainly appreciated.

k0ua · Jul 28, 2011

What TripleR and Bird said:thumbsup:

James K0UA

vic4news · Jul 28, 2011

TripleR said:
The PTO RPM speed is what is needed to turn your PTO at 540 or 1000, not what is needed for other tasks. Why would you run it higher than needed and not only waste fuel, but put more wear on your engine.

Exactly, there is no need to run the engine at higher rpms that what is needed for the task. My manual explicitly states this. As long as you are not lugging the engine, there is no need to run at PTO speed for non-PTO tasks.

My hour meter runs based on engine rpms, not clock time. If I work for an hour, but only run at half the maximum rpms, I've only put 30 minutes of wear on my engine.

Vic

wrooster · Jul 28, 2011

TripleR said:
The PTO RPM speed is what is needed to turn your PTO at 540 or 1000 ...

More specifically:

The engine RPM which results in 540RPM (or optionally, 1000RPM) at the PTO coincides with the torque peak of the engine, by design. In other words, the PTO reduction gearing is set up so the PTO output shaft is turning 540RPM at the highest available engine torque.

If you go to Kubota's engine website and look up the engine installed on your tractor, you'll find a spec sheet with the engine output curves (that is, power[KW] and torque [NM] versus engine RPM). Locate the RPM at which the engine is producing the maximum torque. Now look in your tractor manual, and find the engine RPM setting specified which results in 540 RPM at the PTO. It's the same number (+/- a few percent) as you found on the engine website.

Wrooster