1026 rattle; available 12V power

chelydra · Nov 21, 2011

Trying to run up hours on the new machine so I can be ready for full-power operation when the snows come again. A terrible chore, really - having to drive around doing silly things and pretending to enjoy myself. Will post some pix when I get a bit caught up.

So far (8 hours), I haven't run above 2600 RPM. That seems to provide plenty of power for most things. Loader seems to be limited by pressure relief rather than available power even at this engine speed. No sweat at all lifting a high-piled 49" bucket of packed sand - must be 600 lbs, anyway. (Anyone know the bucket capacity?) But breakout force marginal for busting 3/4"~1" roots with the tooth bar. How long would more experienced users allow the engine to wear in before running at PTO speed?

This machine makes a whole different set of noises from what my Kioti did. One that concerns me slightly is a kind of slow rattle from somewhere back in the transmission. It sounds a bit like the flapping of a disengaged clutch. The PTOs are off (I think), and there's a full ballast box on the 3PH. Happens in 2WD or 4WD. Any thoughts? Normal sound?

Also, I'd hoped that those fancy work lights would shine over the loader bucket, but they don't. So I'll clip a home-made setup to the ROPS. What would be a safe load to put on the 12V socket? Leaving the built-in lights off and having three auto-type work lights (two pointing fore, one and aft) would be great, if 150W/13A is safe for wires and alternator.

Heck of a machine. Much lighter and somewhat narrower than I'm used to plus little front tires requires slightly different techniques. The ballast box full of bricks makes it feel more secure in tippy situations; I sometimes drop it to just an inch above the ground. But it seems a little too heavy, so I might lighten it some. The seat kill switch is a bit annoying, since there's no dash reminder. If I don't get used to that soon, I might just jump it - presumably that's possible? High idle takes some getting used to; I keep trying to lower the throttle further. Do all JDs have that? Seat is more comfortable than anything I have in the house. Maybe a new product idea for Deere: indoor furniture.

So far, this is looking like a much better fit for me than the BX2660 or JD23XX. And the turning radius is just magic - can get in and out almost anywhere. Hope other new owners are having as much fun!

bigtiller · Nov 21, 2011

I wouldn't worry about the break-in of the motor, just use it. With my 2305 I drove it to the mail box and back to the house then it was wide-open-throttle while mowing for 3 hours. That was 430 hours ago and still going strong.

bradrich18 · Nov 22, 2011

I had a rattling noise coming from mine also. I don't have a loader, but I heard the noise when using my mowing deck. I checked my pto selector and saw out was on mid/rear. I switched it to mid only and the noise went away. Hope this helps.

hizoot · Nov 22, 2011

I have found that there is a lot of different opinions on break-in procedure.So...here's mine :laughing:.I used to baby my new engines and did so for years. But it seemed I would still get oil burners every once in awhile.About 8-10 years ago I stumbled upon a website that discussed this at length. The author was an engine designer/engineer and this was his basic premise...

Now a days,we have much higher capability in tolerances,metallurgy,oils,etc from years gone by. Engines need to be run in to allow parts to mate...but if you take it easy on them,you extend the time it takes. For example,the cross hatch on the cylinder walls will take only a few hours before the rough initial pattern starts to polish to a finer surface. So,dont baby it or you miss the chance to scrub them in. He recommended several increasingly higher rpm bursts with long deceleration runs...such as going down a hill decelerating. This will force the rings to work/expand against the cyl.walls.Dont take it to max throttle necessarily,but you need to work it for the rings to seat with the cylinders before the cross hatch smooths down. He also stated heat cycles was important too. Get the engine warm for a bit,let cool down to ambient temp,repeat a couple of times with each time progressively longer and harder.
He showed pictures of pistons,etc. of engines being broke in easily vs his method....it was dramatic and obvious his was a better way. Good luck!

chelydra · Nov 22, 2011

That was a genuinely fascinating post, hizoot - thanks!

And bigtiller - do you get a lot of mail, or what? I make up all kinds of excuses to get out on the tractor, but picking up the mail's a stretch even for me.

-chelydra

bigtiller · Nov 22, 2011

chelydra said:
That was a genuinely fascinating post, hizoot - thanks!

And bigtiller - do you get a lot of mail, or what? I make up all kinds of excuses to get out on the tractor, but picking up the mail's a stretch even for me.

-chelydra

:laughing: No, but it is far enough away that the motor gets partially warmed up before it goes to work.