Oil & Fuel new kioti dk45 hst guzzling diesel

[DK35vince]

as far as rpm's, the dealer told me to keep it on that "mark" on the rpm display. obviously, when you start it, it seems way to much--and smoke billows out the exhaust.

Start the engine at slow Idle.
Cold starting an engine(with no oil pressure at startup) at high RPM's is BAD!!!

 

[irwin]

as far as rpm's, the dealer told me to keep it on that "mark" on the rpm display. obviously, when you start it, it seems way to much--and smoke billows out the exhaust.

I agree with others, that's a good way to prematurely wear out an engine. Not all tractor dealers are experts in machine care, not all salesmen know what they're talking about.

I start my engines at half throttle and lower it a bit after it starts, depending on ambient temperatures I'll warm it up for a few minutes at 1300-1500 rpm. Working rpm's is dependent on the job at hand..cutting grass = higher rpm, backhoe = mid-rpm.

My advice for a new diesel engine is to keep it slightly under PTO max throttle for 50 to 100 hours. Let it break in gently for a while.

 

[jimmyj]

I asked the same sort of questions recently. The TBN'ers were a lot of help.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/kioti-owning-operating/140459-ck-30-rpms.html?highlight=rpms

 

[DK35vince]

Idle down to lower RPM's to engage the PTO also.
If you are running high engine speeds like that when turning on the Power take off with a brush mower on you will be picking up and replacing parts.

 

[steve0413]

According to Kioti the DK45SE HST has a 11.9 gal (45 L) fuel tank.

The specs do show that it holds 11.9 gallons, but, I have refilled it a couple of times when I could see the bottom of the tank (with the gauge showing E) and it will only take on slightly less than 8 gallons. Maybe my local store where I fuel up is giving me 3 gallons extra. Either way, at 47 hrs it's a fuel hog in my opinion.

All that being said, now that I'm getting used to the hydrostat and proper operations of the backhoe, I'm loving it and it is a timesaving workhorse.

 

[Gil Case]

Somewhere in this forum is a very good post by Rick Wallace on the reason for keeping RPM's up when using an HST. Not that I understood all the technical stuff, but as some one said, I do understand that HST's love high RPMs. On my CK20HST I was told to keep it at 2100-2200 if your moving. Also Jamming the HST pedal down is a big NO NO according to the gospel of Rick. I am a believer.

 

[stwyatt]

well i used the tractor alot this weekend, starting it at lower rpm--seemed much more logical. i think it just uses a lot of fuel, because it works great, and i have no problems. there's no doubt i'm still learning to use the hst but its worth it. thanks for all the ideas, help

 

[PA hayseed]

I have 300+hrs on my dk45 se hst which is almost 2 years old. When cutting grass at high rpms I use a good bit of fuel. When doing FEL work and not travelling at high speeds I don't use nearly as much.

An additional note when comparing the DK's fuel consumption vs. other models/brands, take into account the weight of the two different tractors. More weight requires more power to move. I start my tractor at lower rpm's then crank it up as needed. I tramp down on the hst pedal everytime I am on the road, or mowing grass. I don't cut grass in high and medium seems too slow (HST).One other thing to consider, take your loader arms off your tractor when cutting grass. You will notice a very big fuel saving when your not lugging about several hundred pounds. If taking the arms off is a bit of a chore, make sure to remove the bucket at least.

My 45 does not have a 11+ gallon tank. No way it does. When I bought it the website said it did. I have filled that tank so many times I know it takes about 8 when it is almost bone dry.

 

[steve0413]

PA hayseed,

Some good points about lugging around the extra weight when not needed. I also have a cab on my DK45 which adds additional weight.

Also, thanks for verifying my observations about the capacity of the fuel tank. Kioti really needs to correct their documentation when referring to the fuel tank capacity.

 

[IslandTractor]

Also, thanks for verifying my observations about the capacity of the fuel tank. Kioti really needs to correct their documentation when referring to the fuel tank capacity.

Is it the capacity or the fuel gauge setting that is off? Sometimes vehicle manufacturers are conservative in how they set the "empty" level on the gauge to avoid running out of fuel. I've never run dry and I typically add 5 gallons at a time when the gauge reads about half so I don't know.

 

[rcrcomputing]

my ck30 takes 5 gal and that's it. Manual says something like 7.8 gal as I recall. Untrue.

 

[steve0413]

Is it the capacity or the fuel gauge setting that is off? Sometimes vehicle manufacturers are conservative in how they set the "empty" level on the gauge to avoid running out of fuel. I've never run dry and I typically add 5 gallons at a time when the gauge reads about half so I don't know.

I've never ran it dry, but I can clearly see the dry bottom of the tank when it will only take 8 gallons. Of course that view is only straight down from the cap and it's possible there are 4 gallons hidden in a lower part of the tank that I can't see from the nozzle.

 

[IXLR8]

my ck30 takes 5 gal and that's it. Manual says something like 7.8 gal as I recall. Untrue.

Hmmm, on my CK30, when the gauge gets down near empty I put in 5 gallons and have room left over!!??

 

[Highbeam]

my ck30 takes 5 gal and that's it. Manual says something like 7.8 gal as I recall. Untrue.

Me too. I have gotten way more than 5 gallons in my CK30 tank on a refill and have never run it dry. Remember that when you look into the filler neck and see the bottom that that isn't really the bottom the tank goes deeper towards the dash.

 

[PAB_OH]

5 gallons for me too. I've never been able to pput more in it. I've had mine BONE DRY and it will only take 5 gallons.

I'm thinking of mounting a mini keg on it!

 

[rcrcomputing]

Me too. I have gotten way more than 5 gallons in my CK30 tank on a refill and have never run it dry. Remember that when you look into the filler neck and see the bottom that that isn't really the bottom the tank goes deeper towards the dash.

When it says empty, you have to run it for a while longer before you can manage to get all 5 gallons in it. I once thought, I'll run for awhile longer and at one time it sputtered like it was out of gas. Remembering all the folks hear telling us to NEVER let the diesel run out of gas, I immediately shut it down and filled it up with 5 gallons.

 

[Highbeam]

I hope my post wasn't too tricky. I mean to agree with the poster that thinks that there is much more than 5 gallons of capacity. Just yesterday I mowed pasture for 11 hours straight and stopped for a late lunch when the tank gauge indicated 1/4 remaining. I bring a full 5 gallon container with me to these long mow jobs since the Kioti burns so much. I was able to pour all 5 gallons into the tank and still had more than an inch of head space below the filler neck.

I believe that the 7 or 8 gallons spec'd by Kioti is correct on my tractor. I do wish that the tank was at least 12 gallons to allow for a full day of work though.