Horsepower advice

[Sargeantred1]

Hello, new forum member here and need a little advice. Have a 1983 B8200 HST-D that is used to bush hog about 2 1/2 acres of fairly rough weeds and sage grass. Currently using a 48 inch bush hog. Engine model D950a-DT-M 19 horsepower and has about 2500 hours of run time mostly in landscaping business as a fontend loader. Great overall tractor for what I do which is bush hog, dirt work with front end loader and box blade but I have some 16 degree slopes to climb and it really struggles getting up those even without the bush hog running. Don't want to over tax tranny, etc. but I'm considering rebuilding the engine due to low oil pressure at idle and was wondering if anyone could advise on increasing the horsepower to maybe 21 or 23 to give it just a little more help? If not increasing the horsepower on this engine has anyone done a retro fit to a slightly higher horsepower in this model tractor? Any direction or advice greatly appreciated.

 

[85Hokie]

Hello, new forum member here and need a little advice. Have a 1983 B8200 HST-D that is used to bush hog about 2 1/2 acres of fairly rough weeds and sage grass. Currently using a 48 inch bush hog. Engine model D950a-DT-M 19 horsepower and has about 2500 hours of run time mostly in landscaping business as a fontend loader. Great overall tractor for what I do which is bush hog, dirt work with front end loader and box blade but I have some 16 degree slopes to climb and it really struggles getting up those even without the bush hog running. Don't want to over tax tranny, etc. but I'm considering rebuilding the engine due to low oil pressure at idle and was wondering if anyone could advise on increasing the horsepower to maybe 21 or 23 to give it just a little more help? If not increasing the horsepower on this engine has anyone done a retro fit to a slightly higher horsepower in this model tractor? Any direction or advice greatly appreciated.

First - welcome to ORANGE COUNTRY !

Sounds like you are asking a lot of the ol girl. but at the same time she is still pulling those hills? So....why pull her out and rebuild? What do you consider low pressure? As an old owner of a 8N ford, low oil pressure at idle was ....o.....say 5 psi ! .....now what did that mean? Well that THAT engine had some wear and a lot of oil was running around those sloppy bearings........

Now what you are wishing to do is INCREASE the ponies.....but the rest will be the same, and you are asking a lot, ifn you got 19 hp, to get to 21 will take 10%+......not gonna happen! And to get to 20% more (23 hp) is going to be asking for the moon! Sure new rings and new bearings and a tighter engine will help the current situation, but nothing you do is going to get to where you really want to be........

you will throw good money at this ol girl........

me - ifn it works - continue to work it ......a worn engine will run still more, and the tranny will handle it too.

Only way I see you fixing this is take the $$$ for a new engine and step up a notch in tractors.........might not be what you want to hear, but a bigger engine in an older "new to you" tractor will be the best money spent....
hell - everyone needs more than one...............tractor !

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

You can actually get a bolt in D950 that puts out 21.5 HP, I have one, it was installed in a Jacobson lawn mower, now the problem... Finding one, you can go threw a rebuilder, but your going to pay dearly for it.
I found mine used and it worked perfectly for me.
I would say rebuild what you have and that will really help the HP that it can output.

 

[Sargeantred1]

First - welcome to ORANGE COUNTRY !

Sounds like you are asking a lot of the ol girl. but at the same time she is still pulling those hills? So....why pull her out and rebuild? What do you consider low pressure? As an old owner of a 8N ford, low oil pressure at idle was ....o.....say 5 psi ! .....now what did that mean? Well that THAT engine had some wear and a lot of oil was running around those sloppy bearings........

Now what you are wishing to do is INCREASE the ponies.....but the rest will be the same, and you are asking a lot, ifn you got 19 hp, to get to 21 will take 10%+......not gonna happen! And to get to 20% more (23 hp) is going to be asking for the moon! Sure new rings and new bearings and a tighter engine will help the current situation, but nothing you do is going to get to where you really want to be........

you will throw good money at this ol girl........

me - ifn it works - continue to work it ......a worn engine will run still more, and the tranny will handle it too.

Only way I see you fixing this is take the $$$ for a new engine and step up a notch in tractors.........might not be what you want to hear, but a bigger engine in an older "new to you" tractor will be the best money spent....
hell - everyone needs more than one...............tractor !


Thanks for the reply , I have been offline for awhile and appoligize for not replying sooner. I hear what you say but I always like a challenge and like to oush the envelop!

 

[ShaunRH]

I have a very old bit of Orange iron, AC Orange, not K Orange. (Orange seems to be a great tractor color!)

My father and I adjusted the valves on this old girl about a year ago and it got a little power back. I'm not sure your pressure problem is age, this gal has been around for 60 years and no pressure problems at any RPM's. You might have a pump or bypass problem. Certainly change the oil and filters. You could be running too thin of an oil as well, make sure you're running the right oil for the engine.

Old tractors will run as long as you care for them. The attached girl won't start even hot without starter fluid! Talk about no compression!

 

[Billdog350]

Diesels love turbos. I would grab a cheap turbo off ebay, fab up some tubing and turbo that bad boy up to about 25-30hp. Way less work and money than installing a new motor or rebuilding. I believe you just need to richen your injector pump a little and monitor EGT's to make sure you don't melt pistons (around 1300deg).

 

[ShaunRH]

Diesels love turbos. I would grab a cheap turbo off ebay, fab up some tubing and turbo that bad boy up to about 25-30hp. Way less work and money than installing a new motor or rebuilding. I believe you just need to richen your injector pump a little and monitor EGT's to make sure you don't melt pistons (around 1300deg).

If the transmission is the same as a tractor model that came with/without a turbo, that's certainly one way to gain HP. If it's not, you could be jeopardizing an older drivetrain that couldn't handle that kind of power bump.

I've been taught that engines and transmissions 'age' together. If you rebuild or repower (and adding a turbo would be a form of 'repowering') the engine, you likely need to do the same thing to the transmission or at least address it.

I've heard a few horror stories of guys that plunked down bucks into the engine only to blow their transmissions to kingdom come with all that new power.

So, while you're looking for that HP increase, kind of look at the tractor as a whole unit and make a plan to get it from where it is, to where you want it to be. While you don't need to be "The Tractor Whisperer" it certainly pays to listen to the critter... LOL!