Combines 2166 horsepower and fuel usage

i have a 1997 2166 and run a 25 flex and does fine most of the time runs a little short on power in green stem beans but hey it will run at least 4.5 day in day out. usually run a little over a day on a tank of fuel

I run a 1660 which I realize is less horsepower, but it has the high speed rating (2500 rpm rated speed)which should make it harder on fuel. I can run 10 to 11 hours on 88 gallons with a six row corn head, or 25' bean head. Seems yours is quite thirsty.

See that is different than me. I am only running 3.5 mph with 25' head in 58 bushel beans. How many hours in your dayIJ

I also have a 97 2166. In corn or beans we can run 7 hrs and we will need fuel. I thought this fall after running B95, then B57, then B2 that we had better power and fuel efficiency with less biodiesel added. We ran about 2.8 in beans with B95, while last year were able to run 3.5 using B20. Bean yields both years in the 50's. Had a lot of trouble with fuel filters, finally quit the biodiesel. Changed both fuel filters, both air filters and had the power and efficiency we used to have. We run out of power unloading on the go or combining up a hill with near full hopper but that is the nature of this combine from talking to other owners. Can run 3.7 to 4.2 mph using B2 in 175 to 195 bushel 17% corn. You are not alone.

I don't have experience with a 2166, but I know that with our 2388, just turning the fuel screw doesn't do much but cost you money, ditto with turning up the RPM's. Seems that at some point Case retarded the timing of the fuel pump in order to meet EPA emissions regulations. Not sure when this took effect, but our 2388 is a '98 model. The effect of retarding the timing is that engine power is reduced, operating temperature is raised, and it consumes more fuel. We finally found a fuel pump man that knew what he was doing. He set the govenors in the pump to make it hold rpms steady, then advanced the timing back to where it should be. Result was MUCH more power, lower operating temps, and lESS fuel usage. We also aren't going through a rotor belt every year anymore. We were running 7 MPH in 50+ bushel beans this year with a 25' 1052. My suggestion is to talk to some pump shops and find someone who knows how to set the govenor for a combine and who will advance the timing. It will make a huge difference.

Hey, thanks for your post! Now I am finally getting some answers. I thought maybe I was just asking to much out of my machine. But now I feel that I can get better performance by working on the pump as you described. Where are you fromIJ Could I get in touch with your pump manIJ Thanks Shouldn't the dealer shop know this stuff about pumpsIJ

Hey, I'm from Northeastern louisiana. It's pretty common down here to work on the fuel pumps, because running in a muddy rice field takes all the power you can get and more. Dealers know about this, but they have been instructed not to mess with the pumps for liability reasons. Plus most of them don't have the necessary equipment to set a pump. I'm sure you could call my pump man, might even want to ship your pump to him. I've found from experience that not all pump shops know how to set a pump either. Email me and we'll discuss in private. keith@jam.rr.com

Sorry, wrong email address. Try kwelch1@jam.rr.com