What is agricultural engine chipping

Everyone knows the term tuning, normally used to designate improvements and customizations made to automobiles for purposes such as improving their performance and making their appearance more beautiful, among others. In agricultural machinery, although the term is not used, many owners also invest in trying to make them better, modifying the original characteristics of tractors and other machines. The changes, except in rare cases, do not have an aesthetic purpose, but rather to improve the performance of the machines.

Technological advances in recent years offer the market engines with greater torque reserves that can maintain maximum power over a wider range of speeds, in addition to having lower fuel consumption. However, the original performance does not always satisfy owners who, similar to what happens in the automobile market, seek through the popular “chipping” to obtain gains in torque and power to increase the machine's capacity to perform work.

WHAT IS ENGINE “CHIPPING”

In electronically governed fuel injection systems, whether in cars, trucks or tractors, regardless of the type of fuel, computers control the injection parameters, such as the ignition timing, the amount of fuel to be injected and even the turbo pressure. . “Chipping” is nothing more than the reprogramming of the original parameters of the onboard computer chips or the addition of additional chips, so that the injection system works based on parameters that increase performance.

WHAT MANUFACTURERS SAY

It is unlikely that you will find any agricultural machinery manufacturer who is in favor of altering original aspects and these restrictions also exist in the case of changes to engines. When a manufacturer defines the design of a machine, for example a tractor, he considers numerous different technical and marketing aspects to determine the level of torque and power it will have when leaving the production line.

As an example, we can mention: the need to have a tractor with a certain level of power to complement the portfolio to fight for a specific segment of the market; the availability of engines that allow the required power level to be achieved with the expected longevity; the need to use components common to tractors with other power levels; the capacity of the tractor transmission; and the weight-to-power ratio that the tractor will be able to support.

For heavy work, it must support at least 60kg/Hp; the capabilities of engine cooling and lubrication systems; the rotation range in which the engine will work; the rotation level at which it will develop maximum torque and power; the level of emissions allowed in the markets where the machine will be sold.

When the first units of the product are manufactured, they are subjected to thousands of hours of testing to verify and validate the design in every aspect. It is not uncommon for components and complete systems to be redesigned and undergo new rounds of testing until they are approved and the product is released for production and the market. As he dominates the project and rigorously executes the methodology and processes, the manufacturer knows the product like no one else and it is soon assumed that his word is the last in terms of what can or cannot be done with the final product.

Changing the parameters that determine how the injection system should work changes the entire balance between the different criteria that the manufacturer has defined as optimal for a given machine model. These changes can result in a series of negative consequences and cause harm to the end customer, eventually affecting the image of the product and brand; hence the reason why manufacturers are absolutely against the practice, as everyone wants to have a long-lasting relationship with their customers.

WHAT THEY SAY COMPANIES THAT DO CHIPPING

When talking about "chipping" agricultural machinery engines, there are a number of companies on the market that carry out these types of changes. They use different technologies to achieve the final result, but when considering their arguments in favor of changes to injection systems , there are some quite common ones. Among them, it can be mentioned that manufacturers do not extract the maximum possible power from a machine and there is normally an unexploited reserve of torque and power; factory programming is not always as efficient as it should be, and that there is always a way to improve what has already been done. But one of the most used arguments is due to marketing aspects, in the same family of machines, such as, for example, three different power levels, used. if engines and other components with equal physical aspects, but distinct only in the programming that will result in three distinct levels of power. Changing the parameters of lower power models, so that they are closer to models with higher power, will provide the performance of the high-powered model, for a small fraction of the price you would pay to purchase the higher-powered machine.

There are significant differences between companies that provide this type of service and while some have engineering areas that seek to explore situations where there really is the capacity to improve performance, despite the loss of the machine's original warranty, others apply their magic formulas indiscriminately. and irresponsible (translated: swindling), with consequences that you will learn about below.

WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF “CHIPPING”?

The fact is that most of the solutions offered on the market really manage to raise the level of machine performance. However, it can bring with it undesirable consequences, which need to be known in advance by the owner who wishes to make any changes. The main undesirable consequences of engine chipping can be: changes in power levels bring with them an increase in the machine's specific fuel consumption; engine used in the machine may originally be working close to its maximum capacity and exceeding this limit implies a risk of premature failure; the cooling system may not have enough capacity to accommodate the increase in power and the consequent increase in heat generated, which could result in overheating and engine failure; Additional fuel injected into the combustion chamber may not burn as originally intended and result in carbonization and damage to the engine, in addition to increasing the level of emissions. Furthermore, additional power may not result in additional performance in the case of tractors, if the tractor does not have the capacity to receive additional ballast to pull heavier implements or at greater speed, and if the tractor's maximum ballast capacity is exceeded to achieve a satisfactory power-to-weight ratio, the service life of the transmission can be drastically reduced. Even if the engine has the capacity to generate additional torque and power, the machine will void its factory warranty.

WHAT CONCLUSIONS CAN WE REACH?

Power increases through changes in the fuel injection systems of agricultural machines have always been possible, as even in systems with mechanically governed injection pumps it is easy to increase fuel delivery. Electronics, however, have made the practice easier. It is necessary to consider that as seductive as the increase in torque and power may seem, it can compromise the useful life of the machine, given what happens in a very popular sport in some countries, the tractor pulling, where all limits are exceeded to obtain maximum performance.

Judging by the number of companies focused on the “chipping” market, demand is very strong, including in applications in agricultural machinery. These companies will continue to offer their solutions, seeking their place in the sun with products that impress by truly increasing performance, in most cases, quite irresponsibly.

As for machine owners, they need to seek information to know the risks they will incur when adopting practices not recommended by the manufacturers of their machines. In any case, as owners of them, they can decide what to do with them and when choosing to make changes, accept the consequences, for better or for worse.

Agricultural machinery manufacturers, on the other hand, reserve the right to refuse warranty claims if they find that the machine has worked outside of the original parameters, regardless of the justifications given. They don't have much to do in relation to the issue, other than guide their dealer networks with the positioning they should have with customers.

And what role should the agricultural machinery manufacturer's dealer take? As a factory representative, you need to take on the brand's positioning and, above all, guide your customers with as much information as possible, so that they can make well-founded decisions and preferably avoid any changes.

To measure performance

To measure the performance of agricultural machinery engines, whether original or not, equipment called dynamometers is used. They function as a brake that applies load to the machine's engine (directly on the flywheel or on the PTO – Power Take-Off), simulating working conditions and at the same time measuring parameters such as torque, power and rotation.

Dynamometers are used to compare machines in demonstrations, pre-break-in engines and, most importantly, to diagnose performance problems. AW Dynamometer brand dynamometers are present in more than 90% of agricultural machinery dealers in the United States and in Latin America and are distributed exclusively by Innova Solutions. To learn more about the representation of dynamometers in Brazil, you can access the website http://innovasolutions.ag.

This article was published in issue 145 of Cultivar Máquinas magazine. Click here to read the edition.