Brush Hogging Hard on Tractor?

[buckeyefarmer]

I used to rotory mow a 12 acre field with my little MF. I just had to watch the temp, as others said, the chaff clogs the screen and radiator. I blew my radiator out this weekend, it's been overheating some while mowing with the finish mower and had a lot of dirt in the radiator.

 

[CalG]

Hard on tractors?

You bought the tractor for it's horse power on wheels.

Use it! But be mindful of all the details.!

 

[daveshoot]

I've had the B2320 for 5 years with a 48" Gearmore hog. I am a weekender, I guess, with only 2.5 wild acres, but it has always risen to that and many other tasks. It is 23 horse with 18 at the PTO, I believe. It does have the removable screen in front of the radiator and that will jam up with foxtails; glad they made it so easy to clean. I have learned to check it often when the weeds are high.

 

[OrangeToys]

My mx5100 pulls a 6ft great but when I start getting into tall grass it tends to clog and start getting hot quick. the other day i did 6ac and i was off every hr trying to cool it back down. but other than that it doesn't struggle any

 

[tcreeley]

My NH TC30 with my 5' bush hog never overheats. Temp needle is always where it should be. 30hp gear tractor, 1200 hr - I don't run it at the rpm needed to get 540rpm at the pto shaft, doesn't need to. I listen to the motor and the bush hog, and watch how it's cutting. Does fine.

 

[DFB]

We run one consistently thru a 50 acre orchard in hot summertime temps...

Clean 'em and cool 'em!


I love the sound of chopping/shredding woody debris...somedays you think something will come right thu that mower deck!

 

[EddieWalker]

He then proceeded to tell me a story about how his wife was running a brush hog and managed to destroy the engine due to running way too hot, all she saw was the oil light and then the engine died. He was running a 5' model.

The mechanic he takes it to says he has seen several like that in the past so and so, and the good ol boys on the road tell him you can only run those "weekend warrior" tractors (i'm assuming he's a Deere guy) for about an hour or so with a brush hog and then let it rest a bit.

Engine would get hot if the radiator isn't kept clean. Not sure how many wives know to stop the tractor and clean off the screen when the temp starts to rise? My guess is that it wouldn't matter what tractor you had, what size, color or HP, if you don't keep the radiator screen clean, it's going to overheat and blow up the engine. Same thing with an oil warning light. In my experience, you have to be pretty low on oil to have the light turn on.

Eddie

 

[MHarryE]

Its not just wives. I've had neighbors call me to say they are overheating - what can they do? Call because of similar tractors. Some of these have had lots of tractor experience. I describe the screens and sure enough they call back and tell me they are plugged. I believe this is more common today because companies are using more fins per inch in their radiators, oil coolers, air conditioner condensers, and inter coolers so trash that would have flowed through in the past is now trapped. In addition there are often 4 cores whereas in the past with a gear transmission, open platform, and no turbo, there was only one. Another way to improve cooling is to stagger the tubes instead of making them inline. Staggered tubes gives a considerable cooling boost but also results in quicker plugging. Manufacturers have compensated by placing the screens in front to make it easier to clean, but in any condition that kicks up pieces of plants plugging is going to be a problem. In combines where the machine is always working in a cloud of chaff, we could not have more than 4.5 fins per inch. I have measured tractors with 8 to 11 fins per inch. Lots more surface area to dissipate heat but very prone to plugging.

 

[flusher]

I overheated my 2005 Kubota B7510HST while mowing 4-ft weeds around my 10 acre place. The screen on the front of the tractor was clogged--no air moving through the radiator. Fortunately I caught it before damaging the engine. After that I made sure to keep that screen cleaned before, during and after mowing tall weeds.

Good luck

 

[Garandman]

all she saw was the oil light

This sounds like the heart of the problem, given the 10's of thousands of tractors running years in this application.