Hot Hoggin', or "i think i killed the tractor!"

[MGMAN45]

Im happy to see you got this repaired.

 

[YanmarFever]

Im glad you're back in the saddle!

I was bush hoging with a Mahindra 5010 cab in 90 degree heat the other day and it over heated, which made me think about your Branson and the radiator blast.

It was just dust and seeds in the radiator screen, I cleaned it and I was back to mowing.

 

[Warsign]

I stop about every 2-3 hours and break out my Stihl leaf blower.

 

[ning]

I'm definitely considering an exhaust re-route. This business of blowing chaff and dust up into the air to be sucked in by the engine, radiator fan, and driver is for the birds.

 

[TomIre]

I do a good bit of Bush hogging too. Recently in 95 degree summer. One more thing you might want to check. I get a sticky mess on the backside of the fan blades. Guessing it bug bits and seed but not really sure. Gets pretty thick but now I clean it off with Simple Green and a rag before using.

 

[5030]

When I'm mowing and bailing hay (with the round baler) I get a lot of chaff. In the field, I'll clean my screens but when I get home every night, I blow out the rad from the fan side (backwards) and once a week wash the rad out again from the fan side with my pressure washer and a wide fan nozzle. Amazing what I get out of the rad every week. The rad, the air to air cooler and even the ac condenser get loaded up. AC works much better being clean.

 

[Cougsfan]

Getting chaff in the radiator seems to be a very common problem on tractors. Most manufacturer's make feeble but in adequate attempts to keep it out with flimsy foam rubber seals that fall off after a few hundred hours and screens that are inadequate. Then they install oil cooler and ac condensers that block flow, are difficult to remove and make it difficult to adequately clean. I have improved mine considerable by filling in holes in front of the radiator with foam or screen. Seems to me this is an area where manufacturers could fairly easily improve things considerably with minimal effort. I think all brands are equally guilty in this area..

 

[TXCOMT]

That's what I was thinking, too, Cougsfan! Not only does decent filtration seem to be an issue, but also air intake. On my 2400H, the intake tube is flattened to go over the radiator; while we're not talking about a fire-breathing Top Fuel engine here, I'm sure that little 3-cylinder would breathe a might easier if the air path was less restricted. I've even thought about replacing that short section and replacing it with a round tube, but that would involve cutting a hole in the hood. Of course, if it were covered nicely, it'd resemble those turbo humps on the hoods of certain cars (a la the Chrysler D platform variants).

TXCOMT