Underpowered 3130 back from dealer....

[bugstruck]

Henro, I was wrong on this one too. I of all people should know better given my background. CTyler and I were both writing % and thinking degrees. So his and my comments are still relvant to one another, just need some adjusting in everyone else's mind.

Your rise over run comment, with 100% slope being 45 degrees is absolutely correct. Take a 50" stick level it. Vertical measure the downslope end to the ground in inches. Double that and that's your percentage of slope. You could do it with a 10 inch stick and multiple the vertical by 10 times but the sample area would be too small for even rough accuracy.

Good to get the cobwebs out of that closet. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[bugstruck]

Skypup, I may complain a bit on power but got to say, regarding your post......Love it. LOL. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Wow, that was appropriate. We get way too serious on this stuff. That sure makes the day better!! Man I'm still laughing.....

Thanks

 

[SkyPup]

LOL /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Our 3130 has 600+ hrs of heavy duty hard seat time on it and never has issued a discernable whine or whimper yet!

 

[Bob_Young]

The 3130 HST may not be underpowered so much as it's mated to the wrong tranmission. HST losses to the driving wheels might simply be more than can be tolerated in some loading configurations. It would be interesting to hear what 3130 GST owners are experiencing for comparison.

The 3130, smallest of the Grand L's, shares a great many things with its larger siblings; among them the HST. An HST design that's optimized for a higher output engine, is going to be sub optimum for a smaller engine. This could very easily push it into the realm where worst case tractor loading combined with worst case terrain features along with possible subpar operator technique turns the tractor into a dog.

Once one has settled on a tractor size, I've never understood the logic of going with the lowest output engine. Nothing like having the extra power on hand if you need it. You can always keep the thing trottled back when you don't. Tractors, after all, are all about power.

Ramon, what is the terrain elevation where you are operating? Are you in the mountains or significantly above sea level? How about the dealer where you had it tested, is he located in a valley? Are you running an air conditioner to keep that cab cool?
Bob

 

[_RaT_]

High range obviously is not going to be able to do alot, but it may not necessarily be to high. Remember, he has a hoe, a loader, perhaps ballasted tires. That adds what, 1200 for the hoe, 1300 for the loader/bucket and about 1000lbs for R4's ballasted. That's 3500 pounds extra that some folks don't have. When I mow, I have none of those except a 1000lb mower sitting on four wheels of it's own. I mentioned that there are times I'm in high and don't know it right off the bat. Of course, I have a little more HP too with the L3830.

I think Ramon knows all about the HST pedal. This is not his first tractor but his third or fourth and as I recall, he had HST before. I think a test drive around the dealers lot IF it had any inclines to go up and down would have spoke volumes about the tractors ability to move. My dealer did and I knew exactly what the L3830 HST could and could not do. I could not mash the HST down in M with high RPM and not bog the engine down to the point of stalling. It had a loader, but no mower. (by the way, you can't do that on a gear tractor in a gear that will give you 7 mph either)

I really think his expectations far exceed the L3130's ability. The .1 mph in low range even with all the extra weight is perhaps an exageration. The smoke, a result of being so ticked that he forced the tractor to do it anyway. I should think a simple resolution would be to trade up but I doubt Kubota is in his future. If he did go to a few tractor sizes bigger, he could keep the hoe, if he went L3830 he could keep the loader and even the Curtis cab. Selling his tractor is easily an option because it probably is not so much there is a problem with it, it's the small powerplant. He could sell stating he wants more, bigger, faster and in all honesty, thats probably the only thing wrong with this Kubota being the smallest in HP of the L 30's but almost the same size as all the rest with mere pounds separating it.

 

[SkyPup]

He may want to see if any of the high pressure HST lines have been bent or disfigured underneath the chassis from contact with a foreign object, thereby creating a decrease in flow to the unit.

Engine still operates and sounds right, however the hydro unit is starving for oil....

Had the same thing happen to me on my old Massey Ferguson 1030 Hydro when I bent the high pressure pump line going from the pump to the hydro. It took me two years to figure this one out by accident, because I had another large branch get caught in the same place and rupture the line sending hydraulic fluid out all over the place. When I replaced that line, suddenly the tractor had a 25% INCREASE in power. For years I was thinking the engine was underpowered until I replaced that line.

Also, a defective or clogged high pressure hydro filter could also cause the same problem of lack of power although everything else sounds and works great.

 

[Bob_Young]

Turbochargers are practically a bolt-on option for the larger diesels, from what I've heard. Anyone know if there are afermarket turbochargers available for the 3130 engine?

Ramon is in a bind with that tractor. I wouldn't want to be selling something I knew the buyer was going to have issues with. Maybe a little boost on the input side would make a difference.
Bob

 

[_RaT_]

Bob, if the dealer checks it out and says everything is as it should be as Ramon did, I would have no issues selling it. He simply made a mistake buying too small of a HP tractor coupled with high expectations. Throw 3500 pounds in a half ton pickup and see if it still carries the hills the same. The tractor will still have 2 years of warranty and as many folks here with L3130's can attest too, they are quite happy with theirs. I would love to see a turbo retro kit from Kubota.

 

[SkyPup]

A turbocompressor would not do any good without increased fueling to accompany the increased airflow, matching the two is a rather difficult process, not to mention the components may not be able to handle the increased torque and power.

 

[Grassgod]

I have a 3130 with Gst, prior to it I had a 99' JD 790. I had the first years 790 with a true 30hp, 24 pto. I have had my 3130 GST for 7 months & have just about 300 hours on it now. The 3130 will blow away & out perform the 790 hands down. I demoed the Hst 3130 for a weekend before I purchased. I did notice the GST is definitly more powerful. The dealer told my the HST robs power from the engine.
After reading all this I am glad i did opt for the Gst. I have used my 3130 in many situations, plowing 19" of snow, digging 36" deep trenches up hill for utilties, loading material onto my trucks, Brushhoging both tall grass & brush, Spreading top soil, spreading gravel, uprooting stumps 12" in diameter & the list goes on & on, I am a landscaper & do small exacvation work as well. I have bolt on wheel wieghts that I put on only when my back hoe is off which is sledom. I have never run into an issue where the 3130 lacked power! I do know how to properly operate it though which makes a large difference. I backfilled a 3000 sq ft foundation in sept & i did lack traction but using 4 wd & differential lock got the job done. Never stalled it. I cant speak for the HST but the GST 3130 definitly does NOT lack power by any means. If you need operating instructions, send me a round trip airline ticket & I will consider it /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif , until then keep practicing.

Best of luck!

 

[Av8r3400]

Unless where Ramone lives is at a higher altitude (2000' +). In that case a turbo "normalizer" will re-establish a sea-level HP rating without causing damage to the Motor. This may also be the reason for the smoking, high altitude=less air=excessive fuel/smoke=reduced power.

 

[_RaT_]

Grassgod, I think you are right on target. If your needing maximum power from a relatively small diesel, I think mating it to a GST makes a lot of sense. Kubotas GST is an outstanding alternative to HST, especially in this application and for what you do.

 

[SkyPup]

Even a loaded L-3130 with GST will not go up a 10% incline in 12th gear at ten miles an hour, in 9th or 10th gear it will do it about 3-4 mph.

 

[farmerEd]

Henro is right about percent slope being rise over run. I was a county agent for 6 years and I used to teach Land Judging. Part of the contest was determining Percent slope. A quick way to roughly estimate a slope is to stand on the slope, hold a yardstick as level as possible at eye height, sight out like a gun to where you hit the slope, step off the distance (after determining your stride length) to the spot, divide the height to your eye in feet by the distance you stepped off in feet, multiply this answer by 100 to get percent slope. Unless your slope is extremely steep(over 40%) this will give you a fairly accurate answer.

I attached a photo of the slope of our drive the DOT left us with when they widened the highway by us. It is around a 13% slope which is quite steep. I use the L3130 to haul trailers of wet mulch up this hill. The load in the trailer is about 2500lbs and the trailer weighs about 700lbs. The L3130 had no problem pulling the load up this hill in 4th gear ( I have the manual transmission) I hardly noticed the load going up. (That's 4th gear in low range of course)

With that in mind I still contend that Ramon's problem is too much weight on his machine for the slope he's trying to go up. If he has ruled out engine trouble and truly has the tractor in low range then there is not much else it could be. Perhaps he should try unloading the tires and go up the slope again.

 

[farmerEd]

Here is another picture of the slope

 

[farmerEd]

And one more from the top. You should have seen how steep it was before I got our county commissioner out and he got them to redo the slope. When I say it is a 13% slope that is on the steepest part of the grade near the center of the hill going up.

 

[ronjhall]

<font color="blue"> Mine also seemed to be one of the few on this list that won't pick the front end up with the loader arms. It will curling the bucket down, but It barely comes off the ground 1" when using the arms. </font>
That is one of the problems that shows up when using UDT instead of Super UDT. Do you know what oil your tractor has in it?

 

[Harley97]

New registered user, but I have used this site for a lot of information and felt it was time for my two cents worth. I purchased a 3130 in March of 03, and have had no issues at all. I have owed a tractor before, and have used this one for a lot of different tasks all with no power issues. I agree with the others, try selling it and and or trading in on a larger one.

 

[ramon49]

Farmered, That'a paved road.......Sorry! you comparing apples to oranges...

 

[ramon49]

altitude is 4200 feet .....