Troubleshooting Kutje A2300N2-ATC : hard to start and overheating

[Harry in Ky]

Okay, so what have you used this tractor for in the past? Your current problem is something that just now showed up? Is this 10 ft mower something you just brought into the game? The over heating didn't take place before this mower came on the scene? We're still missing a lot of details here and making guesses based on assumptions.

More than likely the engine has no dedicated breather tube you could use to evaluate crankcase pressure or vapor flow, it's probably tied into the intake somewhere. This in itself adds to the possibility that compression pulses in the crankcase COULD be making noises in the intake that sound like they may be related to a head gasket leaking. My experience is that when a head gasket has leaks that bad, you notice it while running, not just hard starting. It will miss, at least run rough, it will smoke more than it did before, and it will most likely be low on power.

 

[FMFProperties]

Okay, so what have you used this tractor for in the past?

Mowing with a 5' mower. I really just bought it because my girlfriend was afraid I'd get cancer again so she doesn't want me out on my Massey when it's hot. I prefer the Massey even if it's smaller and doesn't have a/c. It was cheaper to spend $30k on the Branson than to listen to her all the time. Notice it only has 355 hours since i bought it in February 2018.

Your current problem is something that just now showed up? Yes

Is this 10 ft mower something you just brought into the game? Yes

The over heating didn't take place before this mower came on the scene? Yes

We're still missing a lot of details here and making guesses based on assumptions.

I'm ready to answer anything you ask, again not being a mechanic I don't know what else to tell you.

 

[ning]

it gets very hot after 15 minutes while cutting with the 10' mower

Ok this is interesting
1. "it gets very hot after 15 minutes while cutting with the 10' mower"
2. "if I use a lower gear it doesn't overheat"
3. 2018 Branson Tractor 4520C = 42hp PTO claimed
4. Has A/C

So aside from the likely (according to the above - I personally don't have a clue and came here to learn) head gasket.... that's a big mower for the tractor, and even in light stuff you're probably pushing it too hard when not in a low gear. If you have the A/C running, you could be down 1-4HP further, and if you're not cutting really light stuff, you're going to bog down really quickly. Given the likelihood of head gasket issues, you're almost certainly not at rated power, so running an already too-big mower makes it even more too-big.

What are you mowing?
How tall is it when you're mowing?
Is the ground level or sloped?
Which gear are you running in?
Is this a rotary or flail?

 

[Harry in Ky]

Well we know a bit more now than we did at the beginning of all this. I came in thinking the tractor (probably) handled this load without much problem at some point back when, but then things had changed. I agree that a 10 ft mower is probably pushing the tractor's limits to begin with. I see others pulling mowers that size with 50 HP tractors complaining of over heating. With everything optimal it doesn't take long for build up in the radiator and coolers to start taking affect. The added load of climbing hills in anything other than lower gears and you reach that "too hot" point pretty quickly. In this area everybody has hills so I'm just guessing you do as well.

Your description indicates you do have a problem, and if you're lucky it will only go as deep as a head gasket. I'll wait and see how that goes.

 

[FMFProperties]

Yes, the person who sold me the 10' rotary mower used engine HP instead of PTO HP so it's too big for the tractor, unless I go 3mph in a very low gear, but that defeats the purpose and I can mow with my Bad Boy Rogue 6' faster. I mow my smooth level runway so the grass is never over 4" or 5" tall. That's why I'm going to sell it but I can do that until I fix the tractor so I can demo it to any buyer. It's brand new.

 

[Harry in Ky]

Good luck with the head gasket.

 

[FMFProperties]

Good luck with the head gasket.

If it's something else it'll get fixed by the mechanic. I was just asking for ideas of things to check before he takes it away so I can learn new things.

 

[oldnslo]

When you are trying to mow with the 10 ft mower at your desired travel speed what is the RPM of engine vs not moving?

What color is the exhaust when trying to mow?

What happens if you take a partial cut like 7 or 8 ft vs full 10 ft?

 

[K5lwq]

Had the tractor not overheated and started having trouble then it would not be unreasonable for it to handle that type of mowing with the 10 ft. But you would have to keep an eye on it for sure. Also it wouldn’t be to terrible hard to add the turbo to that engine and pick up 7 or so more HP. But at this point we hope it is just the gasket but likely will be more than that as Harry explained. But fingers crossed.

 

[FMFProperties]

When you are trying to mow with the 10 ft mower at your desired travel speed what is the RPM of engine vs not moving?

I always kept the RPM in the green, can't remember what that was, would have to go look at the dash.

What color is the exhaust when trying to mow?

There was never any black or white smoke coming out of the exhaust.

What happens if you take a partial cut like 7 or 8 ft vs full 10 ft?

I don't know what you're asking here. I was either using the 5' mower or the 10' mower, I don't have any other mower.