Mowing Removing Chaff From Tractor Radiator

[Hill Farmer]

I use a leaf blower regularly when I mow. Works great for cleaning off the bush hog and will blow a lot of the junk off the radiator. Blowing the dust off the windows helps too.

The best way to clean the radiator is compressed air and a long wand with a sharp bend in the end. Let's you get behind it and blow the junk straight back out. Hard to do in the field though, unless you carry a compressor and generator.

 

[chim]

I use a leaf blower regularly when I mow. Works great for cleaning off the bush hog and will blow a lot of the junk off the radiator. Blowing the dust off the windows helps too.

The best way to clean the radiator is compressed air and a long wand with a sharp bend in the end. Let's you get behind it and blow the junk straight back out. Hard to do in the field though, unless you carry a compressor and generator.

10-4 on that. To blow the air where I wanted it I made an extension for the blowgun. It's a simple piece of 1/4" copper like you'd use for an icemaker. The end is smashed shut, and about an inch from the end I made a cut a little less than 1/2 way through with a hack saw to create a slot in the side. The copper bends so it can be snaked around the fan blade and reach almost all parts of the radiator.

 

[C4Ranch]

For remote air, get yourself a small co2 bottle and fill at a welding shop. Nothin beats air for cleaning out the corners of the rad. You can also use for tires and air tools. You'd be amazed at how much air comes out a small tank. I pieced mine together back when I was 4wheelin. They make great kits ready to go but can be pricy. Do a search on powertank

HTH

 

[Coyote machine]

You could have a portable compressed air tank on the tractor, to use sparingly a couple of times a day to blow out the rad, when the chaff gets to be too much.

 

[Degolyerent]

I carry a brush in tractor toolbox and a hand held gas blower in the truck. I stop every so often and brush it off and when I am taking a break or having lunch I use the blower at the truck and I use it for air filter also.
John

 

[TripleR]

I use a combination of brush and leaf blower for in field clean outs, works fine. When I am near a shop, I use compressed air with a want with curved end or side ports.

Sometimes I can't mow for a full hour before a clean out.

 

[dieselcrawler]

Mine gets a mask like that too... looks like my tractor grew a beard. Yours looks like a superhero mask... 'I am tractor man!'

I do my best to just keep the grill clear by hand one an hour or so and air hose when I get back to the barn. The gas leaf blower might work if you can get a flexible end of the hose to get behind the rad to blow chaff back out the way it came in. Anything is better than nothing... even if its just a few minutes at idle to cool then hand cleaning with the brush idea once you shut it down for a few minutes. Gives your ears a break from the ear plugs too....

 

[stuckmotor]

My grandfather used to fasten an old piece of screen wire like used in a window around the grill of his tractor to keep put the chaff.

 

[EMB5530]

Measure the size of the screen. Go to your local air conditioning supply house, cause they're a lot cheaper than the Lowes and HD, buy the standard filter the size you need, 1" thick. Install in front if screen and when it's dirty throw it away, clean the screen and radiator and put another filter in. Works well for me.

That's a darn good idea. I like it.:thumbsup:

Heck, you could even use the washable blue furnace screens if you are a tightwad like me

 

[jimainiac]

I have a Kubota L3830 also, and depending on the conditions, have to stop every so often to remove the chaf. I carry a thin brush that was a cheapie snow and ice scraper. it's thin enough to get in around the front of the radiator. Between that and pulling out the pre-screen and brushing it and the grill off, I'm Okay. But if you have even worse dust and chaf, nothing wrong with blowing it out with the leaf blower, too.
I'd be leery of putting an air filter in front of the radiator as some have suggested, for fear of restricting the air flow - I don't think the air going through the radiator has to be that clean.