Hot transmission oil .......

[OrangeRidge]

Now that the floods and the cyclones have passed through this part of the World , the
temperatures are back to a normal late summer . 98f this afternoon and
because of storms this evening , I've cut 2.5 acres mid-afternoon . After blowing
the dry grass from the deck etc. , I saw a clump in the transmission and
painfully realised ( hand retrieval ) just how hot the case was !
How much hotter than B##20/30 and L series tractors does the BX run ?
The fan/heatsink isn't upto much IMO ....... This can't be too good
for the components . FYI the engine temp was right up there too , so
this is how it's going to be for a nornal summer

 

[KennyV]

I think they all run about 100 degrees above ambient... so if you were at 98, the oil would be around 198 degrees.. KennyV

 

[bp fick]

The BX has a reverse flow arrangement. This keeps the heat from supposedly coming back towards the operator.
But, some guys contend that it also makes it easier for the grass dust to plug up the radiator screen filter. You must be certain the filter is clear of debris and sure the radiator is filled with a quality coolant designed for diesel engines. That is all you can do. Best regards.

 

[OrangeRidge]

I reckon the rads are a bit small in these engines BP.
Wish I had the trans cooler coils off your B2320
What sort of temp is the oil on the return side of the cooler ?

 

[MikeInEburg]

You may want to confirm that the little transmission cooler fan under operator seat remains intact...
Mike

 

[OrangeRidge]

Yes , that was my first look-at .

 

[bp fick]

I reckon the rads are a bit small in these engines BP.
Wish I had the trans cooler coils off your B2320
What sort of temp is the oil on the return side of the cooler ?

Like many things in life, the super compact tractor has to make some compromises. If I were a betting man, I'd say the little white plastic fan system will be faded out in the future with Deere, Massey and Kubota.

 

[Grandad4]

Sounds like you have quite dry conditions and lot's of dust and dry clippings to contend with. In addition to keeping the intake screen clear, you'll probably want to clean the radiator and cooler fins periodically. Also, be sure to keep your rpm's up to provide maximum flow from the hydraulic pump. Low rpm's seems to add to the heat build-up in the hydraulics.

 

[sw03]

I wonder what Kubota's SUDT/UDT boiling point is since you cannot find it..Makes you wonder.

 

[kuboman]

Hydraulic components wear faster the hotter the oil gets. 140* is sort of the baseline. Above that components wear faster. If your machine consistently runs hotter than that I would switch to a synthetic. Hydrostats dislike heat.

 

[bp fick]

I wonder what Kubota's SUDT/UDT boiling point is since you cannot find it..Makes you wonder.

Perhaps these will help:

Since Ashland publishes these reports on Kubota.com it's right there. However, since the OP is from Australia, where Kubota would use someone else than Ashland, it is irrelevant anyhow.

OrangeRidge, Didn't you put a Deere branded product in that BX?

 

[OrangeRidge]

Yes , I've filled the trans with JD HyGard 10w/30 . It's the only multigrade
low viscosity tractor oil available in Oz . JD Oz get it made here to spec.
As I type , it's 101f outside ( 11am Monday around this side of the Rock )
and my neighbour is out on his GR2100 48" cuttin' 4 acres now !!
I'm downstairs in the cool with this laptop and a tonic water :thumbsup:

 

[Haywire]

I've been thinking about a removeable tranny cooler for mine. Seems like if you had an FEL setup, all you would need would be a small radiator with QDs to hook up to the FEL remote and a dc fan with a disconnect so you could take it off easy. Might be able to hide it behind the brush guard if so equipped.

Has anyone used Waterwetter in their radiator? It lowers the surface tension of the coolant so it does a better job of heat transfer. It sucks it out the block and dumps it to the radiator metal more efficiently.

Ian

 

[wvpolekat]

I've been thinking about a removeable tranny cooler for mine. Seems like if you had an FEL setup, all you would need would be a small radiator with QDs to hook up to the FEL remote and a dc fan with a disconnect so you could take it off easy. Might be able to hide it behind the brush guard if so equipped.

Has anyone used Waterwetter in their radiator? It lowers the surface tension of the coolant so it does a better job of heat transfer. It sucks it out the block and dumps it to the radiator metal more efficiently.

Ian

Just remember, you would need a cooler rated for 3000 PSI or more.

 

[kuboman]

I've been thinking about a removeable tranny cooler for mine. Seems like if you had an FEL setup, all you would need would be a small radiator with QDs to hook up to the FEL remote and a dc fan with a disconnect so you could take it off easy. Might be able to hide it behind the brush guard if so equipped.

Has anyone used Waterwetter in their radiator? It lowers the surface tension of the coolant so it does a better job of heat transfer. It sucks it out the block and dumps it to the radiator metal more efficiently.

Ian

I use water wetter in some of my cooling systems. I did notice on the gauge on some a lower temp. Not on all of them though. Probably helps some but will not make an undersized cooling system much better.

 

[dancer]

Here's an example of a non-contact ("laser") digital infra-red thermometer that might be useful at around $40USD and up: Non-Contact Laser Thermometer

 

[Haywire]

Just remember, you would need a cooler rated for 3000 PSI or more.

Not really. It only builds pressure when you present it with a restriction or load. If it's flowing straight through to the return, the actual pressure would be much much less. The only resistance to flow would be the oil passages in the radiator.

Ian

Edit... starting a thread in the hydraulics forum

 

[OrangeRidge]

I found this in a dusty box at the local Big Box store . $6 ! (AAA battery)
Top temp is air temp ( with sun shining on it ..... ) and the bottom
temp is probe temp . Photo taken showing maximums recorded a
couple of weeks ago before the weather cooled off.
With a trans starting temp of 75f ( in the shop ) , this oil
temp took 60 mins to be attained .