greatrandini said:
I never tried to take the prescreen off with the tractor running! I just idle it down for a bit. Then I shut her down and clean the pre screen. I need my fingers for work. I guess though that if it were overheating I would not want to shut it off and would want to get that screen cleaned off right now.... So I can see myself attempting this.. If my unit were over heating like his I would clean the radiator fins and see if that did it. If it did not work I would pull the radiator and have it boiled out at the radiator shop......
I would have used your approach - idle cooldown, shutdown, clear screen, resume operation - except my screen was clogging so thoroughly, so quickly, that I wasn't sure the temp wouldn't keep rising, even at idle. About two circuits and the screen was a solid mass of light fluffy stuff with little or no airflow through the radiator with the temp gauge headed for the redline.
So I opted to clear the screen with the engine running. Since the screen is on the opposite side of the radiator from the fan, I didn't feel my fingers were in any danger. Although dismounting with the engine running is one of those safety no-no's, ensuring the brakes were locked and both transmission and powershift in neutral, I managed it without getting run over. As soon as I pulled the screen, the temp would began to fall back to and below middle of the green arc.
The chaff was so light and fluffy and the suction from the fan was so great, even at idle, that trying to brush the chaff off with the screen in place just wasn't getting the job done. But, as soon as the screen was pulled clear of the radiator, globs of the chaff would fall off, and the fan would pull it into the radiator. So, every three or four screen cleaning resulted in the need for a radiator cleaning.
Two circuits, stop and clear screen, two more circuits, stop and clear screen, cooldown, shutdown, clear radiator, resume mowing, repeat ad nauseam. So went my first time ever to do any bush-hogging. Next time it won't be in head high grass and weeds so maybe it won't be quite as bad. But, if it happens again, I'm sure I can come up with something to keep the radiator clear when I pull the screen.