Cleaning air filter

[jenkinsph]

Speaking of cleaning air filters - and with no intention of side-tracking this thread. Has anybody found a reusable air filter(s) such as K&N? I know K&N did not have anything for my tractor when I checked about six months ago.

I have K&N filters in a few of my trucks but that would not be as easy to use on a tractor. At least in my locale the dry paper would be a lot easier to clean as the dust falls from it when tapped lightly. This time of year working in the fields I have to clean my filter twice a day. If I had to use an oiled filter I would need about four of them to make this work.

 

[big bubba]

imho stay away from water cleaning on any air filter material. just my own bias (& i have many).... air compressors should be just fine being aware of how you do it. i'm not at all opposed to replacing my OEM filter when i feel it's ready. always have a new one on hand.... i always stick with dealer item on this. on a diesel esp. air filters, along w/eng oil & fuel filters are the heart of longevity & trouble free maintenance. if you want to pursue reusable aftermarket types on this topic, feel free. but not on my rig again, my own bias

 

[buickanddeere]

K&N filters are good on short lived race engines to keep large dust particles, stones and low flying birds out of an engine. They do not however provide the small micron size of the efficiency of a paper element.

 

[MHarryE]

https://www.donaldson.com/en/engine/support/datalibrary/073635.pdf

Here is a link to the world's largest large engine filter supplier for their recommendation. Their main statement is do not clean. Do not remove to inspect. Replace when the indicator says to replace.

That doesn't always work, especially on naturally aspirated engines. I have had operator's complain their machine was down on power with the indicator well below the red line. Cleaning regained the power. Our spec on maximum allowable air inlet restriction may be off.

Washing used to be a recommended practice many years ago when we used Donaldson air cleaners on Gleaner combines. I checked one of our old manuals and it illustrated the proper washing method. Remember that although it is a paper element, it foes not fall apart in water. Think of the enormous amount of water that is handled by the air cleaner when any engine is run in a heavy rain.

 

[Mud Mechanik]

The manual for my new 1660 recommends washing the air filter in warm water and non foaming detergent, then replacing after 5 washings. I just washed it last week and it looks surprisingly clean, will replace it with a new one next time it needs cleaning.

 

[bigtiller]

I only use air for cleaning the air filter. This is what I use for blowing filters and the rad clean. One is for air and one for water. They both are adjustable for low pressure high volume cleaning at just short of a 90 degree angle. They're sold on line but my dealer stocks them. See them here

Radiator Genie Cleans out Clogged Radiators