Hour meter question

[gktilton]

I am sure this question has been asked, but I can't find it.

I have a 1979 B7100, that runs like a top. Hour meter says 2700 hours, but I don't believe it. I did a test last night and leaving the key on runs up the hour meter even if the engine is not running. The tractor starts great, no smoke, and it runs my 60 inch finish mower like a champ. Is there anyway to tell actual engine hours/condition? I have changed all the fluids and the belt. Is there anything I should look for, I have rust issues to address but that is all I can find.

When I went to get it the battery was dead, I literally bought it from a 75 year old lady, she said that the battery went dead all the time because she forgets to turn the key off after she shuts it off and she only used it about once every 3 months. She and her husband owned the tractor since 89 and she said it had never left their farm so oil changes and filters were all it had ever needed.

 

[Eric McCarthy]

Your lucky enough to have a 30 year old tractor that the hour meter works at all. Alot of times the meter would stop working all together. It sounds like you have high hours that are miscalculated due to a simple mistake of leaving the key on. To the best of my knowlege there is no other way to tell how many actual hours are on the engine without the aide of the meter.

 

[Bulldog]

My old B 7100 had over 6000 hrs on it when I traded it off in 2000 on my new Kubota and it still ran fine. Nothing but black fuel smoke came out of the stack on it. It didn't burn a drop of oil at all between changes. I have had several people say that they have seen it out and about but I never have. As long as your is running good just keep pouring the coal to it and have some fun.

 

[bx1500]

I have a b5100 with 823 hrs. on it . I always make sure to turn the key off
if not the hours will just rack up. That seems to me to be bad design.
But hay nothing in this world is perfect. Just enjoy your new toy.

 

[gktilton]

I have a b5100 with 823 hrs. on it . I always make sure to turn the key off
if not the hours will just rack up. That seems to me to be bad design.
But hay nothing in this world is perfect. Just enjoy your new toy.

I am enjoying the 7100, and now that I have added 200lbs of cast iron on the front weight rack I can steer when I mow with the 60 inch finish mower. I have another 100lbs of weights, should I throw then on there or would that be pushing my limits.

I just learned an important lesson about using cat 0 garden tractor attachments on it though. They fit and are easy to use, but only use 2wd and don't use the diff lock or you can bend the stuff real quick. I put it back in shape fast, but I won't test the cultivator outside the garden again, it grabbed a root and when the tire slipped I hit the diff lock, I moved forward, but stuff bent. I have 4 attachments from an old sears suburban that fit well but I will need to use them gently.

 

[aquaforce]

Hour meter says 2700 hours, but I don't believe it.

On newer stuff the alternator is used as the trigger for the hour meter so the meter only runs if the engine is running. You could add the components to update it and make the meter work true.

 

[gktilton]

On newer stuff the alternator is used as the trigger for the hour meter so the meter only runs if the engine is running. You could add the components to update it and make the meter work true.

Thanks for the suggestion but I can remember to shut off the key, I was just surprised that the meter would keep running. I use it to keep track of maintenance stuff, but I will just mark the total number of hours as irrelevant and listen to the engine for maintenance queues.

 

[chickenfriend]

To be reminded to turn the key off, you can hook up a bright light on the dash to the ignition switch "switched power". The light will stay on after the engine is shut-off as a reminder to turn off the key.

Even better is to hook up a peizo buzzer, switched power on one leg and the other leg to the ground side of the oil pressure warning lamp. When the oil light comes on (no or lack of oil pressure), the oil switch grounds the lamp and the buzzer at the same time and the buzzer sounds, and they both come on. In daylight, there is not enough light from the oil lamp to catch your eye when the engine is shut off.

The buzzers are cheap, 2-5$ about.

 

[L.C. Gray]

Big difference in hour meters as to whether they are electric or a function of the tachometer. Tach hours only show an hour run at the PTO rated speed, so idle and low speed takes a lot more than an hour to rack up an hour.

 

[chickenfriend]

Is it possible to run a mechanical tachometer/hourmeter on a B7100 which originally had an electric hour-meter?

Also, is there a suitable aftermarket electric hour-meter for the same tractor?

The original Seiko hour-meter does not work. I am tempted to disassemble it to determine the cause of failure.

 

[torch]

Any 12 volt electric hour meter will work. It's just a clock -- give it power, it counts hours. You can buy them by the dozen on eBay, etc.

 

[procraftmike]

I purchased a cheapo on ebay for my B7100, since the factory hourmeter was not working when I purchased the tractor. I moved the hourmeter under the hood. I don't need to look at it all the time. I just use it for maintenance schedules.

I then used the old dash gauge hole for a more important gauge, like an oil pressure gauge, or temperature gauge.