L4060 First Regen - Strange

[Topesrule]

I got in the tractor today to spread some rock in my driveway. I checked the DPF level while I was waiting for it to warm up. It was at 54%. About a half hour later I noticed the regen light was on. I had the engine at about 2400 rpm's. It seems like the DPF level guage was wrong or it regen'd when it wasn't supposed to. Tractor has about 15 hours and this was the first regen.

Anyone have any thoughts?

 

[Fallon]

I got in the tractor today to spread some rock in my driveway. I checked the DPF level while I was waiting for it to warm up. It was at 54%. About a half hour later I noticed the regen light was on. I had the engine at about 2400 rpm's. It seems like the DPF level guage was wrong or it regen'd when it wasn't supposed to. Tractor has about 15 hours and this was the first regen.

Anyone have any thoughts?

Odd. My L4060 was 30-40 hours to its first regen. Maybe 20ish hours between regens now, although I've ceased paying close attention.

Tier 4 tractors dont like to be idled. The best way to warm them up is to work them. Let them be to make sure oil gets where it should be, then go. Otherwise you are dumping soot into a cold DPF. It's not going to get hot at an idle & the DPF needs heat to be effective & burn itself clean. I go a lot further between regens when mowing & pushing it hard all day than puttering around. Run them at the higher end of their throttle range & dont lug the engine for optimal DPF life & minimizing regens.

 

[Topesrule]

Yes I know how the DPF machines like to be run. I mentioned that I was running it at 2400 rpm's.

My concern is why it did a regen when the DPF level on the dash showed it at 54%.

 

[jeff9366]

Make sure your air filter is seated properly and latched tight.

 

[mljenkins]

Yes I know how the DPF machines like to be run. I mentioned that I was running it at 2400 rpm's.

My concern is why it did a regen when the DPF level on the dash showed it at 54%.

That is strange my l6060 didn’t regen until it showed 100% the times it has, including the first.

I idle my tractor all the time. Everyone makes a big deal out of this but I have had no issues. I’m not going to waste a bunch of fuel when I’m not actively working. I’ve had no issues with the regen process.

I would definitely keep an eye on yours and see if the PM reaches 100% next time. Now I have seen the PM drop while working the tractor, I suppose because by working it the emissions get hot enough to clear up the DPF some. But it’s usually not more than about 10% that I’ve noticed. It hasn’t done a regen lately because I’ve been mowing a lot. Truth be told though it might have done it while I was mowing and I never noticed it.

 

[Topesrule]

Make sure your air filter is seated properly and latched tight.

I will check the air filter, I did have it off not too long ago. I would think the percentage would just go up faster if that was the issue, but it's a good thought.

 

[Topesrule]

That is strange my l6060 didn’t regen until it showed 100% the times it has, including the first.

I idle my tractor all the time. Everyone makes a big deal out of this but I have had no issues. I’m not going to waste a bunch of fuel when I’m not actively working. I’ve had no issues with the regen process.

I would definitely keep an eye on yours and see if the PM reaches 100% next time. Now I have seen the PM drop while working the tractor, I suppose because by working it the emissions get hot enough to clear up the DPF some. But it’s usually not more than about 10% that I’ve noticed. It hasn’t done a regen lately because I’ve been mowing a lot. Truth be told though it might have done it while I was mowing and I never noticed it.

I agree with you. I tend to run my rpm's high because it's been drilled into my head, but I think that the important thing is just going through the regen process correctly. If you're idling a lot you may have more regens, but I don't think it's causing an problems.

I don't put a lot of hours on mine so I try to get it hot whenever I run it just to get the condensation out of everything and get all the fluids up to temperature.

 

[jeff9366]

I will check the air filter, I did have it off not too long ago. I would think the percentage would just go up faster if that was the issue, but it's a good thought.

When I experienced your issue, an improperly seated air filter was the cause.

 

[Topesrule]

When I experienced your issue, an improperly seated air filter was the cause.

Air filter seemed seated properly. I tightened up some hose clamps coming out of the air filter housing. Nothing was really loose.

Yours was regening before the DPF filter gauge was showing a 100% on the dash?

 

[jeff9366]

My tractor has 1,200 engine hours. Regen is pretty regular every sixty hours.

With the air filter loose, an error by the Kubota mechanic, it regenerated after thirty-five engine hours and appropriate error code appeared on the intellipanel.