Putting the lift capacity aside.
Any other pros and cons with the CK30s ?
Any common problems, weaknesses etc ?
It is a manual, the owner told me it is non syncro, so you have to choose a gear to use it in and you cannot change on the fly ? That seems odd...
How do you operate the manual ? I can see that with a bucket & maybe even with forks, a HST would be much better suited to dirt moving or bucket use ?
They also have put some manual shut off system as there must be an issue with the way it originally shut off.
Talking of that, are these engines the older type injector pump or direct injection with electronics ?
I don't know the CK30, but I've had a fair amount of experience with that general type of tractor.
Yes, that is typically how the standard manual shift transmisson operates. You cannot shift while moving. THe sequence is: push in the clutch as you stop, with the clutch pushed down you select range (high or low), and then select the gear you will be operating in, and now let out the clutch. All the gears except the highest have good power at low speed.
If you are used to using a foot clutch there is no problem with doing work with a manual shift like that. The trick is to pick a low enough gear that you don't slip the clutch much. You just put it in gear, let out the clutch, and use the throttle to moderate the approach speed. As the bucket slides into the load you might clutch a little as you wiggle the bucket to get it full of load. Then disengage clutch, stop, select reverse, and let the clutch out. Push the throttle forward to speed up. Much easier to do than to write about.
The HST is more convenient, but a manual tranny will work fine. They are geared so low that the clutch is basically just an on/off switch rather than being slipped a lot like an automotive clutch. So tractor clutches tend to last a long time. However, replacing one is cheap but labor intensive job requireing splitting the tractor. Ugh.
To answer your question....Older diesels might shut off in a couple of different ways - but they are just all variations on two themes:
It might be electrically by an electrical solenoid that stops the flow of fuel to the injector pump, or manually by having a throttle that is able to move the throttle rack on the injector pump far enough that it is in an extreme low idle or "no flow" position.
There is a third shut off if all else fails that was common to a lot of vintage style diesels. Many models have a "compression release" lever on the dash which manually raises one or more exhaust valves off their seat so that the engine dies from lack of compression. Nothing wrong with killing it that way, but a compression release does need to be adjusted so that it can't raise the valve too far and hit the piston.
I don't know if your engine is injector pump or common rail electronic type or a hybrid. But here is how you can tell:
Count the high pressure fuel lines from the injector pump to the injectors. The oldest type of diesel will have a separate high pressure fuel line for each injector. So there will be as many high pressure metal fuel lines as there are cylinders. A 4 cylinder has 4 fuel lines....etc. Each line originating at the fuel pump with that line leading only to its own injector. Sometimes there will be a common low pressure line leading away from the injectors and returning unused fuel to the fuel tank.... and sometimes not.
In these basic older diesels with multiple fuel lines to the injectors the fuel pump not only creates the roughly 3000 psi necessary to "pop" the injector open for a shot of fuel, but the fuel pump has multiple lobes which very accurately time the injector shot. You would change the timing of the engine mechanically by shimming the fuel pump injector rotor....although this is is a delicate and specialized job & needs special care.
The timed high pressure pulse pushes open a spring-loaded valve in the injector which squirts a spray of fuel into the cylinder. It's all mechanical. If you can hand crank or kick start those old diesels they will run forever. No electricity required.
By contrast, a modern computer-controlled diesel is electrically controlled. It will generally have just one fuel line from the injector pump and each injector will hook into a "common pressurized rail" that runs along the top of the engine. The common rail always has high pressure, and each injector is connected to it and pressurized at all times. To spray fuel, an electrical solenoid inside the injector is actuated at the right time by a computer pulse which is looking at a magnetic signal from the flywheel. That means that modern engines only have a single fuel line leading from the injector pump which becomes a common rail on top of the engine into which each injector connects. And it means that each injector will also have an electrical wire so the computer can talk to the injector. That wire is usually a fairly heavy wire since it has to carry enough amperage to open the solenoid against high pressure.
BTW, in some of these modern common rail style diesels the injector solenoid not only times the pulse but it amplifies the pressure. That makes for a finer spray and better combustion than the old style diesels....at the expense of more complexity and less reliability.
BTW, get that old CK30 if it sounds good and priced right. They are handy and like money in the bank. But for what you are doing you really need a bigger tractor. Like twice that size. Are there any old Zetors around? They are basically bulletproof but constant picky high maintenance tractors which makes them often available for a good price.
good luck,
rScotty
