How to tell what models have turbos?

mcfarmall

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Kubota M5660SUHD, Farmall C
Sep 11, 2013
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Kalamazoo, MI
Turbo's tend to last thousands of hours with proper oil and a few minutes of idling before shutdown. Fear not the turbo.
 
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ChuckL

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Kubota
Sep 9, 2021
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Turbo's tend to last thousands of hours with proper oil and a few minutes of idling before shutdown. Fear not the turbo.
Help me understand, from what i have read on gasoline engines they wear out and need to be replaced and do not last the lifetime of the car how are the turbos on a diesel different?
 

mcfarmall

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Kubota M5660SUHD, Farmall C
Sep 11, 2013
1,377
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Kalamazoo, MI
All moving parts will wear out eventually. Typically, if you make a habit out of running your turbo engine hard and the shutting it down right away, the oil that lubricates the turbine shaft can "coke" up cause bearing failure. From my experience with gas and diesel turbo engines, the use and care principles are the same. I haven't had any turbo failure personally and no one in my sphere of acquaintances has had any turbos fail. I've heard of them "blowing" on superstock pulling tractors but that's it.
 

PaulL

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B2601
Jul 17, 2017
2,098
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They seem to go fine on diesel trucks, and they've been around for a long time. Probably depends a bit on how you use it, and how many hours you're putting on it.

For people at altitude, or who need more power, a turbo is the way to go. At sea level and if you're not really power limited for your application, a lazy larger displacement engine may be the way to go. The turbos tend to kick in around 40hp on the Kubota machines. How large of a machine are you looking at?

Certainly on a diesel car or light truck I'd never consider a non-turbo - just not enough power otherwise. For a tractor....depends. My B2601 is non-turbo, and even so is only 1100cc. Staying under 26HP with a turbo engine would probably be hard. The L2501 is also non-turbo, with a 1600cc engine. The L3301 has 8HP more in 1800cc - also non-turbo. Looks like the L3901 is same engine with different tuning, also non-turbo.
 

ChuckL

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Kubota
Sep 9, 2021
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I'm looking at the LX2610 or LX3310 one has a turbo the other does not. I would go bigger but i like the belly mowers and deluxe tractor.

They would be used to mostly mow the grass with a 60" belly mower. 2 1/2 acres around the house and 16 acres of field to bush hog, i already have a 60" bush hog....damn thing is heavy!

The field only gets cut once a year so the grass is as tall as the tractor. The issue is it used to be a christmas tree farm so there is stumps hidden all over the place it had about 600 trees at one point. The stumps are not big 4" around some bigger some smaller but there height varies.

I worry about damage when i hit one but that is what a shear bolt is for right? I just moved and have only mowed the yard around the house.

I am waiting on the frost before i bush hog the field. May rent it to a farmer once i get settled in. Driveway is almost a mile long so i need to clear it of snow do up keep on it.

Old tractor is a 2008 B2620 that i wish had more power. I can bog it down mowing the yard it has thick grass as it used to be a pasture for cows.
 

Matt Ellerbee

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MX6000
Jun 27, 2019
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Canton, Georgia
I'm looking at the LX2610 or LX3310 one has a turbo the other does not. I would go bigger but i like the belly mowers and deluxe tractor.

They would be used to mostly mow the grass with a 60" belly mower. 2 1/2 acres around the house and 16 acres of field to bush hog, i already have a 60" bush hog....damn thing is heavy!

The field only gets cut once a year so the grass is as tall as the tractor. The issue is it used to be a christmas tree farm so there is stumps hidden all over the place it had about 600 trees at one point. The stumps are not big 4" around some bigger some smaller but there height varies.

I worry about damage when i hit one but that is what a shear bolt is for right? I just moved and have only mowed the yard around the house.

I am waiting on the frost before i bush hog the field. May rent it to a farmer once i get settled in. Driveway is almost a mile long so i need to clear it of snow do up keep on it.

Old tractor is a 2008 B2620 that i wish had more power. I can bog it down mowing the yard it has thick grass as it used to be a pasture for cows.
Probably should have opened with this. I read your first post as you are doing a project and need a turbo...
 

ChuckL

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Kubota
Sep 9, 2021
9
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Probably should have opened with this. I read your first post as you are doing a project and need a turbo...
Yes i should have. Would have made more sense lol

I don't want to replace the turbo every 600 hours but looking for suggestions. :)

I would also trade my B2620 in on it.
 

Matt Ellerbee

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MX6000
Jun 27, 2019
1,654
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Canton, Georgia
Yes i should have. Would have made more sense lol

I don't want to replace the turbo every 600 hours but looking for suggestions. :)

I would also trade my B2620 in on it.
I don’t think you’d be replacing turbos like that. Keep a decent oil change schedule and let idle a bit after working hard before shutdown. You’ll be fine.

I would also think about selling your B outright. Used market is insane now.
 
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PaulL

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B2601
Jul 17, 2017
2,098
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113
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LX3310 is a relatively new model, but I assume the turbo on it is similar or same to the B3350 that came before it - the DPF equipment was the main change. I've heard no reports of premature turbo wear, and I'd consider 4-8,000 hours to be minimum life for a machine like that. If they were breaking under 2,000 hours people would be talking about it.

Would you get a cab? A stump grinder may be a good idea, or just chainsaw the taller ones down to a height where they don't interfere with the bush hog. After you've mowed the first time and found them all. It'd certainly be more pleasant mowing if the tractor wheels aren't bumping up and over stumps all the time.
 

ChuckL

New member

Equipment
Kubota
Sep 9, 2021
9
0
1
NJ
LX3310 is a relatively new model, but I assume the turbo on it is similar or same to the B3350 that came before it - the DPF equipment was the main change. I've heard no reports of premature turbo wear, and I'd consider 4-8,000 hours to be minimum life for a machine like that. If they were breaking under 2,000 hours people would be talking about it.

Would you get a cab? A stump grinder may be a good idea, or just chainsaw the taller ones down to a height where they don't interfere with the bush hog. After you've mowed the first time and found them all. It'd certainly be more pleasant mowing if the tractor wheels aren't bumping up and over stumps all the time.
That is a lot of hours! I don't want a cab really. What is the purpose of letting it idle for a few min before you shut it off?

A stump grinder would be nice but 600 stumps would take years to get rid of eventually they should rot and with a bush hog hitting them over time they should break down....might take 10 years lol

I have tired it and hit a few the bush hog seems to just bounce around them. I still worry about damage to my tractor. The bush hog i bought used for $750 so it's not such a big deal.


Thanks for the advice.
 

PaulL

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B2601
Jul 17, 2017
2,098
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I don't want a cab really.
If you don't want a cab, then consider if you really need a belly mower. If you went with an RFM and a bush hog, then you could look at an L series machine. L3901 would be an excellent tractor. No cab, no mid PTO. But built more strongly.

What is the purpose of letting it idle for a few min before you shut it off?
Turbos get hot when running hard - exhaust gas heat. If you turn off straight away, the oil in the turbo can cook, which then stops it lubricating next time you run it. Back in the day everyone had turbo timers on their cars. But in my view most people do the work they're doing, then they drive the tractor home and park it. You're usually not working it hard on the way home, so that's usually enough of a cool down in my book. But I don't actually have a turbo, so my theories may not match reality well.

A stump grinder would be nice but 600 stumps would take years to get rid of eventually they should rot and with a bush hog hitting them over time they should break down....might take 10 years lol

I have tired it and hit a few the bush hog seems to just bounce around them. I still worry about damage to my tractor. The bush hog i bought used for $750 so it's not such a big deal.
Yeah. I'd say you'll wreck your back before you wreck the tractor, they're pretty solid. Having said that, a stump could hit something underneath and break it, and it just sounds uncomfortable to me to be bouncing around like that.

I imagine running the brush hog, and it'll find a bunch of tall stumps that are really annoying. So you chainsaw them down at near ground level. Next time, there are a few that aren't quite as high, but you think "I could just tidy them up." Over time you get to a place where nothing's more than an inch or so above ground level, and it's moderately comfortable to drive over. Then, as you say, they rot from there.
 

ChuckL

New member

Equipment
Kubota
Sep 9, 2021
9
0
1
NJ
If you don't want a cab, then consider if you really need a belly mower. If you went with an RFM and a bush hog, then you could look at an L series machine. L3901 would be an excellent tractor. No cab, no mid PTO. But built more strongly.
If you don't want a cab, then consider if you really need a belly mower. If you went with an RFM and a bush hog, then you could look at an L series machine. L3901 would be an excellent tractor. No cab, no mid PTO. But built more strongly.


Yeah. I'd say you'll wreck your back before you wreck the tractor, they're pretty solid. Having said that, a stump could hit something underneath and break it, and it just sounds uncomfortable to me to be bouncing around like that.
Oh it's not that bad. Why the L3901 over a LX? I just looked and the L3901 is about the same price as a LX3310.

Not sure if i could get use to a RFM. Maybe i should buy one and see should i get a 5 or 6 foot? Local dealer has both on the lot...landprides.

Thanks Paul