DK40 overheating

[bullebak]

I recently attached a 1.5m (5') Kanga slasher and worked fine for many hours at a time, including shashing woody weeds such as gorse. Coolant temperature hardly varying.

Until yesterday. Admittedly the recovery tank was allowed to become empty, but the radiator was full.

Refilled recovery tank, all is well for some time, then the temperature gauge will make it's way towards the red area again.

Could it be that there is air in the cooling system? Any suggestions?

 

[IslandTractor]

You did not mention the radiator screen. Is it clean? I occasionally see my temp guage rising while mowing but it has always been due to the radiator screen being clogged with fine mowing debris. Temp returns to normal within a minute or so of cleaning the screen.

 

[bullebak]

It does have to work hard, massive amount of cuttings left behind (lots of gorse), and it's very hot weather (around 35C - 100F) but it did the same work in the same weather before this issue started.

Where the gorse is very high, I cut it in two stages (with the slasher half-way up).

I'll have another look at the radiator next time I use it (next week).

 

[ToadHill]

If your not familiar with the radiator screen, it is a 2 part unit and when you slide it out to clean it be sure to brush out the track it rides in or you won't be able to get it back in right.

 

[bullebak]

Thanks IslandTractor & ToadHill.

Indeed, the radiator screen was blocked with caked mud. Cleaned all the dust and clay around it also, and now it's running like a new one again.

I now remembered that I watched the service guy do it with the first service.

As an aside, the Kanga slasher is not exactly balanced very well, I can feel the vibrations while working and looking from behind at the slasher (running, off the ground) you can see it also (vibrates left-right).

Is that typical or should I complain?

 

[IslandTractor]

"Slashers" or as well call them "Bush Hogs" are notoriously noisy and far from precision instruments. It is hard to judge from what you have posted whether your experience is normal or indicates a problem. Has it behaved this way from the beginning? Have you looked underneath (tilt it up with the 3PT, shut off the engine and very carefully, without sticking your head under the slasher just inspect it to see that nothing is bent or missing. All these mowers vibrate as they are not precision balanced but it should still run fairly smoothly and certainly should not cause very noticable vibrations in the tractor itself (when not cutting, just running).

 

[Coyote machine]

While inspecting underneath look to make sure there is no broken or bent blade section(s). This would also make it very unbalanced. Often blades may get pieces broken off when rocks get hit or it may bend a blade enough to throw it out of balance.

 

[ma9golj]

Hi
I have a DK50 and 5' slasher
I use it on very steep hills with lots of heavy cutting
I have found that not only does the radiator screen need cleaning every 2 to 4 hours, (this also includes hosing out the radiator fins) but the air filter also needs cleaning as it also gets blocked with the grass fines)
Having followed this I find that the engine temperature stays normal
I also find that I hit lots of rocks with the slasher (reactive soil shrink/swell pushes them up)
So I have started welding up the cutting edge of the blades as they tend to chip/break on the rocks and the slasher then starts to vibrate.
I find I need new blades and Bolts every 100 hrs
However the DK50 is so much beter than the MF135 and Fiat 505 I had before and the 4WD makes it so much safer
Regards
Joe

 

[DrewL]

Where I mow I am constantly cleaning the screens. Yes they are a two piece screen but the bigger pain I have come up against is the air cleaner is in the way. What I did to make the removal of the screens easier is I removed the plastic band the holds the air cleaner housing in place. I can now flip the air cleaner completely out of the way making screen removal very easy. The air cleaner housing is plastic so it can safely sit directly on top of the battery. I inspect the housing from time to time to ensure the vibration does not create holes.So far no problem.