Engine break in

Period- Engine RPM- Load

Warm up- 3/4 rated- None
1/2 hour- Rated- 1/4
1/2 hour- Rated- 1/2
1/2 hour- Rated- 3/4
1 hour- Rated- Full

Note: avoid over-loads, excessive idling, and no-load operation during the first 100 hours of operation.

All that wasn't practical last winter, so I put a sack over the grill and drove it up and down the road in low gear until it warmed up. Then I went to 3rd and on to 5th. After about an hour of driving around, I hooked it to the mower and chopped some standing sweet corn, weeds, snow, etc. starting in 2nd, and going on to 4th.

Over the rest of the winter I just used it to plow snow, keeping the sack adjusted so that it would warm up before I shut it off. This spring I used it to plow and do field work, being careful not to let it lug down. It seems to be working fine so far.

It also seems like it really had to work before the blow by settled down. So it may take longer for the rings to seat if you can not load it down. Other than that, I don't think that it will hurt anything.

Greg

The first few minutes are the most important, probably the first 15 are critical so these must be under medium load.

Run it up the hills in high gear at about half throttle, load but not lug. Turn it off downhill if your brakes are good and the hills are short. Pulling a wagon is good if you can pull all the time but having the wagon push the tractor is not good.

Varying the speed under load is good but no load is not good.

The importance of a load is imperative for some diesel engines (if not all) as the compression ring and piston lands are tapered in such a way that the more down pressure on the rings, the more side pressure is exerted against the cylinder wall. Thus as the load increases, the pump injects more fuel into the cylinder causing more explosive force against the rings, causing more outward force on the rings, causing them to “seat” better with the cylinder wall.

Hope this helps!