Bateman RB35 fuel problem

Terrier

Member
Location
Lincs
Got a new Bateman RB35 last autumn which had fuel problems right from the word go. 4 sets of fuel filters in the first 20 hours were needed to make it run. Put it down to colder weather waxing the fuel even though the fuel had winter additive in it and the sprayer is always stored in an insulated building. The main fuel tank is bunded, filtered and inside and the fuel is EN590 so we can’t do much more on fuel quality.
From March until now we haven’t had any problems but it has started to play up again today even though it is still relatively warm and needed new fuel filters despite the old ones being less than 50 hours old. We run the same John Deere engine in a similar age JD tractor on the same fuel that gives no bother at all.
Bateman have pointed us in the direction of the John Deere dealers to sort it out, but I’m interested to know if anyone else has had or is having similar issues.
 

benny6910

Member
Arable Farmer
Are the fuel filters blocking or are you just getting a error code to tell you they are? I had a problem with the fuel error code on my tractor when it turned cold and since I’ve wrapped the fuel filter that is in front of the radiator with a cloth to keep it a bit warmer it’s stopped doing it. I’m not familiar with a Bateman but is there a fuel filter anywhere that can be getting cooled from the radiator fan causing it to get colder?
 

Timbo

Member
Location
Gods County
Is it actually a filter clogging issue - have you cut an old one open to inspect ?? Or is it a weak lift pump or an injector leaking back excessively and it struggling to maintain rail pressure now you are working it harder? on stickier autumn ground ? You have an underlying issue - time to get your hands dirtier rather than just throwing filters at it...
 

Terrier

Member
Location
Lincs
The filters aren’t actually blocking as far as I can tell. Have chopped them open and can’t see anything at all in them. Seems to be a sensing issue, but strange it is happening again now it is cooling down. Problem is when error code comes up it goes into limp mode and can barely get up any sort of a slope at all. Starts and runs fine without any of the symptoms of genuinely blocked filters. Changing the filters does seem to sort it for a while however. If we didn’t have another of the same engines I would have thought the filters were too fine.
 
Last edited:

Chae1

Member
Location
Aberdeenshire
Could it be FAME(vegetable oil) in the fuel causing it?

It becomes thicker, coagulates in colder weather.

Strange it's not causing issues in other JD tractors though.
 

Oscar

Member
Livestock Farmer
I ve got a 2 yr old RB35 and have same problems since new.
However seem to have finally fixed problem this last spring but it's been a mixture of problems .
Had diesel tested 4 times , everytime it comes back as ok but higher particle level than ideal . Fitted a 2 micron fast flow filter to main tank . Should point out that at the time 5 other vehicles were experiencing no problems running same diesel . Took tank off Bateman and cleaned but had paint flakes inside. Replaced fuel pipe from tank to filters . Blew out old one and a paint flake was lodged inside but came out . Decided to cut pipe open and found another large flake rolled up in pipe . Found paint in one of the filters once ( out of 12 filters).
I was using an additive in diesel but after a lot of research changed to a Marship product as it seemed to be a premium product .
So for me,
2 micron filter on tank
Tank off and clean
Replaced fuel line
Use Marship UK DieselAid LDP
Has been fine since March 21 ( was only getting 20 hrs or so from a set of filters as like op machine goes into limp mode)
 

Terrier

Member
Location
Lincs
Could it be FAME(vegetable oil) in the fuel causing it?

It becomes thicker, coagulates in colder weather.

Strange it's not causing issues in other JD tractors though.
I thought it was this initially and I don’t think it helps. But I think there is a bigger problem.
 

Terrier

Member
Location
Lincs
I ve got a 2 yr old RB35 and have same problems since new.
However seem to have finally fixed problem this last spring but it's been a mixture of problems .
Had diesel tested 4 times , everytime it comes back as ok but higher particle level than ideal . Fitted a 2 micron fast flow filter to main tank . Should point out that at the time 5 other vehicles were experiencing no problems running same diesel . Took tank off Bateman and cleaned but had paint flakes inside. Replaced fuel pipe from tank to filters . Blew out old one and a paint flake was lodged inside but came out . Decided to cut pipe open and found another large flake rolled up in pipe . Found paint in one of the filters once ( out of 12 filters).
I was using an additive in diesel but after a lot of research changed to a Marship product as it seemed to be a premium product .
So for me,
2 micron filter on tank
Tank off and clean
Replaced fuel line
Use Marship UK DieselAid LDP
Has been fine since March 21 ( was only getting 20 hrs or so from a set of filters as like op machine goes into limp mode)
That all sounds very similar. We’ll go through the same process. Thanks for the heads up.
 

Hobbit

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
South West
What were your symptoms?
Low pressure. Always ran ok until heavy load then as soon as we changed the filter the lift pump wouldn’t pull any diesel up. Bateman and John Deere have worked on it. There is a gauge on the little display showing fuel pressure which should be around 20 kpa.
 

Oscar

Member
Livestock Farmer
My JD dealer fitted a pressure gauge on fuel line . Pretty obvious but pressure would drop more or less daily and also on hills or where pulling hard and then at a certain point it would flash up with error code and go into limp mode , basically low fuel pressure
 

Oscar

Member
Livestock Farmer
Did hear from my JD dealer
that this is not uncommon ( as can be seen from this thread)
and also heard they( Bateman) are considering moving to plastic fuel tanks ?
 

Timbo

Member
Location
Gods County
My JD dealer fitted a pressure gauge on fuel line . Pretty obvious but pressure would drop more or less daily and also on hills or where pulling hard and then at a certain point it would flash up with error code and go into limp mode , basically low fuel pressure
So you have a restriction or inadequate lift pump on the low side
 

Oscar

Member
Livestock Farmer
Well yes and no .
Changed lift pump twice( in a week) and new filters, pressure would be good but as said it would drop daily and then 20 hours or so would throw up a code . New filters again and all good for a while .
Dealer was blaiming my diesel but as test proved it was fine ( and 5 vehicles running fine)
JD did change number on filter part way through my problems , no idea if the filter actually changed or not but things did improve . The paint flakes were also going on at same time so with so many things being changed in a short time not clear what in the end was the cause.
One intresting point is that when I used the additive from Marship the filters at the time had done 50 hrs but pressure on gauge was dropping low on hills and was expecting error code to pop up soon but went on and did 200 hrs more.
Managed to get 380 hrs from last set of filters, not great but whole lot better than 20hrs !!
 

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