2 questions; operating temperature and oil leaks

[menchhofer]

We use the enginaire products on our brush chipper, stump grinder, practically all of our equipment. Very useful item and worth the money. If I am not mistaken, they have a lifetime guarantee and they will replace them free if anything ever happens to them.

Wish I could find a way to adapt one on my 1430.

 

[Charlie_Iliff]

Mark wrong beside my post about wet enough Spring to hold down the chaff. Tuesday night, by the end of two hours it was running up near 240, and got balky about revving after reduction of RPM. Wednesday PM, spent 1/2 hour with compressed air, Simple Green, water spray, etc. and still could see a few clogs when I put a white paper underneath, illuminated with a droplight, but pretty clean. Mowed for two hours without getting to 220. Plenty chaff, but apparently just wet enough to be sticky. When I get time in a month or so, I may have to revisit the centrifugal filter mounting problems.

 

[Charlie_Iliff]

<font color="red"> With a nice hot beverage in the water bottle and no need to come out from under the canopy to clear the chaff, how ya going to get wet anyway? </font>
For a solid steel roof, funny how little water the canopy keeps off the operator. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[MossRoad]

I noticed when brush hogging tall stuff that is damp, or if it is snowing really hard, the top of my legs get soaked. However from about my mid torso up I remain very dry. A cab always looks tempting. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Charlie_Iliff]

<font color="red"> A cab always looks tempting. </font>
Not when compared with a fireplace and easy chair. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[Sedgewood]

<font color="red"> When I get time in a month or so, I may have to revisit the centrifugal filter mounting problems. </font>

Be sure to duct the filtered air directly to the fan. I have every significant orifice in the hood screened or filtered and the smalls still get in and plug the cooler. I have insect screening on the sides, split pipe insulation along the bottom edges of the hood, and a 1 inch filter batt (ScotchBrite like material) on the back (set out 3 inches to reduce the velocity and keep the chaff from clinging - that part works!) What gets through now is basically dust - and a surprising amount of it. The way the fins are stamped and bent they catch everything that comes through. My next step might be to replace the insect screening on the sides with fiber batts and see if that helps.

Sure seems silly to have to cover a nice black and red machine with brown window screens, gray duct tape and blue batts just to make it work for an hour.

And then turn the air blue for the cleanout hour...
Sedgewood

 

[Charlie_Iliff]

<font color="red">Be sure to duct the filtered air directly to the fan. </font>
Every time I think about that part, I realize that I extend checking the oil or filling the tank to a 1/2 hour project. But, I don't have to do those as often, right? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[MossRoad]

<font color="blue"> Not when compared with a fireplace and easy chair.</font>

I'd take a cab with heater and a suspension seat over a fireplace and easychair any day! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Sedgewood]

<font color="red">Every time I think about that part, I realize that I extend checking the oil or filling the tank to a 1/2 hour project. </font>

Get yourself the top 4-5 inches or so of a 5 gallon bucket, slip it over the rubber fan intake gasket (it fits nicely - I went there on one leg of this journey toward clean air) and trim it to extend back until it hits the grill on the back of the closed hood. Hang your rotary air cleaner by a hinge at the top of the hood - when you lift the hood it should fall away and clear the trailer hitch....

Now you can refuel in less than 1/2 hour - but you still can't back into trees like I can with my ScotchBrite filter /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Sedgewood

 

[MikeOConnor]

I am Sooo glad to hear you talk about backing into trees! I've done if a couple times in my limited time on my 1850. Wang! Followed by hangdog look around to make sure Marcie didn't see me. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

I think the little chaff problem is just our fate -- I've been blowing chaff out of the radiators of tractors (Deere 850, followed by a Kubota 6800) for years.

One thing I've discovered is a right-angle nozzle for the air hose -- which, in the case of the PT, means I don't have to take the top plate off the engine to get in there and blow the chaff down. The side plate is no biggy, but Charlie's point about getting the top plate back on right struck a nerve.

I like MossRoad's idea of mounting a little air compressor inside the engine compartment. Anybody got any favorites (real small, 12 volt power, happy to get hot).

By the way, to clear up some confusion -- those of us who are whining about chaff are talking about the radiators getting plugged up, not the air filter. I agree, the air filter seems to be pretty clean.

 

[Charlie_Iliff]

<font color="red"> One thing I've discovered is a right-angle nozzle for the air hose -- which, in the case of the PT, means I don't have to take the top plate off the engine to get in there and blow the chaff down. </font>

Unfortunately, every once in a while you have to take it off to look through carefully and get it completely clean. The right angle nozzle works well for most times, particularly if you're not doing heavy mowing.
I used an electric compressor a couple of times. It was better than nothing, but not much. What we need is a rack and a scuba bottle. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[MikeOConnor]

Dang! That's not a bad idea!

Hmm.....

 

[MossRoad]

Use the square tubing on your trailer hitch for an air reservoir.

I was thinking more on the lines of a belt driven compressor or one driven by a hydraulic motor. Is there enough room under the hood?

 

[Sedgewood]

<font color="red"> I am Sooo glad to hear you talk about backing into trees! I've done if a couple times in my limited time on my 1850. Wang! Followed by hangdog look around to make sure Marcie didn't see me. </font>

Ha! At least when I look around there's usually no one there... but I still look /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

<font color="red"> One thing I've discovered is a right-angle nozzle for the air hose -- which, in the case of the PT, means I don't have to take the top plate off the engine to get in there and blow the chaff down. </font>

Yesterday I discovered a little firehose style nozzle has a MUCH better, more forceful, pattern that the usual pull-trigger gardeners thingys I've been using. What a difference - that thing flushed an amazing amount of stuff out of a radiator I though was clean /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif



<font color="red"> One thing I've discovered is a right-angle nozzle for the air hose </font>

I don't have air handy by so maybe I'll make me a right angle mini firehose nozzle...

Next question - how do clean I chaff if I take a job 3 miles from home?
Sedgewood

 

[Sedgewood]

<font color="red"> Unfortunately, every once in a while you have to take it off to look through carefully and get it completely clean </font>

Yeah, and flush it both ways...

Sedgewood

 

[J_J]

A good backpack blower does an outstanding job of blowing everything on the PT. I use mine all the time, or a large air tank.

 

[RegL]

"Next question - how do clean I chaff if I take a job 3 miles from home? "


A real long hose or a bunch of pipe cleaners.

 

[MossRoad]

I was thinking of something like this:

compressor

mounted under the hood if there is room. It could be belt driven off the engine or driven by a hydraulic motor.

 

[Gravy]

I don't think it will fit - It'll take the better part of a cubic foot of space just for the pump.

OTOH, the guts from a portable 12vdc compressor unit and a small air tank might be a possibility.

Some motorcycle guys pull the compressor part out of the plastic case of a Coleman type inflator, add a few fittings, and have a tire inflator unit not much bigger than your fist.

Jack Robin mentioned that the 25 hp Robin engine has a 30 amp charging system, so it would be able to handle the load with no problem. I'd guess that the Duetz would be fine, too.

There's actually a commercial version of that, but I don't remember the name right now.

I can't think of what to use for an air tank, but there's got to be something readily available.

Now I'm wondering how to do it myself, and my 425 doesn't even have the chaff problem...

Gravy

 

[MossRoad]

I was thinking the larger units might have room for the compressor on board. I gave our PT425 a bath today and just used the leaf blower to clean out everything, then the air gun for the final blow out before washing it down. Our Kohler doesn't have any chaff problems. The PT425 does get lots of stuff jammed down the front tunnel, though. I think ours only has a 15AMP alternator, so 12V accessories are limited before battery drain becomes a problem.

As for air storage, roll bar tubes could hold a couple of gallons. Also, a small tank could be mounted on top of the engine compartment. A friend of mine had a 4x4 truck that he used the tube bumpers and the roll bar for air storage.