I have a B2301, from what I understand the same / similar engine as the BX … and yes she smokes at startup. Running it I don’t notice…everyone is unique and has different sensitivities. In my case rubber makes my eyes burn.
What nobody mentions about a BX
- Thread starter Johnxman
- Start date
This post brings up a question for me. I rarely run my BX23S over 2500 RPM, in fact when running backhoe I'm usually at about 2100-2200 RPM. More fuel efficient (I think), quieter and plenty fast enough for me. Seems easier to use and keeps my operating skills from being "Jerky". Am I doing harm by running that low RPMs? Same with loader work, 2500 RPM is plenty of speed for me and the power change from 2500 to top end is unnoticeable for me.
GreensvilleJay
Well-known member
Equipment
BX23-S,57 A-C D-14,58 A-C D-14, 57 A-C D-14,tiller,cults,Millcreek 25G spreader,
I've run both the 2025R and now the B2601 at about 450 rpm PTO speed, about 2300 rpm on the B2601. I know from the 18.5 hp 4010 that I had first that I do not need the hp for brush hogging or wood chipping. They work fine at 450 PTO. The B2601's FEL is still a bit jerky unless you really feather the joy stick: too much hydraulic flow. The 2025R was butter smooth.
I've only ever needed full rpm on both the 2025R and B2601 when trying to dig stumps or other soil moving with FEL.
ve9aa
Well-known member
Equipment
TG1860, BX2380 -backblade, bx2830 snowblower, fel, weight box,pallet forks,etc
I haven't had the "fume" or smoky issue with my BX (1.5yrs ownership) or my TG (similar engine, just slightly smaller) and I've owned that for 16-17yrs. I even keep the tank full during the winter, parked in a shed and so am using at least 6mnth old fuel in early summer.
No issues.
Will the OP comment on where/when these fumes are occuring?
Is it inside a garage/barn/etc?
Is it only when parked and a slight breeze is blowing back at you?
Loader work?
Maybe it's never mentioned because it's not an overall issue?
No issues.
Will the OP comment on where/when these fumes are occuring?
Is it inside a garage/barn/etc?
Is it only when parked and a slight breeze is blowing back at you?
Loader work?
Maybe it's never mentioned because it's not an overall issue?
Thank you for this suggestion. It does make sense. I'm still in the "break in" period for this machine so i've been somewhat determined to operate in the lower range of rpms so the engine can seat properly. (the manual and many online videow) certainly emphasize this. I will try to move up to higher rpms , especially as i get past the first 50 hours.
Thanks for the specific questions. I certainly get plenty of particulates right on start up, but i gather that's unavoidable for diesel engines. typically this is in my garage. But i also notice it just out and working or mowing. It may be relevant that my property is surrounded by deep woods and i'm often working in the woods, so the chance for a breeze, especially now in high summer, is slight.
One of the things i wonder is if i'm just especially sensitive to diesel exhaust. i've never owned a diesel engine before. And although i quit 35 years ago, i'm a reformed smoker, which usually makes me quite sensitive to any smoke. So i suppose some of it may just be me. But whatever the cause, it's troublesome because i find myself coughing and feeling rocks in my throat almost all the time unless i stop using the tractor for a couple of days.
Another thing that i've learned is the BX, because of its low HP, is exempt from having to have certain emissions controls. This may be an explanation for why people with larger tractors have less issue with the exhaust, but i will admit i'm in over my head on this point.
I really appreciate everyone helping me with this issue.
My dealer's mechanic, who has been really great, suggested that if i continued to be bothered, i should maybe upgrade from an N95 mask to an actual respirator. I may try that next. just have to figure out what the right canisters are to use in it.
i live in suburban/rural New York, and i've not seen any source for higher quality Diesel fuel. It's all 40. Is there a secret to finding higher quality diesel?
Interesting. I've never seen "premium" diesel. Other than the northern states offering #1 for winter vs. #2 for summer, I'm not aware of different grades of diesel.
Red dyed fuel is just the same thing with dye added for off-road use. Comes out of the same pipes and goes one way to get the dye added, then gets sold for off-road use, while the other doesn't get the dye added and winds up at your local gas station for sale on road vehicles. Zero difference.
I'm have never heard of these "lower grade diesel fuels". Maybe 50 years ago?
^^^^
I’m unaware of the differences between the fuels but, one of our local stations has three grades of diesel fuel; Red-dye, Low-sulfur and premium diesel.
I assume “tier 1” gas stations (Chevron, Shell, 76, Exxon, etc.) carry only premium diesel?
Mike
I’m unaware of the differences between the fuels but, one of our local stations has three grades of diesel fuel; Red-dye, Low-sulfur and premium diesel.
I assume “tier 1” gas stations (Chevron, Shell, 76, Exxon, etc.) carry only premium diesel?
Mike
I suspect you simply need to modify your exhaust to redirect fumes away from you. I have done something like that on 2 of my tractors (one installed a pipe with angled tip facing away from me, other one installed a 'flapper valve' facing away from me) and although i am not sensitive to the exhaust per se, i did notice an improvement in 'pleasantness' both odor and noise level in the operator's seat.
Interesting. I would love to know what makes it 'premium" diesel. It's all low-sulfur, by law, and the red dye is just a tax issue.
I would guess, like gasoline, that they have an additive package that makes it "premium". Given the nature of diesel fuel, I suspect it's probably more hype than reality.
mcmxi
Well-known member
Lifetime Member
Equipment
***Current*** M6060HDC, MX6000HSTC & GL7000 ***Sold*** MX6000HST & BX25TLB
We have #1, #2, #1/#2 (50/50 winter blend only), and offroad diesel up here. The difference in #1 and #2 are the anti-jelling packages. I've been adding Stanadyne to diesel for years, even when I lived in Hawaii. It's an anti-jelling, anti-fungal additive.
armylifer
Well-known member
Lifetime Member
Equipment
BX1860, FEL, RCK54P MMM, BB1548 Box Scraper, Quick Hitch, Piranha Bar, BX6315
I was referring to how you store your fuel, not so much as where you get it. Diesel fuel is hydroscopic and if stored in a humid area it will absorb water and become "sour:.
ve9aa
Well-known member
Equipment
TG1860, BX2380 -backblade, bx2830 snowblower, fel, weight box,pallet forks,etc
Understand & am sympathetic to your sensitivities OP.
My son hates smoke....of any kind....and only the first time he mowed with the TG (which is nearly the same engine) did he complain.
That being said, on the mower, it's usually 3/4 throttle and you're generally moving along at a bit of a clip.
(he also chooses nearly perfect (Goldilocks) weather to mow-haha...not too hot, not too cold, slight breeze.
I could see on a hot, humid , summers day , in the woods, with little/no wind, how you'd get a faceful of fumes. Conversely, 98% of my land is open fields.
I like the suggestion of the pipe addition facing away from you, or even do like biffs equipment on youtube did (I think it was him)....he put an old school tractor exhaust pipe "stack" on it. Was it him? Now I am questioning that,....I think so, but not sure if he did that for fumes or black soot on his loader. To me, it actually looks like it closer to his face. But I digress
My son hates smoke....of any kind....and only the first time he mowed with the TG (which is nearly the same engine) did he complain.
That being said, on the mower, it's usually 3/4 throttle and you're generally moving along at a bit of a clip.
(he also chooses nearly perfect (Goldilocks) weather to mow-haha...not too hot, not too cold, slight breeze.
I could see on a hot, humid , summers day , in the woods, with little/no wind, how you'd get a faceful of fumes. Conversely, 98% of my land is open fields.
I like the suggestion of the pipe addition facing away from you, or even do like biffs equipment on youtube did (I think it was him)....he put an old school tractor exhaust pipe "stack" on it. Was it him? Now I am questioning that,....I think so, but not sure if he did that for fumes or black soot on his loader. To me, it actually looks like it closer to his face. But I digress
I like the smell of a non-DPF equipped diesel. Not for hours on end, but I like to catch some whiffs of it. Loved my L2501 when I had it. Engine started very well and had a nice diesel smell. My current machine filters it out. I still have a 2005 F-350 diesel. The only emissions controls it has is a cooled EGR, so it still smells and sounds proper. Just remember, larger particle emissions are better for you than fine particulate.
nbryan
Well-known member
Equipment
B2650 BH77 LA534 54" ssqa Forks B2782B BB1560 Woods M5-4 MaxxHaul 50039
My B2650 new was smokier at starting, and under heavy loads, when brand new than now with nearly 1000 hours on it. Not terrible, but is noticeably less sooty/smelly after maybe a few hundred hours.
For PTO implements and backhoe work I run at the working operating rpm specified, 2500rpm or pto 540rpm. The rest of the time, unless moving loader loads at the lift weight limit or driving 3rd gear down the road, I'm usually at around 2000 rpm for day to day loader and pallet forks work.
The diesel exhaust now is barely noticeable for odor.
Tier 1 gas has a specific additive package, pretty much identical to Techron, that is added to the fuel to provide additional cleaning.
Premium diesel is just marketing at its finest, there really is no definition. Some of the refiners have come out with a formulation package that slightly increases the miles/operating hours between DPF regeneration and thus can slightly decrease overall fuel consumption.
Fun info: gasoline is graded at retail by octane rating which is its ability to resist explosion when ignited under pressure while diesel is rated in cetane with higher numbers indicating its ability to combust more quickly and higher speed diesel engines benefit somewhat from higher cetane ratings BUT unlike gasoline, premium diesel has no specific definition that it has a higher cetane rating than non-premium diesel. In the diesel market, a fuel station can refer to diesel as premium simply because they have found that their customers are happier paying a premium price for diesel which of course also makes them happier.
I much prefer the smell of non-DPF treated diesel to the smell of a catalytic converter gas engine operating under load (i.e. following a baby size fake SUV towing far too large a trailer up a grade). I have owned my Deere 955 since 1995 and have never been bother by particulates, its exhaust pipe exits near the bottom of the engine compartment and that seems to keep any fumes and particulate away from the operator. My 2018 GMC is my first DPF equipped diesel, unlike its predecessors it still has a pristine looking exhaust pipe. The DPF does an excellent job of capturing particulate matter because that is its sole purpose; diesel particulate matter came under regulation because it is defined as a carcinogen (even outside of California where everything causes cancer
) Gas engines also create particulate matter, particularly direct injection types. All three of my cars have GDI engines and all produce far more noticeable particulate buildup than previous port injected engine cars. This is my Corvette Z06 in the video with about 200 miles on it since the last time I cleaned the particulate specs off the exhaust, it is particularly noticeable in the outer pipes which is where the majority of the flow occurs with its dual mode exhaust set to either the sport or track position. https://rodgersingley.smugmug.com/Corvette-idle/n-WBG75x/i-f2bgnmj/A
Rodger
Rodger, that Vette sounds very good. Must be an automatic though, with the remote start. (Can't say I blame you, the autos are now faster than the manuals). My 2020 Mustang has direct and port fuel injection, as well as active exhaust. It has four outlets, two are open all the time, and two are baffled by what looks like a throttle body on each side that opens and closes based on the setting you select as well as engine RPM. Your exhaust buildup is pretty light. GDI + turbo is the worst in my opinion for exhaust buildup. Fear not, however! The Eco-Warriors have already found a solution. The Gas Particulate Filter (GPF) is already a thing in Europe for GDI vehicles, and I believe a couple of higher-end Euro cars have made it to this country with a GPF (Mercedes S-Class, Porsche 911).
Anyway, back to tractors and fuel. The US requires highway diesel to have a minimum cetane rating of 40. Here in the northeast, I've never seen any pump marked higher than that. Of course you can buy the cetane booster which some people religiously do. On the Kubotas without a DPF, the best thing you can do to prevent particulate matter is run at an appropriately high RPM. Too low an RPM combined with load on the tractor = more unburnt fuel.
Anyway, back to tractors and fuel. The US requires highway diesel to have a minimum cetane rating of 40. Here in the northeast, I've never seen any pump marked higher than that. Of course you can buy the cetane booster which some people religiously do. On the Kubotas without a DPF, the best thing you can do to prevent particulate matter is run at an appropriately high RPM. Too low an RPM combined with load on the tractor = more unburnt fuel.