300 utility full rpm = 1500 not 2200rpm

Hi got a 55 IH 300 utility. Just bought it 3 weeks ago so its new to me. Wow only 1700 hrs on it for a 58 year old.
Anyways... I am at wits end with it. I can"t get any more revs out of it than 1500. I have rebuilt the carb new gas filter new plugs cleaned the gas tank and sediment bowl. I have also synchronized the carb butterfly with the top of governor and also adjusted the low idle speed and the high idle speed inside the governor.
I did notice when doing the carb a date stamp of 3-57 on the top flange. And the carb is white not the red. But the number for the carb matches the 300 u
In advance thanks for any help or suggestions

Karl

1500 is about the top end.I tghink the factory rated 'high idle' is 1600.You need an "operators Manual".Then all your questions will be answers will be answered(plus some you didnt know you needed to ask).Order one right here from YT.About 30 bucks.

Thanks . According to the manual high idle rpm No load is 2200 rpm and engine full load rpm is 2000 rpm. Also forgot to mention Did a compression test and got 125-130 on all 4

Thanks Karl

WOW.I had no idea a 300 was that fast!I must go read my service manual...Good for you on the book.Most 'newbys' never think about a book.

If you adjusted the high idle speed in the governor housing and screwed the high speed stop bolt out some. Does the throttle linkage still move the stop bolt to its stop? If not check the linkage from throttle to governor. If so and you backed the stop screw out until the arm won't go anymore, get a new spring and try.
Above assumes everything else is set and working correct.
Don't know if you are going by the tachometer. If so double check it.

I believe the full rated RPM for a 300 utility is 1750. The attached picture of the original tack on my 300 utility says engine RPMs at 1750. Also notice that 1750 is the RPM to have 540 PTO speed. So 1500 is not all that far off the mark. Al

Regardless, you still have a problem. 1500 isn't full-rated RPM no matter what the real rating is.

It's not ignition related or carburetor related.

It's governor related. That's where you need to look. Unfortunately I can't help you with what to look at/for, except to take the cover off and look for something obvious, like chunks of metal or spring in the bottom.

Ok here goes, (1) check for any loose linkage , from the lever all the way to the Gov. And fix it (2) remove the Gov. cover and look where the spring hooks to the two arms , Does the spring just flop around in the arms?? . IF it does then the bushing are long gone as the spring is suppose to fit with vary little slop . (3) your spring may be getting weak or stretched You should have speed increase with in one notch of throttle movement . And full RPM's by the last notch . I went thru this on a friend's 400 and he is hard headed SOB as he did not believe me till i showen him the difference between his Gov . and my Gov. on my S/MTA even though mine is a M & W verse's his Stock one his bushings were gone and his would not ideal down or even come close to full throttle even with the throttle lever pulled down past the stop . I fixed it one afternoon for him and it made a new tractor out of it . So pull the sheet metal and the side cover back off and study every inch of the linkage and where the spring sets .

Nebraska tests, rated rpm of 300 utility, 2000 rpm, max high idle 2200 rpm. Doesn't show engine rpm at standard pto rpm's. High idle is always about 200 plus more than rated rpm's as rated rpm's is the speed it runs when pulled down to full load (carburetor standing wide open ) with a properly working governor .

Maybe the tachometer is wrong, do you have an electric tach you can check it with?

Like Pete says on the utility RPM. Just adding that tractors without IPTO and a T/A were 541 PTO RPM at 1650 engine RPM. Rest were 539 pto at 1750 engine. Utility and Farmall used the same pto drive lines so the above pto to engine speed works for both. Farmall 300 engine no load was 1925 RPM.

Thanks for all the great advise . I have started today to source out a governor spring IH 357012r1 here locally with no luck so will have to mail order. The bushings in the governor look good but the spring is very sloppy which seems to explain why the throttle doesn't start to rev until about the 6th notch . There is no slop or play in the throttle linkage as well. I have the same tach as the picture from AJB-830 and the tractor has the IPTO and the T/A
As you can see I have tried to answer all of your questions in this one post.

Thanks again Karl

While you are waiting on a new spring; You can shorten your old spring by cutting off the hook and then bending a new hook from the remaining portion (essentially both shortens and stiffens the spring).

I went through this on a Farmall M. I had to actually shorten my spring twice actually as it was very loose. (my fly weights were surprising not sloppy on the pivots which can also be another seperate issue) When I shortened my spring the first time, it improved my problems but did not quite get me to spec. When I shortened it the second time, then I hit perfection on both low idle and high idle. I may eventually order a new spring and put in there, but until then I am in business.

Also take a putty knife and clean all the crud, grease, and grime away from that area between the engine block and the external arm on the outside of the governor assembly as that can cause issues

I verified all my settings with a handheld friction drive tachometer on the PTO shaft. A handheld tach is a good way to very your dash tach is working properly - although you do need to know at what rpm the PTO should spin at low idle and high idle. I have seen NOS Stewart Warner Ones on ebay for $25-$30 or so which is an incredibly good deal. Dad paid over $70 for his Stewart Warner tach back in the 1970's for use on combine shafts and $70 in the 1970's was a lot of money back then as it had lots of buying power - unlike today sadly.

Don't think you know which stop bolts I meant.
If you know how to synchronize the vertical governor link to the throttle shaft. Do it with the throttle rod removed from governor operating arm. In attached picture notice the inside operating arm that's connected to the external operating arm. See the top and bottom adjustable stop bolts in the arm. After synchronizing move the arm that rear of spring hooks to rearward and the operating lever where your throttle rod hooked forward. Now adjust the top stop bolt until the spring just returns the rear arm to rest. That's if you already have your carburetor set for idle speed. If you think the idle may need slowed some after adjusting spring, adjust the stop bolt so it will have a little pressure to push the rear arm back. Now move the hand throttle to low, hold the governor arm forward, adjust the link on the rear of the throttle rod going to the governor so rod will slide in the governor operating rod hole. remove the operating rod from the hole. Get a helper to watch the RPM. Hold governor operating lever all the way to rear by hand. If RPM is low back out the lower stop bolt as needed until RPM gets to spec. If it won't make it the spring is probably to weak. When you do what's needed to get the desired RPM with the stop bolt contacting the housing. Attach the throttle link to the governor and see if the throttle moves the internal arm back to the high speed stop at full throttle. If it won't the linkage has a problem. Or the spring is stretching to much for the throttle range of movement.
May notice bushings I installed in spring holes in the picture. Not sure if IH ever used any bushings and a lot of governors work okay without. Up until the early fifties IH was still using a spring with a yoke and pin in the rear spring hole. Bushings do help with lost response
off idle.

Yes I have done that according to the manual. The upper bolt (10) just resting on the engine block at idle speed and the lower bolt (11) just resting on the engine block at high idle speed. Also synchronized the throttle butterfly with governor by removing the top slanted cover plate and the pin and shaft in there. Mine was actually out 3 turns on the block. Great picture by the way. Although slightly different than mine. I can see that my spring is not as heavy duty as yours. So I'm thinking the PO has gone to the hardware store and improvised . I am going to try and shorten it up like rankrank1 was saying until I get the new one.

Great site by the way I've been coming here for years and never found the need to join as I got all my answers by just searching.
Karl

Dslater: Excellent pic. Are those bushings where the spring connects at both ends factory? If yes, then the bushings in my M are long gone. I have read many of tractorvet's postings about the spring bushings being gone as a common problem in these Farmall governor's but had never seen the bushings until today. I looked in Farmall on-line parts diagram for those bushings and did not see anything back when I was troubleshooting my Farmall m governor issue a couple months ago - maybe I simply missed them in the parts listing.


Are the bushings truly necessary since once the spring is pulling - well it is pulling with or without bushings?

On reread, I see you did comment on those bushings in your previous post. What did you use to make those bushings? Press fit or does something else hold them in?

Have made bushings 2 ways. Made them to press in and tapped the holes for bolt threads. Tapped just enough so a bolt would screw in tight. Cut the rest off on each side and then drilled a new spring hole. Then belled the hole on each edge.
No its not required to have the bushings. Just helps when pushing the throttle down to get a slow idle. Then when you start opening the throttle lever it doesn't move as far before the carburetor responds.
Front arm that the spring hooks to ending in a DA number never had a bushing that I know of. Rear spring opening was the same Part as used for springs that used a 1/4 inch pin for a long time with no bushing.
Have found some bushings in the front DB levers starting about 1955 but can't say for sure if they came from IH since some are long gone if they did.

Okay so we got good news. Just by cutting the loops and making new hooks I gained another 250 rpm so now 1750 pto speed. The photo here is the spring before monkeying with it.

Karl

Yes you need a spring. Engine is set around 2100 RPM no load for the governor I pictured and look how much more the high speed stop screw is backed off in yours.

That spring looks like one from a hardware store and not the correct one. Too light unless my eyes are really getting bad.

Go ahead and Cut it again and make one more new hook and I bet you gain some more which is exactly what I had to do on my Farmall M.

I agree with others, your spring does look a bit like the hardware store variety instead of original, but my spring holes look just like yours (i.e. no bushings).

I must be lucky : my 300 has never had governor trouble. It has 7400+ hrs, Dad and my uncle bought it 1 yr old with 75 hrs. I have drove it since I was very young and can remember tach showing less than 1000 hrs. It definitely should rev out to 2200 rpm. MIne still does 2200 even tho it seldom is used any more above 1700-1800 rpm . I think the others have given very good advice; I think your spring should look like D Slater's. Mark

We got it!! Just installed the new spring and now full throttle is 2200 rpm where it should be. Thanks for all of your help

Karl