New Branson 5520C

[ptsg]

Big Tex tractor just released a video for the new Branson 5520C with some changes versus the other 20 series.

Things to note:

- Transmission with 4 ranges and easier to get in gear
- Regen button, which means DPF. (Wondering how Branson did that with a mechanical engine)
- Slightly tweak on the exhaust rounting
- Improved door locks
- Improved loader joystick cable routing, which makes it smoother and easier to use

 

[K5lwq]

Very interesting. I might have to stop by and get a closer look one day. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

That is interesting. It looks like some kind of straight through muffler on the tailpipe? It is noticeably swelled in that area. Interested in seeing how they're initiating the manual regen and any differences in the DPF filter due to that. Also, the narrator mentioned the float on the FEL like it was a "new" feature? I thought they all had float already. Mine does. Glad to see 2 rear remotes on it.

Looking forward to your input K5, when you get to see one.

 

[K5lwq]

That is interesting. It looks like some kind of straight through muffler on the tailpipe? It is noticeably swelled in that area. Interested in seeing how they're initiating the manual regen and any differences in the DPF filter due to that. Also, the narrator mentioned the float on the FEL like it was a "new" feature? I thought they all had float already. Mine does. Glad to see 2 rear remotes on it.

Looking forward to your input K5, when you get to see one.

That was Leon, the owner of BigTex. I am not sure why it came across the way it did about the float because I know he knew the loaders come with float. I will try to get by there tomorrow afternoon as I need to go to Dallas tomorrow. I will take some pictures.

 

[Asteral]

yes so he mentioned the float because he wanted to make sure people knew that even though they changed out the joystick controls it still had the float feature, that and also for new tractor owners, to let them know it has that feature as well

 

[ericm979]

Is the range transmission synchronized- can it be shifted while moving?

 

[K5lwq]

Okay, I stopped and checked out the new 5520C and have some thoughts. First I will say it is a very nice tractor with a lot of added features that should perform well.

The price point is around $33,000 for Shuttle cab and around $35,000 for HST cab.

Eric, I drove the tractor and the range transmission is synchronized. It is a H pattern shifter that is comfortable to reach.

The cab had plenty of room and is very comfortable.

Now I will give you my take on how they are doing the regen. This is a theory as they have not released the service bulletins yet. There is not a computer control module that I could find anywhere. It seems to be using the data recorder as the triggers to let the operator know a regen needs to take place. The DOC is the same setup as it has been.

The operator gets the light telling him to regen so he parks the tractor, brings RPM up to high setting and pushes the regen button.

Then he lets it do it's thing. The button activates a butterfly control motor located on the tailpipe just before the last turn. This would restrict the exhaust some holding heat in the filter allowing it to get up to the proper temperature. It would remain closed or maybe even modulate to maintain somewhere close to whatever temperature they deemed necessary, until the exhaust pressure differential gets back in line. Then it would go back to normal operation.

Again, I do not fully understand the process but this is all I could come up with. Maybe y'all have a better idea. :confused3:

The only thing I did not care for is how everything is cable controlled. Loader valve, rear remotes, clutch and brakes all cables. I personally prefer mechanical linkages. This is the brake cable.

Hope y'all enjoyed this review as much as I enjoyed checking this beast out. My wife might shoot me but man I would like to have one! :laughing:

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

Thanks for the review K5.

Will be interesting to get some field reports from new owners when they start getting out there in the wild.

 

[Branson Bob]

Thanks for the great review K5. Is that the Differential Lock heel pedal that's black on the right side of the operators station?

 

[K5lwq]

No problem guys, I enjoyed giving it the once over.

Yes Sir Bob, that is the differential lock. Not sure where it will be located on the HST model.

 

[ptsg]

Thank for the review K5.

I agree with you on cable controls. It can be a pain for those who live on colder climates and the moisture just freezes the cable.

Synchronized range gears it's not something you'll see very often. Nicely done Branson.

That's an interesting approach by Branson on increasing the exhaust temps for a regen instead of using an injector to spray extra diesel like most systems. Time will tell how this works but by the looks of it, it still might be a standalone unit, easily removed if needed.

I wonder if it's a manual system or if it will work automatically as well. I can see a lot of people just skipping the regen and having troubles in the future, if it's only a manual operation.

 

[K5lwq]

Ptsg, I don't know brother if it is automatic or not. We did not understand how the thing worked as we were looking at it. It wasn't till I studied the pictures a bit that I came up with my theory. Again, I may be way off base on this one. Lol

If you think about it, as the exhaust closes off, the engine would naturally get richer because of the decrease in air flow. It might be enough to pull raw fuel through the exhaust valve into the filter where it could burn. I have never fully understood the approach of using fuel for burning off a filter. Seems to me it would just create more carbon. I would think you would want things to lean out. :confused3:

On a side note, this does indicate that Branson will continue as a manufacturer and not be swallowed up by TYM as some have thought. They put a lot of effort into this model and seem committed to keeping everything mechanical.

 

[ptsg]

Your theory looks pretty close to me and makes totally sense.

I'm very please to see Branson still doing all they can to keep the tractors simple and reliable. They were pretty much obligated to add electronics just because EPA wants it that way but somehow Branson managed to add a DPF to a good ol'mechanical engine.

As far as the extra fuel for the DPF, I don't get it either. All I know is that on my 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander, I can get 40 MPG, but every time it regens, it drops to 27 MPG. To me, it's just wasting fuel.

 

[Asteral]

i will be aa completely manual regen system nothing about it currently will be automatic, there will be a light that will come on the dash when the tractor senses the filter getting full ( it does that now on the current models there just isn't a way to regen them) the light will tell you , hey it's time to perform a regen cycle, and yes it will be a slight increase in fuel consumption during the process but they went this route because otherwise they would have had to install a DEF system and computer control for that system and Branson has been adamant about no computer control on the tractors.
while i agree is is going to be a waste of fuel, i would much rather waste a bit of fuel then have to buy DEF and have those systems on Bransons equipment, i think Branson just decided the lesser of two evils was the best option so to speak, especially with the tier 5 emission regulations now in place in the US. Time will tell though how well this system works out, but i have been told by Branson all of their models that have emission filters will be eventually switched over to this style.

 

[ptsg]

I agree with you Asteral. Branson sure wants to keep their tractors simple, reliable and as much electronic free as possible. That's definitely a good thing.

In Europe, they will apply the new tier 5 regulations on tractors as well. It was supposedly to be applied this year, but due to the virus, they delayed it for another year, which gave manufacturers one more year to sell excess stock and launch new tractors with the new emissions gear.

Branson had a really good seller in Europe, which was the 3100. A 30 HP turbo charged tractor based on the 00 series but with bigger wheels and wider stance. It's been now discontinued due to the new emission regulations.

I think part of these changes from Branson on their take on emissions is also related to the new regulation in Europe.

 

[ericm979]

I don't think there's any DEF used on tractors under 75hp. The emissions requirements get stricter (on a per HP basis) above 75hp, and that's where DEF is used.

Adding fuel to a diesel does raise the exhaust temp. I seems wacky to me too, coming from a spark ignition background.

Exhaust valves like that are common in the motorcycle world. They're used change the exhaust system's resonant frequencies in order to get a wider powerband while still allowing for tuning to extract maximum power. It seems like a neat innovative solution to use it to do a regen. Adding a regen method shows that Branson is paying attention to its customers.

I hope Branson did not reduce the amount of catalyst in the DOC or shrink the DPF now that there's a way to do a regen.

I wonder how you shift the synchro range transmission on an HST where there's no clutch? Yea I know you can do clutchless shifting by speed matching but that's not really a tractor operator type skill, and unless it's done right it's hard on the gears and synchros.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

I don't think there's any DEF used on tractors under 75hp. The emissions requirements get stricter (on a per HP basis) above 75hp, and that's where DEF is used.

Adding fuel to a diesel does raise the exhaust temp. I seems wacky to me too, coming from a spark ignition background.

Exhaust valves like that are common in the motorcycle world. They're used change the exhaust system's resonant frequencies in order to get a wider powerband while still allowing for tuning to extract maximum power. It seems like a neat innovative solution to use it to do a regen. Adding a regen method shows that Branson is paying attention to its customers.

I hope Branson did not reduce the amount of catalyst in the DOC or shrink the DPF now that there's a way to do a regen.

I wonder how you shift the synchro range transmission on an HST where there's no clutch? Yea I know you can do clutchless shifting by speed matching but that's not really a tractor operator type skill, and unless it's done right it's hard on the gears and synchros.

Just from looking at the underhood picture, it looks like the DPF filter is bigger in physical size than the one I took off of my 25 series.

I do like that they've stayed with a stand alone system that doesn't tie into the engine controls, and no engine ECU needed so far. That at least means that so far, it could still all accidentally fall off if it needed to. But this seems like an improvement over the entirely passive system previously used.

 

[K5lwq]

The way it appears Branson attacked this issue there should not be any more fuel consumption then when you have the engine set at high RPM. The systems that use more fuel have a way of injecting fuel into the exhaust. The fuel injectors on the Branson will deliver the same amount of fuel as normal.

The engine would be richer only because of the lack of air flow. This could result in some raw fuel to be pulled into the exhaust. I still am not convinced this would generate anymore heat that could be created by increasing back pressure in the filter.

I do not believe they changed anything in the DOC/DPF. It appears to be exactly the same as mine.

What I would like to know is if the gate valve adjust to maintain a certain temperature or if it closes to a predetermined setting. My guess is that it can modulate because the plug has 5 wires going to the valve motor. It would only need 3 wires to open and close.

It also appears that when there is an issue with the gate valve, you would have to buy a new tailpipe with the valve assembly. That probably will be costly. Then the question becomes how long the valve motor can last with the high temperature being produced during a regen?

 

[ptsg]

The way it appears Branson attacked this issue there should not be any more fuel consumption then when you have the engine set at high RPM. The systems that use more fuel have a way of injecting fuel into the exhaust. The fuel injectors on the Branson will deliver the same amount of fuel as normal.

The engine would be richer only because of the lack of air flow. This could result in some raw fuel to be pulled into the exhaust. I still am not convinced this would generate anymore heat that could be created by increasing back pressure in the filter.

I do not believe they changed anything in the DOC/DPF. It appears to be exactly the same as mine.

What I would like to know is if the gate valve adjust to maintain a certain temperature or if it closes to a predetermined setting. My guess is that it can modulate because the plug has 5 wires going to the valve motor. It would only need 3 wires to open and close.

It also appears that when there is an issue with the gate valve, you would have to buy a new tailpipe with the valve assembly. That probably will be costly. Then the question becomes how long the valve motor can last with the high temperature being produced during a regen?

Looks like the valve is basically a stepper motor. The Data logger or whatever will control the DPF, will adjust the valve as needed.

Regarding the durability of the motor under the extreme heat, the variable geometry turbos use the same stepper motor style to control the geometry without any issues. I think it'll be fine, plus Branson did put the butterfly valve the furthest away from the DPF they could without being visible with the hood closed.

 

[ericm979]

The same style valves work fine for the life of the vehicle in a sports motorcycle which has 180hp, and the valve is inside the fairing where it gets less air. A 55hp engine makes much less heat. Also diesels have cooler exhaust than spark ignition engines.

Branson already had a temp sensor on the DPF+DOC and the data logger reads it.

I wonder if Branson recommends a stopped regen (and monitoring it so you know when to turn it off) or its ok to work it during the regen. If the regens are just to deal with that small percentage of owners who have problems now, few people would ever need to do them.