Kubota bx1880 (16 Hp diesel) at 7,400 elevation

[Redhawk454]

I own a 2023 Kubota bx1880 that I bought last year in Iowa that I used on our farm that’s at ~800 elevation. I moved back to Colorado and I recently brought my bx1880 back to Colorado in the mountains at 7,400’ elevation.

I noticed it takes a few more seconds to start as if it’s in the negatives with I block heater. I thought the battery was worn from the months of sitting out in Iowa over the winter or mayhaps the starter was just a pos. I went to the local Kubota dealer in Denver and they said it’s very underpowered for that elevation and that they don’t even carry the 1880 in Colorado because of the altitude issue. They also said that my Kubota will experience a significant horsepower loss at 16 hp at 7,400 elevation. They also said that tractor should rly be at 30 hp in the mountains. They told to either run at at Wide open throttle or get a tractor that has More hp as no adjustment can be made since its fuel injected. They also said that in the long term it could increase wear over time at that elevation.

Anyway once my bx1880 is on I don’t notice hp loss or anything but that’s just loader work and I haven’t put the mower on.

Is there anything that can be done to accommodate the engine to higher altitude? Is increased wear a thing with these tiny naturally aspirated displacement diesels at 7,400 elevation?

 

[Rand]

if its making less power why would wear be increased?
it should be down 20-21% on power..

 

[Redhawk454]

I don’t know, most compact Kubotas are naturally aspirated. I can understand having a 30 hp tractor to have more wiggle room when it comes to running implements but I was thrown off by the increased wear comment.

 

[D60]

Different animal but my L2800 is perfectly fine at ~6700 around 4 Corners

As to your question.....forced induction. Duh.

 

[Redhawk454]

They said the elevation is so high that I’m suffocating the little D722 engine

 

[D60]

Oh and since new in '05 I've NEVER had a block heater . And I just recently replaced the battery. From 2005

 

[Rand]

They said the elevation is so high that I’m suffocating the little D722 engine

They trying to sell you a new tractor... DUH.

 

[Redhawk454]

Oh and since new in '05 I've NEVER had a block heater . And I just recently replaced the battery. From 2005

My diesel is natty bruh, I wouldn’t even know how to go about turbocharging that little d722. And I like block beaters. Keeps my diesel nice and toasty in the winter so I can run 15w40 year round

 

[dnewton3]

All n/a engines lose approximately 3% power per 1000 feet of elevation.
Turbos also lose power, but can compensate to some degree by forced induction.

If you need more power than what the BX1880 has at elevation, the solution is to get a bigger tractor with a bigger engine. It's not practical to add a turbo to that little engine, as you'd have to tune the injection events for the added air density, and I seriously doubt that's a cost-effective track to follow.

The increase in wear is debatable. If you ran it wide open just to compensate for the power loss, it's at least conceivable that higher rpm would generate a bit more wear than if you could run half-throttle at a lower altitude. But ... given that these engines pretty much run forever, the practical answer is that it's a moot point.

 

[D60]

My diesel is natty bruh, I wouldn’t even know how to go about turbocharging that little d722. And I like block beaters. Keeps my diesel nice and toasty in the winter so I can run 15w40 year round

I STILL run 15W40 year round. The cold here is different than Iowa cold. Iowa is BRUTAL

But yeah, block heaters always good!! I just don't care enough....

 

[cptbarkey]

Stop talking to dealers.

 

[MRC01]

If you can tolerate the power loss, the only real problem is that it will run too rich. That's mostly harmless, but it could flood on cold starts. Too bad it's fuel injected because carburetors are often adjustable for altitude. It might start better without the choke. A less restrictive air filter, or exhaust, can help it run leaner. At least make sure they're clean and unobstructed. Normally non-ethanol gas is better for these small engines but an E10 fuel should make it run slightly leaner which can help with the altitude. But then you don't want to let the fuel sit in it for too long.

 

[Redhawk454]

If you can tolerate the power loss, the only real problem is that it will run too rich. That's mostly harmless, but it could flood on cold starts. Too bad it's fuel injected because carburetors are often adjustable for altitude. It might start better without the choke. A less restrictive air filter, or exhaust, can help it run leaner. At least make sure they're clean and unobstructed. Normally non-ethanol gas is better for these small engines but an E10 fuel should make it run slightly leaner which can help with the altitude. But then you don't want to let the fuel sit in it for too long.

bruh. It’s a diesel engine

 

[Cujet]

As mentioned above, the HP lapse rate is about 3% per 1000 feet. 7.4x3=22.2% loss or 16.6HPx77.8%=12.9HP.
That's for most engines. There are some interesting gotcha's with that though.


I dispute the wear issue, as I know of no engine that wears faster when asked to make less power. Assuming RPM is the same.

You'll have to try it and see if it's good enough for you. Starting can be an issue at higher elevations, especially when cold, as there is less air to compress, so less heat is produced to ignite the fuel.

Since the Kubota 44 cubic inch engine is a 20HP engine, detuned to 16.6HP, there is a very real possibility that 16HP worth of fuel is being injected (as always) and there is sufficient intake air to support more than 12HP before it reaches the smoke limit. (I don't know if the injection system has any form of altitude compensation). If not, it's likely to make somewhere between 13 and 16.6HP.

Put simply, "de-rated" engines can often produce rated power up to a certain elevation/altitude.

 

[c502cid]

I wonder if my ol' Case diesel makes 10HP on a good day. Just forget you ever heard any of it and work it like you would normally. Forget about power loss calculations because everything has it at altitude, including old guys like me.

 

[Chris142]

needs a turbo at those elevations

 

[walterjay]

If it's doing the job just run it. Don't worry about wear. Cheaper than a new machine. Maybe change the oil a bit more often.

 

[MRC01]

bruh. It’s a diesel engine

Silly me, should have read the title!

 

[thastinger]

What do you do with the "tractor"? Not many ground implements will work with 13HP.

 

[oil pan 4]

Turbo it.
My little Kubota l185 was really struggling to run my revamped brush shredder when did a +10 inch width increase mod to it.
I figured a turbo was cheaper than buying another tractor and it was.