My Christmas Wish (Draining Rad Fluid)

[dmacneil]

You know what I wish for this Christmas. That the decsion makers who chose not to add 5" of tube length to the rad drain plug be made to drain the fluid out of a rad just once!! (I installed a block heater in my BX25 yesterday afternoon).

Christmas joy would fill my heart - I'd be girnning ear to ear as I watch the fluid spray all over them and run down their arm and through their shirt. Giddiness would fill me as they curse their decsion to save $0.25 worth of tubing as they burn an extra 30 mins trying different positions, tools and methods to remove the drain tube and minimize fluid waste. I'd want to sing a carol as I watch them clean up wasted fluid on the garage floor.

The thing that sucks more is that the tube is a metric size and I had no tubing on hand that matches the hole perfectly. So when it comes time to change the rad fluid I'll have to... thank the decision makers again in the future.

Ok, done my rant. At least I got to drink a few "pops" on a Sunday afternoon and play in the garage (the only things that kept me from getting really PO'ed).

 

[Dataway]

I just did a heater install on my BX2200. I was amazed at the stupidity of the radiator drain, type, position, design etc etc. Basically you just have to open up, let the plug fall into the pan, and watch fluid spray all over the various underneath parts, into the front drive shaft guard, frame rail, and pretty much drip off in a dozen different locations under the tractor.
Incredibly poorly thought out. Such small things could make servicing so much easier...they'd recoup their costs for the design work with reduced warranty expenses because people would maintain the equipment better.
JohnnyB

 

[have_blue]

You know what I wish for this Christmas. That the decsion makers who chose not to add 5" of tube length to the rad drain plug be made to drain the fluid out of a rad just once!!

I can't count the times I've made similar wishes about similar design snafus.

Is there a way to extend the tube by using a coupling?

 

[dmacneil]

Is there a way to extend the tube by using a coupling?

You bet, but ideally you need to find metric tubing that is sized properly. My intention was to do just that - add an extended length of tube, a coupling and then the stock plug. I may just do that with 5/16" tubing (I'd have to double check this size), but that will wait now until the rad service is due.

 

[Dataway]

Consider yourself lucky, a BX2200 has no tube at all, and no way to connect one...just a phillips plastic plug with no handle, nothing.
JohnnyB

 

[wushaw]

My Grasshopper ZTR has the same problem but it's oil instead of coolant, very messy the first time, now I use cardboard for a re-director of oil drainage.

 

[korydz]

I recently had the exact same experience putting a block heater in my BX2660. The best advice I can offer is to forget about the drain on the rad and pull the threaded plug just below where the block heater plug is. You can wedge a small funnel with a piece of fuel line or other tubing attached to it at this point and to a reasonable job of catching the coolant.

The other option on the rad drain if you're doing it the first time is to try to get a length on tubing on the drain after you pull the plug off. You won't get all of it, but it beats washing the tractor and the shop floor with coolant.

 

[john_bud]

For some reason, it seems tractor designers think we are still in 1938 or something and it is ok to just pull the plug and let it go on the ground!

DUH

jb

 

[Dataway]

I recently had the exact same experience putting a block heater in my BX2660. The best advice I can offer is to forget about the drain on the rad and pull the threaded plug just below where the block heater plug is. You can wedge a small funnel with a piece of fuel line or other tubing attached to it at this point and to a reasonable job of catching the coolant.

I was looking at that plug...looking at it very hard. Not hard enough evidently

JohnnyB

 

[ToadHill]

The other Orange tractor I have has the drain for the radiator exiting through the frame in front of the left front wheel, it's a breeze to change the fluid.