Hot Hoggin', or "i think i killed the tractor!"

[EddieWalker]

If the OP gets by with only the radiator/cap/thermostat replacement to repair this, he will have dodged a bullet. Engines do not like to be overheated and a cracked head or head gasket leak may still be lurking.

This is my concern too. Have you checked your engine oil?

 

[ning]

As expected, radiator shops don't want to fix a plastic-tanked radiator; the local one said "more expensive to fix than to replace" and then heard it was for a tractor and got off of the phone asap. My dealer's sending me a new one in tomorrow's UPS drop; hopefully I'll have it Thursday.

I checked the oil - no milkshake visible yet, just nice diesel-blackened oil. We'll see after the radiator's back on.

To those following who didn't read at least two of my postings: I was hogging in long (for here, at least, this isn't a prairie) dry grass, didn't watch the temperature gauge and didn't pay any attention to buildup on the radiator chaff screen, and it overheated. Everything on the tractor was in excellent condition beforehand. Mea culpa.

Has anyone ever installed some sort of audible alarm for high temperature? All the sudden that seems useful. My attention was pretty well fixed on where I was backing the tractor into to mow the banks of my pond and avoid taking a bath, and avoiding a few large rocks I remember being in the general area; seems that having something squawk at me would be helpful in the future.

 

[ericm979]

My old Kubota B7100 did not have an overflow tank. Instead Kubota put a special radiator whistle on the overflow tube off the radiator. I discovered it when I was mowing and hadn't cleaned out the radiator screen. Arguably that may be a bit too late but it's simple and mechanical.

A bright warning light would be good but you'd have to come up with a circuit to trigger it off the temp sensor.
Or you could adapt something like this: Water Temp Warning Light Kits

 

[ptsg]

There are some Electronic temp gauges that you can set up alarms to whatever temp you want to.

Hopefully there is no damage caused to the engine. Other than a radiator.

Mowing the right stuff and it doesn't take long to get the radiator plugged with chaff and dirt.

This is my tractor after a 100 ft pass when mowing some tall brush, grass and all kinds of stuff. I felt my legs getting hotter and hotter, so definitely something was heating too much.

 

[ovrszd]

Gauges and lights won't prevent this. Takes a loud audible alarm to do that.

 

[ovrszd]

Also, my JD2210 will turn off the PTO when it gets hot. Nice touch.

 

[ptsg]

Gauges and lights won't prevent this. Takes a loud audible alarm to do that.

Like I said, there are some electronic temp gauges with an audible alarm that can be set to whatever temp you choose.

 

[ericm979]

This is my tractor after a 100 ft pass when mowing some tall brush, grass and all kinds of stuff. I felt my legs getting hotter and hotter, so definitely something was heating too much.

Wow. That's a lot of stuff.

There's a set of videos on youtube by a guy in Southern California who blew up his new Branson by not checking and cleaning the radiator often enough (and working in very hot weather).

 

[LouNY]

You can find quite a few adjustable fan switches for radiators,
instead of wiring it to a fan wire one to a buzzer and light.

I wonder if it's just because many of these tractors sit so low or if that low exhaust is agitating all the crap and blowing it up where the fan is going to pull it in.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

I think the exhaust tip pointing down and forward does make it worse. I wish I had a vertical stack like you do on your 8050 Lou. I also think that the tighter fins per inch and row spacing on these newer aluminum coolers and radiators also makes it worse. I just wish it was easier to blow all the chaff clear. With the AC heat exchanger and the hydro cooler both sitting in front of the radiator, it makes it harder to get the radiator blown clear. The air cleaner assembly sitting over the top of the radiator doesn't help either.

And yeah, wow ptsg, that's a lot of chaff for only 1 pass of 100' length.