Add turbo

Oil pan 4

Active member

Equipment
L185 turbo
Sep 21, 2017
412
107
43
NM
I ran the adiabatic compression calculation and it looks like if the turbo was 100% efficient, which its not at 6psi of boost my intake air temperature would be 144F if I stated with 80F air.
So if I'm only running 70% efficiency it could be more like 160F.
Even at 4psi I would be looking at 125F if the compressor was 100% efficient.
So an intercooler is probably not a horrible idea.
 
Last edited:

JeffL

Member

Equipment
B7200E, B4200DT
Jan 8, 2016
344
6
18
North Central Ar.
I wouldn't use any efficiency higher than 70% even if the manufacture claims higher. Just my take on the real world and it's nice to have margin.
Yes, I would use a cooler, any is better than none unless it is a (large) restriction.
 

Oil pan 4

Active member

Equipment
L185 turbo
Sep 21, 2017
412
107
43
NM
Peak efficiency on the rhb31 is 68%, but I will be using it around 55% to 65% efficiency areas of the map.
So it could be pretty warm.
 

Oil pan 4

Active member

Equipment
L185 turbo
Sep 21, 2017
412
107
43
NM
The Toyota mr2 intercooler seems like a decent choice. Definitely get one with 2.25 inch pipes.
 

JeffL

Member

Equipment
B7200E, B4200DT
Jan 8, 2016
344
6
18
North Central Ar.
I had forgotten how inefficient these small turbos are. The TB02 (dates me) was the only small turbo I have owned and played with. Pulling from some brain cells I tried many times to kill: I think it was 55% at 18psi on a 2.2l IDI.
 

200mph

Well-known member

Equipment
L4740-3 Cab, FEL, Fnt Snow Blower L2185, LP Finish Mower, LP Rotary Mower
Mar 3, 2017
1,228
58
48
PA
Also interested in an update.
 

Oil pan 4

Active member

Equipment
L185 turbo
Sep 21, 2017
412
107
43
NM
Took the turbo stuff used the tractor like normal, but now it's going back on.
I made a battery and intercooler bracket out of 304 stainless.
I ordered all the couplers I think I should need from frozenboost dot com because they usually ship next day and I'm so close to them I get it in a about 1 day.
The battery box was all rotted away so I took it apart with my plasma cutter and built it back with 304 stainless steel 1.5 inch 1/8 thick angle. And some flat bar to hold the intercooler.
Intercooler is going in horizontal.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user

jimh406

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
Kubota L2501 with R4 tires
Jan 29, 2021
2,154
1,557
113
Western MT
A guy here added a turbo to a L2501. He cheated though. He works on diesels all of the time. :D I’m sure he probably could sell a kit to the L2501 owners if he bothered to put it together. Apparently, he’s too busy to put it together. ;)

I’m not really sure if it is “legal” or not.
 

Matt Ellerbee

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
MX6000
Jun 27, 2019
1,656
1,859
113
Canton, Georgia
A guy here added a turbo to a L2501. He cheated though. He works on diesels all of the time. :D I’m sure he probably could sell a kit to the L2501 owners if he bothered to put it together. Apparently, he’s too busy to put it together. ;)

I’m not really sure if it is “legal” or not.
What’s illegal about it?
 

Oil pan 4

Active member

Equipment
L185 turbo
Sep 21, 2017
412
107
43
NM
I had to put my air filter up high because of all the dust here, oh and the intercooler is where the air filter is supposed to be.
 

Oil pan 4

Active member

Equipment
L185 turbo
Sep 21, 2017
412
107
43
NM
I got the intercooler to engine pipe done it was easy. I'm going to go with tig welded 1.5 inch 0.062'' wall 304 stainless for most of the intercooler pipes.
I will be chopping the hood, but my hood is held together with rust and bondo so no big loss there.
Need to update with pics.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user

Oil pan 4

Active member

Equipment
L185 turbo
Sep 21, 2017
412
107
43
NM
I'm 1 flexible elbow, 1 cut and 1 weld away from being able to fire it up.
We'll the oil doesn't have a return yet, I will probably just jam a line in the dipstick hole.
As soon as that elbow comes in I can make that last fitment adjustment, welder up and the turbo pipes will be all done. The intercooler needs a fan too but that doesn't have to be done immediately.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user

Oil pan 4

Active member

Equipment
L185 turbo
Sep 21, 2017
412
107
43
NM
I fired it up with a container under the oil return, it gets good oil flow a little too good, I may need to choke it down a bit.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users

Oil pan 4

Active member

Equipment
L185 turbo
Sep 21, 2017
412
107
43
NM
The kubota makes around 50 psi of oil pressure cold, it runs about a half quart of oil per minute.
I tried some blade work with the now turbo charged kubota, the turbo barely kicked in.
This weekend I'll put the brush shredder on and that will test it.
 
Last edited:

Oil pan 4

Active member

Equipment
L185 turbo
Sep 21, 2017
412
107
43
NM
I put the brush hog on the turbota and it was running good, real good. But the first time I got on the boost the exhaust manifold gasket let loose after several minutes. It was pretty much just rust.
I bought a new gasket a couple of years ago but seem to have misplaced it. It has plenty of power and doesn't roll coal hardly at all.