Tachometer and fuel gauge Install

lmichael

Well-known member

Equipment
Kubota G2160
Apr 23, 2021
692
318
63
Rockford IL area
Has anyone installed a tach on one of the G series machines with the diesel? If so what did you use? I would also like to replace the feeble fuel light with a gauge as well. Hell all the lights are feeble. In daylight you cannot see any of them easily.
Anyway, thoughts on all this?
 

lugbolt

Well-known member

Equipment
ZG127S-54
Oct 15, 2015
5,396
2,090
113
Mid, South, USA
I didn't put a tach on, I feel it's not needed for a lawn mower. Wide open, go cut grass that's all there is to it.

An actual temp gauge would have been nice but on my old mower, the "gauge" worked well enough; always about 1/2 way up. When it would creep further, I knew it was time to clean the radiator and screen again-and that is a weekly deal in my case. Every time I mowed, I'd shut it down, lift the hood and let everything completely cool off, then give it a good cleaning. Then a week later, dirty it up again and repeat the process :)

For the lights, I took the cluster out and disassembled it. It gets dirty. Clean everything up and reassemble. Makes a big difference. I had 39 LED bulbs, but did not try any--I bet that would help too (if they work). Bulb #194 or #168 I think. But with a good clean cluster and cleaned bulbs, they're considerably brighter even with the old bulbs!

That was on my old G1900-S. Not all the G series are the same.
 

lmichael

Well-known member

Equipment
Kubota G2160
Apr 23, 2021
692
318
63
Rockford IL area
Yeah, the reason for the tach is I use a pull behind boom sprayer. On my old machine I installed a tach and I had all the calculations worked out so I knew at 2200 rpm and hydro in full mow speed my speed was perfect for a certain 25 gal chemical mix to cover the lawn without refill or over/under application. I suppose I could buy one of those GPS type speedometers as well. Just makes it easier to have a "known quantity". Mine does not have a temp gauge at all. Only a light. Same with oil pressure (but I already have a really nice Autometer gauge for that). I figure a temp gauge is easy, same with oil pressure (just have to find a "T" fitting for the switch since it controls the power steering motor is all. As for fuel light the thing uses so little fuel I simply watch it. Just that I am big in gauges so I can see problems before they're "critical".
 

lugbolt

Well-known member

Equipment
ZG127S-54
Oct 15, 2015
5,396
2,090
113
Mid, South, USA
smart phone GPS. Should be close enough.

Dunno what phone u have but on my iphone I found that if I turn the phone off, then back on and dont enter the sim password, the gps is a little more accurate-at least in terms of pinpointing a submerged brush pile in the lake. It'll get me within 15 foot or so, close enough to catch crappie. If I just use it normal without a reboot it will try to triangulate the closest cell tower locations and I can be sitting still and the little arrow on the GPS which points my location will move all over the place, usually 20 foot or so--and I am not moving. I use it often at the lake. The side benefit (for me) is that if I dont' enter a sim password, nobody can get in touch with me but that's ok since I'm usually busy.

I used to be a lot like that, had to be just the way I wanted it. I wanted my phone to get me RIGHT on top of that brush pile, and borrowed a Garmin to get me there, set the phone location, and told myself I'm fixing to spend about $900 on a new fish finder with the best possible GPS. Well I never did, and guess what? I catch fish just fine. Similar, used to put gauges of all kinds in my old vehicles. Altimeter, baro, ground speed, oil temp, oil pressure, water temp, trans temp & pressure (automatic), rear diff temp, fuel pressure, and fuel level. One day one of the gauges quit working on the way back from the coast. I never fixed it and I liked it, so I yanked the rest of them out, left the factory idiot light, mechanical speedo, and fuel level gauge intact and sold the rest of the stuff for what the entire truck was worth. Haven't looked back either. Lot less stuff to fiddle with and less stressing about whether or not my old $500 truck was going to run warm or run out of fuel or what. Just drive it now and if it breaks I'll go get another $500 truck, and leave that one where it broke.
 

lmichael

Well-known member

Equipment
Kubota G2160
Apr 23, 2021
692
318
63
Rockford IL area
My phone doesn't use sim password. When spraying it's really helpful to have repeatable results otherwise there is over/under application, run short of chemicals and so on.
 

Russell King

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
L185F, Modern Ag Competitor 4’ shredder, Rhino tiller, rear dirt scoop
Jun 17, 2012
5,921
1,712
113
Austin, Texas
Look at TinyTach for your tachometer needs. They are driven by pulses off of the fuel line.

Someone on the forum printed an enclosure to mount the tach into. I’ll post link if I can find it.
Here it is
 
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