Diesel John Deere Gator with Turbocharger

[MD500E]

Here are a few photos of my latest little project. Its a 2005 john deere gator hpx with the 21hp yanmar diesel. I turned up the fuel to about 30 hp but it would smoke like crazy. Last weekend I added a little turbo to it and turned up the fuel some more. It is an amazing difference. I would estimate 40-45 hp now. It is too much fun!! It feels like a little sports car instead of a tractor. I also have attached 2 pictures of the grasshopper lawnmower that I turbocharged about 5 years ago. It has a 21 hp kubota that now makes about 30-32 hp.

 

[MD500E]

Here is the turbo Grasshopper.

 

[SuperSteeler]

That's pretty dang cool. Now we just need some video, preferably of that little guy spooling up.

 

[dseabaugh]

I have a toro Groundsmaster dsl mower and a Dsl Toro workman. It would be cool to turbo them if I could find affordable parts.

 

[MD500E]

I will try to get some video this weekend, but I have no idea how to upload it. I am lucky I figured out how to upload photos! It sounds a lot like a 4bt Cummins strait piped. I will try to get some good sound of the turbo to go along with the smoke!

 

[KLockliear]

Cool project. What turbo did you use? Looks awful tiny. How many cc or cu in is the motor?

 

[mcsinfl]

very cool

 

[Skydiver]

MD500E. Let me know how the fuel useage is on the Kubota after the turbo. I have a Kubota zd326 and it uses about 0. 75 gallons per hour turning a 5' deck.

Neat ideas!!

 

[pcarlson]

I would like to know what turbo you used as well. I have a Yanmar in my JD that is just screaming for a turbo. Please let us know the make and model... .

 

[MD500E]

I found the turbo on ebay, here are the numbers from the listing.



KUBOTA VB1502 / A31T Turbo



KUBOTA P/N 16095-78361



Turbine Housing -2. 8 cm^2 / AR16



Right now max boost is 5-6 psi and the waste gate is set to 8-9 psi. Only trouble now is the cvt trans does not shift fast enough. 0-5 mph it takes off like a bat out of hell but then the hits max rpm and the governor cuts the fuel while waiting for the belt to change ratios. Increasing max rpms helps but without a tach I dont want to go too high. A snowmobiling friend tells me I may need to change helix/weights in the clutch to speed up the ratio change. Any ideas?



To answer the other questions, it definitely uses more fuel as it is making much more power and I think the motor is 800cc.

 

[Dieselnut59]

Yes, adding weight on the clutch pulley will make it "sling out" into higher ranges quicker. It can be tricky. If it "slings out" at too low of a rpm, you will bog your engine. Not too much of an issue with your powerhouse, but with the Polaris and golf cart ones, there has to be a good balance.

That is awesome! I would LOVE to turbocharge my Kubota mower too! It has the "D722" engine. By the way, the Kubota engines have the displacement as the model number. Mine is 722 cc, 3-cylinder. Same engine in the Miller welder. 722s are factory rated from 10-19 horsepower. I would say mine is around 22-25 now with the power screw tinkering and rpms turned up a little. It would be SWEET with a turbo!

 

[MD500E]

Dieselnut59, thanks for the info. I am just a little hesitant to mess with the clutch right now as it is set up perfect for light to medium throttle, although my curiosity will most likely get the best of me and I will just tear into it. I wonder if it is a brand name clutch that I could find parts for? Maybe even one of the companies who make the snowmobile clutches.

 

[JDiepstra]

No offense intended here but does anyone else find it humorous or ironic or anything that someone can put turbos on their JD's and zero turn mowers but has a hard time loading stuff onto a computer? I wish I knew how to rig up turbos!

 

[Dieselnut59]

Dieselnut59, thanks for the info. I am just a little hesitant to mess with the clutch right now as it is set up perfect for light to medium throttle, although my curiosity will most likely get the best of me and I will just tear into it. I wonder if it is a brand name clutch that I could find parts for? Maybe even one of the companies who make the snowmobile clutches.

I know aftermarket ones are available for ATVs and golf carts. MANY machines use these systems nowadays and some of these new ATVs (like the Polaris 800) put out some SERIOUS power. I am sure if you can get some specs on yours, you should be able to get a clutch for it through the aftermarket.

I am trying to find a gasoline golf cart with a bad engine to put a 2 cylinder 14 horse Kubota engine into. I am not sure of the number on the engine but it was before the 3 cylinder ones. It is liquid cooled, inline 2 cyl. I would imagine around 400-500cc. If you find a source for clutch systems, I may need your help!

 

[MD500E]

The problem is computers dont respond well to the only tools I know how to use, like a hammer, torch or chop saw. :-laf Actually the issue is that I have an apple lap top and my sony camcorder only came with software for a pc. To make matters worse I cant even play the finalized dvd on the mac because it can only load the full size ones into the drive.



I will try to find out who makes the clutch for deere. If it is a common one, there should be tons of aftermarket parts available for it. I like your idea of a diesel golf cart. That is how we ended up with a gator. We have used yamaha golf carts on the farm for the last 15 years but have always wished they made them with a diesel. The closest thing to a diesel golf cart is the bobcat 2200 but they are expensive new and difficult to find used. I ended up finding our gator used at an auction for a good price. Good luck with your project. I would love to see pictures.

 

[RHestand]

JDiepstra,

I've been into and in love with automotive mechanics since I changed the seat hight on my tricycle.

Now computers, thats a whole different ballgame.

I've had good friends and fam. members try to teach me (also comp. classes), but still find learning to use these things, one of the most frustrating learning curves I've ever delt with.

It seems people always think I know more about them, than I do.

Too many abreviations, too many options, not enough patience, etc, etc.

I know it's probably just me.

Ray

 

[JDiepstra]

JDiepstra,

I've been into and in love with automotive mechanics since I changed the seat hight on my tricycle.

Now computers, thats a whole different ballgame.

I've had good friends and fam. members try to teach me (also comp. classes), but still find learning to use these things, one of the most frustrating learning curves I've ever delt with.

It seems people always think I know more about them, than I do.

Too many abreviations, too many options, not enough patience, etc, etc.

I know it's probably just me.

Ray

I think I would trade my ability to post junk on the internet for your mechanical ability any day!

 

[Dieselnut59]

Husqvarna Outdoor Power Equipment - HUV4421DXL



Husqvarna Outdoor Power Equipment - HUV4421D



Utility Vehicles



Utility Vehicles



These are the golf car based utility vehicles I have seen. I want to take a simple E-Z-Go cart, 2 wheel drive with a single bench seat and put this 14 horse Kubota engine in it. The engine runs AWESOME. Gotta find a donor cart.

I have a customer looking for the 4+ seat utility vehicle, so I have researched the above machines a little. Can't beat a Kubota or Yanmar engine!

 

[MD500E]

It looks like the Husqvarna and Bobcat 2300 are both rebadged Club Car/Ingersoll Rands. Since they are all fairly new to the market, at least with a diesel option, and it is almost imposable to find one used. I test drove the bobcat and liked it a lot, but I have a hard time justifing forking over 11,000-15,000 for a new one.

Dieselnut59, Try looking for a golf cart distributer. I have found one local that that has hundreds of used machines in their back lot. I am sure any place like that would have non running ones that the would sell cheep. I was there last year looking at 2 late model yamaha's that had been driven into a lake by kids. They would of been perfect for your project!

 

[MN Cummins Lvr]

Pretty cool! Have any pics with some smoke?:-laf



Paul