Fan hits fan shroud - am I asking too much of this tractor?

[g8erh8er]

I had a 32 hp Massey Ferguson tractor prior to the RK55 that never exhibited the trait I'm about to describe, so I'm not sure if I'm pushing this larger tractor too hard, or if it's just a poor design?

Twice now I've experienced instances where the engine fan contacts the fan shroud on uneven surfaces. This happens when the front axle pivot reaches it's stop, which essentially means it hits the frame of the tractor. I'm assuming the fan shroud and engine are connected to different parts of the frame, allowing some movement between the two.

The first time it happened I was adding dirt to our rutted out driveway. One of my front tires dipped into the rut, and I heard a squealing noise, but I was only in the rut for a moment and the squealing stopped as soon as I hit the other side. I thought, hmm that was strange, but chalked it up to a belt slipping momentarily and didn't put two and two together.

Today, I was back dragging our driveway and my front tires again were on uneven ground. This time, I heard the squealing and the tractor lost all power. I immediately shut it down. Upon opening the hood, I saw what I think to be the issue. The fan was in direct contact with the fan shroud. The shroud was melted around its edges due to the contact.

I pulled the tractor back to even ground with my truck, and it started up with no issues.

I took some pics of the tractor where it sat before I moved it. It honestly didn't look like a crazy angle in person.

Just looking for some feedback one way or the other. It appears I'm going to have to alter the way I tackle our driveway from the days that I owned the MF.

 

[s219]

This sort of suggests the frame is twisting, which seems odd to me. I would not expect that on a well designed modern tractor. I'd check everything over carefully to make sure there wasn't some loose fasteners or some other factor allowing the frame to flex or twist.

The fan is on the engine, which is rigidly mounted to the transmission and rear end of the tractor. What is the radiator mounted to, and how does that interface with the engine/trans/rear structure? If you can determine what allows relative movement, you will probably find the issue.

 

[ptsg]

As s219 said, check the bolts on the subframe where the front axle is mounted to. The subframe is bolted to the side of the engine. If the bolts are loose, it can move slightly which would cause the fan to hit the shroud.

 

[redman135]

As the 2 previous posters said check for loose bolts, especially the engine to front axle subframe. You should be able to drive onto 3 wheels with out the fan hitting the shroud.

 

[g8erh8er]

As the 2 previous posters said check for loose bolts, especially the engine to front axle subframe. You should be able to drive onto 3 wheels with out the fan hitting the shroud.

All bolts relating to steering & subframe assy are tight. The only ones I found I could tighten more were those that connect the long square tubing from the loader to the rear axle. But that's part of the loader assy and shouldn't have any affect on what I'm experiencing.

I took a closer look at the fan/shroud assy today and noticed the fan is extremely close to the shroud around the 4 o'clock to 8 o'clock positions, in one spot I've got maybe 1/16 to 1/8" inch of clearance (see pic - sorry upside down for some reason). I don't care how rigid a tractor is, I would think that's not adequate clearance between the fan and shroud. At the top of the shroud I can stick my pinky between the fan blade and shroud.

Unfortunately one of the bolts that attaches the shroud to the radiator does not appear accessible without removing the radiator hose. I loosened all of the bolts but that one and shifted the shroud as much as possible to lower it. Gained maybe 1/16" of an inch. I will need to take the shroud completely off and widen the holes to gain much more clearance than that.

 

[ptsg]

You want a tight clearance between the fan and shroud. That's doesn't look too bad.

Something is moving that causes the fan to hit the shroud and it's a matter of figuring out what it is. Either the entire frame or the radiator support.

Try lifting the entire front of the tractor with the loader and try pivot the front axle by hand while taking a closer look on potential things that it can hit and push.

 

[DonRybak]

Kind of hard to tell from the pic but to me it looks like the shroud might be warped. Just looking at the lip it doesn't appear round.

 

[1010]

Call the dealer if you can't find the problem. See if it's a problem on all of those machines. That isn't acceptable and could tear up your tractor.

 

[RK55guy]

I have had my rk55 on three wheels several times while crossing the drainage ditch along the driveway. I have never had my fan hit the shroud. I dont think your problem is a design issue, it seems that you have something a little out of wack somewhere. Good luck, hope you get it figured out. Keep us posted if you do.

 

[g8erh8er]

I have had my rk55 on three wheels several times while crossing the drainage ditch along the driveway. I have never had my fan hit the shroud. I dont think your problem is a design issue, it seems that you have something a little out of wack somewhere. Good luck, hope you get it figured out. Keep us posted if you do.

Thx for the replies everyone.

RK55guy, I appreciate the info. That lets me know it doesn't hit in cases more extreme than what my picture showed (at least in the non-cabbed) version. Unfortunately due to previous experiences, I don't have a lot of faith in my local store being able to diagnose/fix the issue, so I'l keep running it for now until I can figure something out on my own.