Diesel Tuner's Blog

Shift Up, Throttle Back, What is it?

Many farmers run their large 4WD tractors while performing tillage work. Generally they find a gear that lets them achieve a desired ground speed and run at WOT. This practice will get the job done, no question. However, operators may see the Gallons Per Hour go up while this work is performed. This is a result of the tractor running more RPM than neccessary for the drawbar requirement. The amount of power needed for most drabar activities is probably not the peak power output of the tractor. This excessive RPM operation is the root cause of wasted fuel.  Good news though: Iowa State University, University Extension studied the "Shift Up, Throttle Back" strategy and have given suggestions on how to save fuel.  In fact, during testing some tractors measured up to a 20% reduction in fuel useage.

• ISU Shift Up, Throttle Back Article
• Mark Hana (Co-Author)
• Dana Schweitzer (Co-Author)

Harvest is one of the busiest times of year for farmers. Trying to get the crop in before the weather turns, managing employees and rushing to get a myriad of tasks done can be daunting. One thing no farmer should have to deal with during this busy time is an under performing combine. Lugging up hills, slowing down the system, and in general costing the operation money.  This does not have to be the situation for you this fall!

Each year, just after harvest, we take an influx of calls inquiring about adding horsepower to combines. Farmers tend to be detail orientated, and have a lot of questions before tuning any equipment. Which is totally understandable, combines are not exactly cheap and they are one of the most crucial components of a successful harvest. 

A few questions come up in every conversation about tuning a combine. Below, I hope to provide answers to the most common questions about combine tuning. 

• Learn More About Emissions Equipment
• See testimonials from actual farmers that have tuned their tractor
• Tractor Tunes in Action! 

Small farmers have a tough time making their passion profitable. Varying market prices, harsh weather conditions and rising cost of goods can become a true strain on the farm. 

Since the beginning of agriculture farmers have been finding ways to cut cost and increase production. This concept is what has driven innovation on the farm. However, with as many advances and "life hacks" that have been established, the cost of fuel is ever rising. Even with today's high tech, computer controlled equipment, the cost of fuel can still be staggering. 

Some other great articles about tractor fuel consumption:

• Predicting Tractor Diesel Fuel Consumption
• 6 Ways to Save Fuel on the Farm
  
  

BEFORE diving into saving fuel, you will want to gather as much detail as you can about how much fuel is currently costing you. This means knowing more than just how much you spend on fuel each year, quarter, or month, but knowing how much fuel each tractor uses for each task. To download a tracker that will help you narrow in on your most costly activities check out the Performance Tracker below.

Custom Tuning for Tractors!

• Have you considered a Bigger planter or tillage tool on your Farm. Are you worried if your tractor will have enough horsepower to get the job done?

If your existing machine has enough tire, but bogs under heavy load- consider tuning your tractor. You can use factory style calibration software to safely up-rate machines lower in their series to power levels of those tractors higher in the series. This means that if our brand has a similar size machine with more power than yours, you can get you the power difference.

Up-rate a 6105R to a 6130R

Up-rate a 9410R to a 9510R

Up-rate a Steiger 540 to a Steiger 620

Up-rate a 8245R to an 8295R etc.