First regen

[MJZ]

I am grateful to have bought a Yanmar ym342 around July 4th this past summer. I was able to get out and work bout 6 hours on the tractor this past weekend. At 34 hours, the regen signaled. There are 5 regen options with this model. Based on the indicator lights this was the normal, planned regen. Here's a couple observations.

Manual said this planned regen would occur at 50 hours or when needed. Evidently, I needed it at 34 hours (tractor came with 5 hours on it). wonder why 34 hours and not closer to 50. Any experience? I have let the tractor idle at low RPMs while I mess with hooking stuff up. I'm getting better at this so perhaps, my idle time will go down.

Second observation and more of a "concern." Manual said the tractor is Operable when doing the sort of reset regen (I can't remember the exact term and I don't want to go get the manual ). I was mowing in 540e in Low, 1 cuz I was on new, uneven ground. I run at 2016 rpm in 540e. The temp gauge started flashing during regen which is the warning signal, "hey, I'm bout to overheat!" So, I throttled down, disengaged PTO. Sat there for 5 minutes then bumped the throttle up to idle at 2000 rpm. Temp gauge stopped flashing and went to normal, green. Regen finished from start to finish in less than 30 minutes.

I wonder why it started overheating when the manual says the tractor is "Operable" during this sort of regen. Thoughts? Experience?

 

[RjCorazza]

I suspect the 2 conditions (Regen and overheating) were somewhat unrelated. You don't mention what type of material you were cutting, but high grass and chaff may have partially blocked the radiator causing the overheating. The engine temp does increase while a Regen is taking place, so perhaps a combination of the two pushed it over the edge?

I would check and clean the radiator fins as a first step. Shining a flashlight through the radiator will be revealing. I work my tractor through regens and have never overheated (not on a Mahindra).

As far as 34h vs 50h, there are too many variables to expect consistent Regen intervals. My first came at 70ish hours with an overall average of 52h across 18 cycles.

 

[Kioti Dave]

Agree with RjCorazza. When I mow, the rad always get plugged up. On my kioti, regens average about every 30 hours depending on the type of work I'm doing. (Now at 1000 hours) I record the hours at every regen. When one injector went bad was doing a regen every 2 hours. I always just continue to work normally when regens occur. On my kioti, the A/C cooler is very sensitive to any blockage and needs to be cleaned regularly. After every mowing I blow out thoroughly. Enjoy the new machine!

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Question, if those short periods of near idle are followed by high heat work, wouldnt that help to clean the DPF by getting it hot enough to burn the soot out? We all idle our tractors. Fuel quality may have an influence too.

 

[RjCorazza]

I blow off my zd mowers after each day of use, including the radiator. It only takes a minute or two, and much easier than dealing with clogged radiator fins and grass packed mower decks / belts.
I wonder how many other tractor owners track regens? I also track them in my maintenance spreadsheet, and calculate the running average. My semi commercial mowing spreadsheet also runs all kinds of numbers and averages... I guess it's a sub-hobby of mine.

 

[RjCorazza]

Question, if those short periods of near idle are followed by high heat work, wouldnt that help to clean the DPF by getting it hot enough to burn the soot out? We all idle our tractors. Fuel quality may have an influence too.

I think that's true to some extent. I can lower the dpf soot % reading after some heavy work, but it always seems to end up in a shorter cycle if I have been idling more than usual.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

I blow off my zd mowers after each day of use, including the radiator. It only takes a minute or two, and much easier than dealing with clogged radiator fins and grass packed mower decks / belts.
I wonder how many other tractor owners track regens? I also track them in my maintenance spreadsheet, and calculate the running average. My semi commercial mowing spreadsheet also runs all kinds of numbers and averages... I guess it's a sub-hobby of mine.

I'm sorta the same. I blow out my equipment and radiators at least daily when in use. Not had a regen yet on my tractor, but I'll certainly track those too.

 

[MJZ]

I'm sorta the same. I blow out my equipment and radiators at least daily when in use. Not had a regen yet on my tractor, but I'll certainly track those too.

I will work to be more consistent. What is "daily?" like every 8 hours? I use mine like 2 hours one day, then 3 hours. Probably the most I've ever put on in a day is 4 and a weekend is perhaps 8. Regardless, I will clean it off every usage whether 2 hours or 4 hours.

It is super dry and the dust is terrible and all this chaffe is kicking up. Perhaps just dust. We will see. Thanks to all. I will keep you posted.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

I will work to be more consistent. What is "daily?" like every 8 hours? I use mine like 2 hours one day, then 3 hours. Probably the most I've ever put on in a day is 4 and a weekend is perhaps 8. Regardless, I will clean it off every usage whether 2 hours or 4 hours.

It is super dry and the dust is terrible and all this chaffe is kicking up. Perhaps just dust. We will see. Thanks to all. I will keep you posted.

Daily