tc45 cab A/C not working

[backyardtrack]

Has anyone with a cab tractor had problems with their air conditioning? I was running my tractor earlier this week and the a/c seemed like it was working good for a couple of hours and then I realized it was getting hot in the cab(it was only 75 degrees outside). I got out of the tractor to rake some dirt but I let it sit and idle. All of a sudden I heard a whine coming from the tractor and then I saw some smoke coming from under the hood. I shut down the tractor and opened up the hood. The smoke was coming from the clutch on the a/c compressor. The insulation on the wires that run into the clutch were all melted/burnt off the copper. I called my dealer and they said "yup sounds like the clutch went, we'll order one today". I can still use the tractor, just no a/c, but thats like riding around in a green house! I was curious if anyone else had their a/c fail? Has anyone been able use their a/c for a couple of hundred trouble free hours? I've only got 25 hours on my tractor and so far I really like the tractor and the cab but with with out reliable a/c the cab is going to be no fun in the summer heat. I know this sounds like a silly problem but I just want to know if the a/c is reliable on these tractors.

[Gator6x4]

Some automotive AC have a problem cooling the interior of an automobile or truck. Automotive AC are used in a clean environment. The AC unit on a tractor is subjected to a very harsh, dusty dirty working environment. The condenser (Sets in front of radiator) can become clogged very quickly on a tractor. This will raise the high side head pressure and stop the compressor from rotating freely, causing the belt to spin on the clutch pulley making a whinning noise damage the clutch or compressor and produce a lot of smoke. A clogged evaporator will reduce the amount of cooling in the cab. If you have used the unit to bush hog or rotary cut in a dry environment I would recommend using an air compressor and clean the radiator and condensor unit. A slightly over charged unit to achieve maxumum cooling will also result in high head pressure in an AC unit. The unit will work fine in mild weather but as the temperature increase, so does the head pressure in the compressor resulting in compressor stall or lock up. To insure peak performanace, good cooling and realiability it is very important to keep the condensor, evaporator filters and radiators clean on equipment with an AC unit used in a harsh environment.

[backyardtrack]

Originally Posted by Gator6x4

Some automotive AC have a problem cooling the interior of an automobile or truck. Automotive AC are used in a clean environment. The AC unit on a tractor is subjected to a very harsh, dusty dirty working environment. The condenser (Sets in front of radiator) can become clogged very quickly on a tractor. This will raise the high side head pressure and stop the compressor from rotating freely, causing the belt to spin on the clutch pulley making a whinning noise damage the clutch or compressor and produce a lot of smoke. A clogged evaporator will reduce the amount of cooling in the cab. If you have used the unit to bush hog or rotary cut in a dry environment I would recommend using an air compressor and clean the radiator and condensor unit. A slightly over charged unit to achieve maxumum cooling will also result in high head pressure in an AC unit. The unit will work fine in mild weather but as the temperature increase, so does the head pressure in the compressor resulting in compressor stall or lock up. To insure peak performanace, good cooling and realiability it is very important to keep the condensor, evaporator filters and radiators clean on equipment with an AC unit used in a harsh environment.

Thanks for the info. I'll have to keep an eye on everything to make sure it stays clean. Right now I've only got 25 hours on the tractor and 15 of that is plowing snow. The other 10 hours were spent mostly pull a 2 bottom plow in very moist soil and other non dusty tasks, no mowing. Aside from the tires the tractor is very very clean. I'm hoping I just ended up with a bum part and this will be an isolated incident but I'm curious if there is something wrong with system like you suggested that caused the compressor to lock up and fry the clutch. I have lots of warranty time left for the dealer to figure it out but I'd much rather be playing with the tractor than hauling back and forth between home and the dealer. I'll keep my fingers crossed that my dealers mechanics are proficient at trouble shooting and repairing a/c systems!

[jinman]

I think you experienced "infant mortality" of your clutch. It probably had a fault that was not picked up in the manufacturing process and failed early in its life. That's far better than failing a few years away when the warranty is gone. I think the replacement is likely to be trouble free. AC clutches are well-matured technology and I suspect you will not see a repeat of this problem.