Tractor chipping — a case for power and economy

Often frowned on, especially by manufacturers and rarely recognised, usually for warranty or re-selling reasons, it still happens.

Done responsibly and sensibly, it can enhance and improve a tractor’s performance with little or no detrimental effect. In some cases, it can improve fuel economy while giving more power and torque.

It needs to be pointed out from the outset that there are an enormous number of firms and individuals offering performance enhancing products and services. Not all work the same or have a positive effect on power and torque. Engine issues that may arise if the job is done poorly or incorrectly include overheating, particularly if gone too far, diesel knock, black smoke, blackening of the engine oil and the generation of engine fault codes.

There are two main types of power-boosting: the first is remapping the engines electronic control unit. This may work on cars and vans but can cause problems if the tractors software is updated.

Modern tractors engine control units (ECUs) are all interlinked and communicating through a CAN-Bus system. Like our own PCs, they often need software updates to make aspects of the lift, transmission or engine control work better or to cure a software ‘bug’.

So, updating a transmission controller, for example, may also update all controller software and actually delete the re-map.

If you do pay for a remap, make sure that the supplier can provide assurances to re-map if this happens.

Less invasive are add-on modules that for example increase common-rail pressure or increase injector opening times. And there are many, many manufacturers and suppliers of these type units built in several different countries around the world all claiming to offer improved engine performance.

If you go down the route of ‘boosting’ your tractor, get it Dyno tested before and after to verify the claimed gain in power and torque. Most will only get this done after the tractor is out of warranty as it will invalidate the warranty regardless of the claim if the manufacturer finds out.

Also, enquire about the warranty status of the chipping unit —the possible negative effect it may have on your engine such as reduced service intervals.

Most will not cover the engine after chipping because it would be impossible for them to verify the condition of the engine before chipping.

Do not go into power boosting your tractor, harvester, loader or combine with your eyes closed. See re-assurances or talks to previous customers of the supplier about their experiences.

TTM

Tullamore-based TTM — Total Torque Motorsport Ltd — owned and operated by Adam McDonald, offers a tuning service for agricultural tractors as well as trucks and cars.

We met Adam on the farm of Noel Delaney in Kilkenny, where he was tuning a tractor for him with some representatives of tuning module manufacturer DTM. We report on the results with Noel’s tractors in next week’s Irish Farmers Journal.

Adam has experience in the motor sector. He completed a Toyota Motor Vehicle Technician apprenticeship with Dunne and McDonald Motors, the main Toyota dealer in Tullamore. He added other qualifications along the way, including SIMI Technician’s Diploma in Advanced Motor Engineering & Electricity in 2004 and Toyota Hybrid specialist technician qualification in 2005.

He started TTM Ltd in December 2006 specialising in the tuning of high performance road vehicles, rally and race cars.

“From the beginning, we offered chipping and tuning boxes for all diesel cars, 4x4 and light commercials and also agricultural tractors,” says Adam.

The tractor tuning originally started with phone and internet sales, then word of mouth got around.

Adam found that there was a demand for a call out service. After some tests on different models, he decided that it was necessary to fit each module using a dynamometer.

He found that two identical model tractors could vary in horsepower by up to 10% to 12% due to hours, lack of maintenance and mainly inconsistent diesel quality.

He had access to a Dynamometer at most of the large tractor dealers but at a price which included a technician.

Dyno

The agricultural market is where Adam is now focusing. In March 2012, he invested in a new Froment Sigma 5 PTO mobile Dynamometer to add to the service and complement his Engine Control Module product.

With the new Dyno, Adam can offer a mobile service throughout Ireland. Firstly, the tractor owner can have a tractor tested to measure if the power it is producing is to specification. It they want extra torque, Adam can offer a solution. All of the time the customer gets to see the tractor being tuned and is given a printed sheet of maximum and rated power and torque before and after the tractor has being modified.

DTE

Adam fits the German tuning module company DTE kits across most makes, models and sectors. DTE’s claim is to give up to 25% more power and up to 10% reduction in fuel consumption.

With diesel prices so high at the moment, it is the reduction in fuel consumption combined with a power increase that has farmers and contractors’ ears perked up.

Adam describes his experience with DTE units: “Over the past six years, we have been trying and testing different ECU tuning modules that are available on the market. We have our own PTO Dynamometer. It has given me the benefit of carrying out different in-house tests on most of the chips, common rail pressure boxes, and injector modules and other methods of tuning on the market,” he says. “The advantage of being able to do this exercise has steered me in the direction of one product from DTE GmbH,” says Adam. ‘‘The modules and durability of the wiring harness means they are fit for all of the harshest working environments. They are ‘Plug and Play’ with no modifications needed to existing components on the vehicle,” he added.

The original manufacturers ECU safety parameters remain unchanged. The system leaves no electronic footprint (to generate fault codes) on the ECU once module is removed and cannot be traced.

Standard service intervals remain the same and does not blacken or thicken engine oil between services. There is no increase in boost or rail pressure as it operates on injector opening times. The DTE module is not always active, meaning the extra tuning is only active under load conditions. The module uses different parameters to determine when it needs to activate the extra tuning.

On certain tractor and harvester models, the DTE module monitors inputs such as oil temperature or turbo pressure, in the event that these parameters increase beyond their safe threshold the DTE module deactivates any extra tuning and the engine runs at standard power until all parameters are reading normally. TTM’s tuning does not exceed manufacturer’s tolerances of any engine or transmission components, where the vehicle oil service intervals are adhered to at the recommend hours by the manufacturer and that good quality fuel is used, there should be no adverse side effects of optimising the engines torque efficiency,” he says.

Adam explains that DTE do not provide any engine warranty for vehicles. “Most of the vehicles we tune are between one and three years old or out of their manufacturer’s warranty period.

Warranty

We do not provide warranty cover because of the high stress and harsh working conditions that agricultural machines and also because service intervals are not always adhered to by the vehicle’s owner/operator. We give a standard warranty on our module and wiring-loom,” he says. The price of the DTE unit fitted, including Dyno testing before and after is €1,175, plus VAT at 23%.