Is an Hour an Hour

[Notlaker]

Out of curiosity;

Since the maintenance schedules are determined by how many hours of use what I am curious about is the fact that one individual can use their tractor for 25 hours at a low RPM and another can use their tractor for 25 hours at a high RPM yet both use 25 hours used for maintenance scheduling purposes. I would think that the individual who is using high RPMs always should be scheduled earlier for maintenance.

Am I missing something?:confused2:

 

[smstonypoint]

It seems that I recall reading on TBN that some Kubota tractors have hour meters that adjust for engine RPMs. I suspect the adjustment is nonlinear.

Steve

 

[whistlepig]

The hour meter reads less at lower RPM's. An hour of run time at PTO speed reads an hour. An hour at less than PTO speed reads less than an hour of run time.

 

[MikeInEburg]

An old Ford we had when I was a kid had the words "at 1515 RPM" after the hour meter. If the engine turned faster, the hours would go faster. As a kid, when you spend endless hours mowing, you have time to experiment and confirm.

 

[smstonypoint]

Here's another thread on the topic: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/owning-operating/164597-hour-meter-operation.html

Steve

 

[whistlepig]

......or you can just watch your hour meter. It's pretty obvious.

 

[Notlaker]

The unfortunate part of it is that my hour meter appears to be stuck at 2 hours even though I know I have used my CK30 for at least 7 hours. I am still waiting for the dealer to drop by and have a look at it. I am starting to wonder if it was disconnected or something.

 

[PoorMansCat]

IF the hour meter is driven mechanically or by using a magnetic pickup ( off the tach) then it will read faster as the engine runs faster. Some hour meters are simply operated by being powered up by the keyswitch on power... so they are counting anytime power is applied. How accurate any of them are is somewhat dependent on the manufacturer..

 

[whistlepig]

Just watch the hour meter. Some accrue hours with the key on and the motor not running. The hour meter is a pretty important gauge for me. It wouldn't do for me to have it working.

 

[Bird]

IF the hour meter is driven mechanically or by using a magnetic pickup ( off the tach) then it will read faster as the engine runs faster. Some hour meters are simply operated by being powered up by the keyswitch on power... so they are counting anytime power is applied. How accurate any of them are is somewhat dependent on the manufacturer..

Yep, I've had both kinds. My B7100 hourmeter was simply a clock that ran anytime the key was turned on, so it registered actual time regardless of engine speed. Of course that tractor also had a manual fuel shut-off (pull the throttle all the way back) instead of an electric solenoid, so the engine would run with the key turned off and the hourmeter would not be registering anything. Then the B2710 hourmeter was dependent upon engine speed. It would register an hour if you had the engine running at PTO speed; half as many rpms would only register half an hour in an hour.

 

[Carl_NH]

So for those that dont do a lot of PTO rpm work (I have never used PTO on the B21) and operate in the 1500-2000 RPM the actual hours of use is 30%+- more? So 10 meter hours at 1700 RPM are maybe 13-14 running hours.

For maintenance I grease 3x per year, oil changes @ 40-50 hour intervals on the mowers and BH since I average about 30-40 hours a year on each. My Cub Cadet @ 740 hrs in 22 yrs is still on the original engine and deck spindles so figure this schedule is OK.

 

[Kilo69]

The unfortunate part of it is that my hour meter appears to be stuck at 2 hours even though I know I have used my CK30 for at least 7 hours. I am still waiting for the dealer to drop by and have a look at it. I am starting to wonder if it was disconnected or something.

Mine did the same thing, I popped the hood and found a blue white wire that has a coupler that was not connected. Turns out it was the hour meter wire. Made me wonder how many hours really were on the tractor before I got it though.

 

[k0ua]

Mine did the same thing, I popped the hood and found a blue white wire that has a coupler that was not connected. Turns out it was the hour meter wire. Made me wonder how many hours really were on the tractor before I got it though.

Kinda makes you wonder if the 'ole dealer popped it out. while it was on his lot, to keep customer driving the thing around from accruing hours doesn't it? And he forgot to put it back. some people are pretty picky about how many hours are on their "new" tractor. Mine had 4 on it when delivered. Oops.

James K0UA

 

[DK35vince]

I think the newer Kioti's have electric hour meters that show clock time.(1 hour for each hour run).
My older DK 35 is machanical. It is based on RPM speed. Low RPM it reads slower, high RPM it reads faster.

 

[SSdoxie]

The Bobcat version of these use an electric meter that is powered from the controller. When the alternator is turning it sends a signal to the controller which then sends constant voltage to the hour meter. Reading is the same at all RPM and does not read with key left on and engine off.

 

[kco]

The Bobcat version of these use an electric meter that is powered from the controller. When the alternator is turning it sends a signal to the controller which then sends constant voltage to the hour meter. Reading is the same at all RPM and does not read with key left on and engine off.

Same for the DK35 SE, or at least mine, which is a 2011. I actually checked it a month or so ago when I spent an entire day breaking up a neighbour's riding ring with my cultivator. I often had the tractor on medium idle while I was off moving large rocks. It always seemed to me like the hour meter was slow. But when I checked it that day against my watch over 3 different hours, the tractor hour meter was right on with my watch.

 

[Notlaker]

Well, the dealer showed up yesterday and replaced the entire console. He then waited for an hour with the tractor running to verify that the hour meter was working. Sure enough, after 1 hour at idle, it changed over to 2 hours. That verified to me that the meter is showing real time. (2012 CK30HST).

 

[FunnelWeb]

I have an copy of an old workshop manual for a 1977 model year Fiat 540 DT. This particular tractor had a PTO that achieved 540 RPM when the engine was running at 1970 RPM. The manual states that the hour metre of the tractor is calibrated to show 1 hour for every 96000 engine RPM's. Therefore, in this case an engine hour would equal a clock hour if you ran the engine at 1600 RPM for an hour.

The Fiat 540 DT was a 54 hp utility tractor, similar in size and weight to a modern day John Deere 5055E or a New Holland TT55 (Australian version).

 

[PoorMansCat]

FOr maintenance purposes, I always write the HMU, and Date on filters.... Then I dont have to rely on memory...

 

[kjgces]

Just got finished with a test on my B2150. My "hour" meter records only a true "Clock hour" if running at rated PTO Speed. anything less than that rpm and the meter records less "clock hours". I wish an phd in engineering would explain the rational of monitoring the engine hours in this fashion which ignores the moving components of the drive train and only follows the revolutions the engine is making. Does a bearing have "more" life if run at lower than its rating? Who knows. Having BOTH time and engine measures would be the best. after checking out my own meter i realized my true running hours on my tractor could be anything, the meter does not really give any true indication of use or abuse. kjgces.