Lehman 120 (2715E) Duty Rating?

Hi Everyone.

Did a search on forum and internet and could not find an answer. My manuals on on the boat 45 min away. (Not sure its in there anyways)

I am going to take a long run in my 26 Groverbuilt (downeast) with a 120 Lehman. The Lehman, drive train, and boat have been maintain impeccably maintained (i mean impeccably, people laugh at me for how much I spend and work on that boat) and has about 2000 hours.

The run will be at about 48 continuous hours (no stops, no turning off the engine). The engine will be running around 1700 rpms.

In the past, I have run her for 12 hours straight at 2200 with no problems. (Several times in a few week period)

Is the engine rated for continuous duty? And if no rating is available, i would like to get opinions from folks. I think ill be fine, but i will be in blue water for about 36 of those 48 hours and just wanted to “check myself” to make sure I’m not missing anything. (It would get very lonely 200 or so miles off shore)

Thank in advance for your time and thoughts

Anthony

At 1700 I wouldn't worry. Maybe shut down at some point to check the oil, but in general, an engine being run at a power level that it can handle continuously should be fine to run non stop until oil change time.

I've run my gassers for 12 hours straight without a second thought. And on that same note I've run them 33 hours in 3 days without so much as a hiccup.

Thank you. Appreciate it

1,700 rpm is about 70% of wot rpm for that engine. That makes it at about 50% of rated power. 60 hp over long term, probably forever isn't going to hurt that engine.

I don't think Lehman was sophisticated enough to publish continuous power loadings. Their OPs manual for that engine doesn't show a prop power curve.

If you don't have it, PM me with your email address and I will send it to you. It is too big for an attachment- more than 7 Mb.

Dvid

Thanks for the reply. I have the manuals, but appreciate the offer. I actually have the laminated in a nice plastic binder, lmao. Spend plenty of time with them.

Thanks again

You won’t have any issues short of some major breakdown. I usually shut down at 24 hours and check oil level. Have a good trip.

If your Lehman is anything like my Lugger, natural aspiration, you wont have a lick of trouble. Shut down long enough to check the oil once or twice a day. Watch the temp, oil pressure and water flow.
Those engines are from the good ole days...... built like a battle ship and had no concept of less than "continuous." Maybe once an hour run up the RPMs for 10 minutes or more, to clean out the engine.
I might suggest you change the impeller before you start the trip. Take along a couple spare impellers for your Lehman and your generator, enough oil for an oil change and filter.
Ah LOTS of toilet paper too!!!

Lol. Thanks for the feedback. Its naturally aspirated. I change the impeller each year and have a few spares on board.

I will set up a schedule to check the oil. (Hate to turn it off, lmao).

A

Alisske said:

Lol. Thanks for the feedback. Its naturally aspirated. I change the impeller each year and have a few spares on board.

I will set up a schedule to check the oil. (Hate to turn it off, lmao).

A

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If you have a good idea what the oil burn rate is per hour, no need to shut down for you trip.

Heck one of our members has already run and old Lehman to Europe and back without shutting it down to check for oil.

Alisske said:

Lol. Thanks for the feedback. Its naturally aspirated. I change the impeller each year and have a few spares on board.

I will set up a schedule to check the oil. (Hate to turn it off, lmao).

A

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We all know that feeling. Check it in 12 hours, noting the level and then again in another 12 hours. If there is no change, checking it again just might be unnecessary.
You are looking for oil consumption.... hence the extra oil.

On my 12 hour 2200 RPM runs, it may burn less than a quart. Maybe a half quart. Hard to tell on the stick.

But I feel better just running it buy folks and appreciate the feedback. Sometimes I get over confident in my boat, lmao.

Thx again

If you don’t have regular problems starting the engine it shouldn’t be any different.

Unreliable memory says the Lehman Manual has output chart graphs, but it could be just torque figures. Not heard of "ratings" for the engine.

TF Member Richard crossed the Atlantic,and made other long transits using an L120, without turning it off.

Something that I had never heard of before, is checking the oil with the engine still running. My Perkins manual says you can check the oil while still running, but only at 1000 rpm or less. I'm not sure how the level would be different on the dip stick between running and stopped, but I'm sure there must be a difference.
Does your Lehman manual have a similar instruction?

I betcha it would be the same with Lehman. (But I i don't think its in the manual)

I am not leaving until October, so ill get some baseline with it running and try to establish a oil burn rate.

That being said, I’m sure it will start again as folks have mentioned. That motor has always started for 10 years. Every time.

20 something years ago, i redid an old 21foot 1972 whaler. “Top to bottom, electrical, gas, gelcoat, brand new single 225 yamaha. I was so excited about having a super reliable boat for the first time in my life (with the exception of my pops boats) i took it offshore fishing all the time. Would run to the canyons.

After about 2 years with of trips, i was talking to an old salt (he was the oldest and most respected guy in the harbor). He liked the fact i fished far off in a center console and caught what i caught etc…. I could tell he was impressed with a young “wipper snapper”.

I started to tell him that i liked the quite when it got dark and the seas laid down. He then looked at me with disbelief and said “you turn the engine off?!?”

His reaction shook me, lmao. (I immediately went and bought a brand new yamaha 9.9 high thrust kicker and had someone fab a kicker plate for my boat)

Ill never forget that. Every time i turn the boat off far out, i think of him (and worry)

DavidM said:

1,700 rpm is about 70% of wot rpm for that engine. That makes it at about 50% of rated power. 60 hp over long term, probably forever isn't going to hurt that engine.

I don't think Lehman was sophisticated enough to publish continuous power loadings. Their OPs manual for that engine doesn't show a prop power curve.

If you don't have it, PM me with your email address and I will send it to you. It is too big for an attachment- more than 7 Mb.

Dvid

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I have a prop curve in my manual. At 1700 rpm it looks like about 70 hp which is about 58% of full power.

I’m just guessing it’s a 700 mile trip in a 26’ low freeboard boat. Would love to know your destination.

Arc said:

I’m just guessing it’s a 700 mile trip in a 26’ low freeboard boat. Would love to know your destination.

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Yeah, i was avoiding that, lol. I just did not want folks to beat on me and tell me I’m gonna die or whatever. So be gentle on me folks. I’ve driven the boat from NYC straight through to Cape Cod in one shot, back and forth. Those were 20 hour trips, but not far from land. (And that was without autopilot - i just installed brand new autopilot last week)

Rough float plan: Montauk to Hatteras, Hatteras to the Bahamas. Ill make an assessment after that, but will probably push south after that.

Not crazy at all. You must have good sea legs. That boat is a ship in a bottle out there. I worked with Grover way back when he built them in Freeport.

Groverbuilt crossed the Atlantic a few years back.....

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...FjABegQIBBAC&usg=AOvVaw0JwonUhW2nzzR0X6jyRfYS

psneeld said:

Groverbuilt crossed the Atlantic a few years back.....

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...FjABegQIBBAC&usg=AOvVaw0JwonUhW2nzzR0X6jyRfYS

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So many of those adventures happened when most of us were alive.
We never heard of them but, with today's media, we would have, ideally, frequent updates.

Arc said:

Not crazy at all. You must have good sea legs. That boat is a ship in a bottle out there. I worked with Grover way back when he built them in Freeport.

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Lmao! Yeah. I agree. The boat is fantastic if under any power (i would argue one of the best out there) If you drift in sloppy seas, it is a rocker. Grew up on commercial fishing boats, so Its not to bad for me.

I will hang a 5 gallon bucket off the bow when drift fishing (or chum bucket). Will keep the bow into the wind. Only had one time that the boat got me quesy. It when it was new and I ran her out of fuel (like an idiot) in 4-6 footers that had a 7-8 second intervals.

Was my first time doing an emergency bleed and took me about 5 minutes to get her running and i was about to puke when we got back underway. (I find i never get seasick unless i am hyper-focusing on something in bad seas). In usually have about a “10 minute window” before i get the headache and watery mouth, lmfao.

Ive worked through sea sickness and it really is not good. I think it puts you at risk because you just don't operate correctly

Lehman 120

these engines are a ford base. and called 4D and 6D and used in tractors. So no
worry there design was long hours and little maintenance .good luck.

At 1700 rpm I would probably shut it down for an oil change about every other month. Other than that "constant duty".

pete

Thanks everyone. Appreciate the feedback

"Rough float plan: Montauk to Hatteras, Hatteras to the Bahamas."

Take a look at a current chart to see how far out you need to be to miss the mostly southern current along shore and the Gulf Stream if you go way out.

Otherwise its an extra 20-40 miles per day on the nose..

Thanks for the tip. The trip from LI to Hatteras should be well within the stream.

Hatteras to Bahamas will take some sorting out. I figured i would make the call when I got to Hatteras.

Could always head further south before jumping off for Bahamas, but plan was to head directly to Bahamas from Hatteras. Ill see how the first leg goes. Lol

Thanks again

Been working on the boat night and day and just had a chance to swing back to the TF.

Just a follow up. I think the advice has been great and appreciated. Spoke to AMerican diesel (getting some parts) and bought up the trip and usage etc… and he pretty much echoed the groups input

He said running at least 1500 rpm will get the engine to an operating temperature to get fuel burned efficiently. And at that rate, he basically said just watch your gauges, but she can run continuously as long as I can drive her.

He said that there is no practical way to check the oil while running that he knows of. He said burn rate and fill while running, or stop and check

Just An FYI, i got a 300 gallon fuel bladder being made up for the boat, so I’m going to shoot from Montauk to Bermuda and stay for a week or so depending on the weather and then head to Bahamas. After that, ill figure out next steps, (maybe some of the islands south of there) but I’ll be taking the coast back up for sure (and crashing at friends places, lmao)

Thanks again and ill keep folks posted on the trip on a separate thread.

A

Is that North Port NY?
Why brand and length of boat do you have?
It's not listed anywhere

OldDan1943 said:

Is that North Port NY?
Why brand and length of boat do you have?
It's not listed anywhere

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Hello. Home port is Northport NY.

I have to update that information. I have a 26 Groverbuilt. Small builder that built boats in the late 80s early 90s. They basically took an old “verity skiff” and made a fiberglass mold out of it.

I have had her on some long trips and some time offshore. I sorta hesitated putting that in because I did not want to side track the thread. See pic below. (And have your laugh, lol)