4015R dpf dash light

[skeeter102]

The dash light came on for the dpf system. How do I do a regen? The tractor has 50 hours on it.

Thanks!

 

[Cougsfan]

I think yours is like mine, and doesn't use a regen cycle. Mine comes on if I run it at too low of an RPM for an extended period of time. Try running the tractor at a higher RPM (2000 rpm +) for a while and the light should go out. These dpf's don't like low rpms because it doesn't generate enough heat. Idling for a long period of time or repeated short cycles will also cause the light to come on.

 

[skeeter102]

I think yours is like mine, and doesn't use a regen cycle. Mine comes on if I run it at too low of an RPM for an extended period of time. Try running the tractor at a higher RPM (2000 rpm +) for a while and the light should go out. These dpf's don't like low rpms because it doesn't generate enough heat. Idling for a long period of time or repeated short cycles will also cause the light to come on.

I typically run it at 2000 to 2500 rpm and avoid letting it idle. I did try running it at 2500 rpm in neutral for 20 min but it had no effect.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

Try putting it under load. If you have the room, try "roading" it. Basically blaze it down the road in highest gear with your throttle wide open. Have to get the soot cooker over 1100 deg F for it to burn the soot out of the filter. Hard for me to do in the winter time too, as I'm not running my rotary cutter or an "loads", just putting around pushing snow with bucket and blade.

 

[ericm979]

Solid DPF light is "Emergency", stop the tractor. Blinking every 1/2 second is "Caution", get service. Blinking every 2 seconds is "Check", "carry out a cleaning of the DPF". This according to the 20 series shop manual.

It also says "DPF check lamp will turn off if "Cleaning" is selected via scanner. That's the scanner that connects to the data logger's OBDII port. So if nothing else you can take it to the dealer and have them tell it to run a cleaning cycle... though it looks like in the manual that it does it on it's own at times, so I don't know what's different there vs the one that's commanded by the scanner.

 

[skeeter102]

Would suck to have to load this thing up and haul it an hour just to have the light cleared. That's some BS.

 

[Cougsfan]

As another option, you could just take the whole DPF and toss it and install a muffler. Several people have done that with favorable results. Your Branson Dealer wouldn't do this, but a local muffler shop probably would, or you could do it yourself. Then you could run the tractor at whatever rpm you wanted.

 

[ptsg]

Branson tractors here in Europe doesn't have the DPF systems. I believe the engines are the same. So remove the whole DPF thing might work just fine. Apart from warranty issues.

I have a F36Rn with is exactly the same as the 3515 in the US apart from not having the DPF system and have a middle mounted ROPS instead.

 

[ericm979]

Would suck to have to load this thing up and haul it an hour just to have the light cleared. That's some BS.

You'd be hauling it to the dealer to get the DPF to run a cleaning cycle. Though the manual says it runs them on it's own as well, and does not explain the difference. Maybe your dealer could explain it or give you guidance.

It'd be great if Branson would either sell the scanner or if a commercially available OBD2 code reader would work. The port is OBD2. I tried reading it using a cheap OBD2 dongle with no luck. It wouldn't even connect.

 

[PapeCAT]

Might have to have Dave's Tractor confirm but it is my understanding that they don't sell the 4015 model because of issues with premature DPF plugging. The 3515 seems to not have the issue as much so they still sell that model. With the new 4815 coming out soon I hope they have figured out the PM DPF plugging issue on these higher HP models.

So this might be a design issue where the emissions/dpf system doesn't have a big enough envelope of operating load/use type to sustain a clean DPF.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

There is no "cleaning cycle". There is no regen, either manual or otherwise. The exhaust filter relies on exhaust heat to work. The incoming exhaust has to get over a certain temperature (I believe it's 1100 deg F) before the soot that has been trapped by the filter starts to burn or "cook" off. The only way to get the exhaust temp that hot, and keep it that hot is to load the engine while at 2000-2500 rpms. Just free-revving the engine at that speed may not get it hot enough. Needs to have a load on it at that engine speed.

The light on the dash is driven by a "data logger", which is a small box, about the size of a couple packs of cigarettes, with a small wiring harness plugged into it. On my tractor, it sits on the battery hold down bracket. The data logger's ONLY job, is to sit there and look at the incoming and outgoing exhaust pressure going into and out of the exhaust filter. That data logger is comparing the "back pressure" of those 2 sensors. If it sees that there is too much pressure on the incoming side of the filter, compared to what is exiting the filter, then it starts lighting the light on the dash, to tell the operator that the filter is getting plugged. The data logger has no other purpose, and has no engine or emissions controls of any kind.

OP to fix your current issue,

Option 1,

Run the BEEE-JEEESUS out of your tractor. I mean HARD. If you have a pto driven implement you can hook up, like a tiller or a brush hog, and go do some hard work with it. OR, put that tractor in high gear, take it out on a safe road, and run the snot out of it. Like for a couple miles at least, full wide open throttle in high gear to load that engine.

Option 2,

Replace your exhaust filter. Either yourself, or have your dealer do it. If it's still under warranty, and your filter is actually fully plugged, then it's a free replacement under warranty. Maybe they'll send it to you, and you can replace it yourself. Talk to your dealer.

Option 3,

Eliminate your exhaust filter entirely. Treat it like a plugged muffler and just take it off. Take the entire filter unit to a competent exhaust shop and have them make you a bolt in replacement muffler, using your plugged filter as a template. When you install the replacement, just disconnect and remove the data logger and wires. The engine will have no idea that the filter is no longer there.

If mine becomes an issue on my tractor, I'm planning on going with Option 3.

 

[ericm979]

The way you describe it is how I understood it to work... but the service manual says cleaning. Not regen, just cleaning. See pages 2-20 through 2-27.
There's also a temp sensor on the DPF that the data logger reads. Maybe it sees temperatures above a certain value for a certain time and counts that as a cleaning? I really wish we could at least read the values in the thing. It'd be so useful to know if your operating style was going to cause a problem in the future.

There's also this note on 2-27: "DPF cleaning: DPF check lamp blinking every 2 seconds indicates that engine operation hour exceeded setting value to make alarm for DPF cleaning maintenance. DPF check lamp will turn off if "Cleaning" is selected via scanner after DPF cleaning" Does that mean that after X hours the DPF lamp lights up no matter what the DPF condition is, and you need to have the dealer use the scanner to reset it? I sure hope not.

There's an option 4: send the DPF in for a cleaning. There's a lot of outfits that do it for semi trucks, for a few hundred to $500 or so (probably on the lower end since our DPF is small compared to a semi). It'll cost a lot less than buying a new one.

And option 3.5: gut the DPF and remove the data logger.

I like not breathing carcinogens so I'm hoping the way I run the tractor (with a lot of hard PTO chipper use) keeps the DPF happy and the blinky light off.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

I hear you Eric. My problem is during the winter, I don't really have a good way to put a load on the tractor engine. Just moving snow or feeding round bales doesn't work the engine at all. Roading the tractor hard is about all I can do to it in the winter time. Summer time is no problem, brush hogging my pasture and road ditches keeps the filter plenty hot.

I'm seriously thinking about taking mine completely out. If the light comes on again this winter, I probably will.

 

[ericm979]

How many hours was on it when the light came on and what did you do to get it to go off?
Do you run your engine in the green zone on the tach?

I'm not being critical, just trying to figure out what it takes to keep the thing happy.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

65 hrs I think, or close to it. I roaded the crap out of it, a couple of times before it finally cleared it out. Hi range and up and down the gravel road north of my place at wide open throttle. Can't really do that on my place, as it's just too rough in my pasture to run it at that much ground speed.

I haven't had much run time this winter, as we've had almost no snow at all to speak of. So, other than scraping and blading my driveway a few times, and feeding a few round bales for my neighbor, I haven't really run it much. And those types of work just don't put a load on the engine. I don't think just sitting and revving the engine will get it hot enough. I think you have to rev it with a load on it at the same time.

Summer brush hogging is a perfect example of how to keep the filter hot enough to stay clean.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

The way you describe it is how I understood it to work... but the service manual says cleaning. Not regen, just cleaning. See pages 2-20 through 2-27.
There's also a temp sensor on the DPF that the data logger reads. Maybe it sees temperatures above a certain value for a certain time and counts that as a cleaning? I really wish we could at least read the values in the thing. It'd be so useful to know if your operating style was going to cause a problem in the future.

There's also this note on 2-27: "DPF cleaning: DPF check lamp blinking every 2 seconds indicates that engine operation hour exceeded setting value to make alarm for DPF cleaning maintenance. DPF check lamp will turn off if "Cleaning" is selected via scanner after DPF cleaning" Does that mean that after X hours the DPF lamp lights up no matter what the DPF condition is, and you need to have the dealer use the scanner to reset it? I sure hope not.

There's an option 4: send the DPF in for a cleaning. There's a lot of outfits that do it for semi trucks, for a few hundred to $500 or so (probably on the lower end since our DPF is small compared to a semi). It'll cost a lot less than buying a new one.

And option 3.5: gut the DPF and remove the data logger.

I like not breathing carcinogens so I'm hoping the way I run the tractor (with a lot of hard PTO chipper use) keeps the DPF happy and the blinky light off.

Do you run your tractor in an enclosed space, like a greenhouse or similar?

 

[ericm979]

Only in the barn when changing implements. The barn's pretty drafty but it's still noticeably cleaner compared to my old Kubota B7100.

When operating I'm breathing the exhaust at times, depending on how the wind's blowing. Maybe not so much on your cab model.

 

[dancath]

Take the **** thing off and drill a bunch of half inch holes in it. Then beat the heck out of it till the platinum runs no more. No more lights or load ups.

Dan

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

I know some guys are doing that to theirs Dan. For my own preference, I'd rather swap it out for a straight muffler made to bolt in it's place. That way, if I ever did decide to sell it or trade it in, I could offer the parts with it to return it to "stock" for the new buyer.

 

[Mr Bitz]

Slim has it right. He's got good advice on this.