BX normal Operating Temp?

[RET]

Nick,
I just e-mailed Carver Equip. asking their advice and I suggested the same thing to them. Maybe they will send me a thermostat under warranty. If not, I'll purchase one myself.
Unless the folks at Carver have another suggestion, I'm definitely doing the thermostat thing next.

PS - The folks at Carver have treated me very well so far....only hassle is in communicaton....they are 900 mi away, so all discussions are by phone or e-mail.

rt

 

[RET]

Steve Carver has ordered me a new thermostat on warrantly.
This guy know how to run a business! Fantastic service!
rt

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I had contacted Steve Carver for a quote when I was pricing my L3000DT, but did not wind up buying from him as I found whan I was looking for locally.

Steve was a real gentlemen, not only when he quoted but also after I found the tractor locally. Some guys are nice only when they think they have the sale. I think Carver is a class act.

 

[RET]

I put in a new thermostat over the weekend before mowing. Did not make a difference in the temp - still runs at 1 o'clock or so when mowing.
I only know one more thing to try.... remove the thermostat and run without it for a while. If the temp. is still on the high side, I'll conclude the the temp. gage is just calibrated wrong.
If the unit runs significantly cooler, I'll conclude that there's still something I'm missing in my troubleshooting.
Any new suggestions for troubleshooting?
Thx
RET

 

[sss]

Mine runs about 1 o'clock when mowing as well. It has since day one of operation and I now have over 60 hours on it. At lower RPM's it will move to approx. the 12o'clock postion, maybe lower. However, when I'm running the 60" MMM or my 4ft rotary cutter at approx. 3/4 throttle, the temp gauge stays at the 1 o'clock position whether its grass I'm mowing or 4 ft stuff I'm shredding. Since its never gone above that point, I've considered that "normal operating". Please post what else you discover - I may need to give the dealer a call.

 

[RET]

Scott,
you're description fits my observations exactly!
Maybe our temp. gages are right and everybody else is screwed up?!
Thanks for posting....make me feel a little better.
RET

 

[upgw]

Mowing a 3FT high field on a 90 degree day, at 90% power, mine runs at 11:00 on the guage. When it gets to 1:00 on the gauge, I shut her down, and clean the screen AND the radiator. I'm constantly brushing stuff off the outside screen (or whatever it's called). Somehow, grass debris gets past both screens and into the radiator, I have to blow it our from the inside out.

- Patrick W.

 

[k8ny]

At 70% throttle while mowing with my 60"MMM the BX2200 temp gauge is at 11:00 and that's an ambient temp of approx 90.

 

[crawdad]

ret,
whats the temp when parked at idle?
is the fan belt tight?
debris in the radiator fins?
when cold,remove radiator cap,put in an automotive type thermometer and see what that says compared to your gauge on the dash as she warms up.
maybe one oclock on your guage is only 180 degrees.
could be something to check
good luck

 

[RET]

Crawdad,
whats the temp when parked at idle?
After mowing, then returning to idle, the temp seems to level out at ~12:30. But, I usually don't idel more than a couple of minutes at a time, so it may not have had time to come to equilibrium. When using the tract at ~50% throttle for stuff like FEL work, the temp runs at ~11:45 (best guess).

is the fan belt tight?
Yep. very snug.

debris in the radiator fins?
Absolutely nothing. I have been keeping it spotless.

when cold,remove radiator cap,put in an automotive type thermometer and see what that says compared to your gauge on the dash as she warms up.
maybe one oclock on your guage is only 180 degrees.
Good thought. I'll have to stop by an auto parts store to see if I can find some sort of manual thermometer.

Other things checked: Mower deck moves freely, no binding that would load up engine. Mower blades were sharpened last week. New thermostat (old one looked like new). Inside of radiator looks as clean as new. Oil level in engine is good. Screens are kept perfectly clean.

The big clue that I probably don't have a temp. problem is that the gage runs the same when mowing whether the grass is 2" or 2' - between 1:00 and 1:30.
thanks,
ret