Reversing the B3030 Cab model cooling fan for operator health

[DELInstallations]

Most automotive 12v fans have some sort of shroud attached, and if they're too big, usually they can be trimmed down. Most I've seen attach using glorified ty-raps passed through the rad's core and then cinched down holding the fan in place.

 

[WaxMan]

Wax my friend . . a tyvek suit will solve this issue - please post pics . . .

You know how if you wake up at 3 in the morning and you start thinking about stuff, well I thought about all what you guys were saying about the fresh air flow not being enough. About the blower fan going bad , bad rotor etc. that I need another blower etc. and I need more positive pressure and volume . And I thought about why smfcpafp doesn't have this problem and other don't either.

Then I thought about what ACHINBAC said, for those of you that have trouble deciphering what he said, This is what he really said
"Grasshopper the answer to your question lies in the picture" So thinking of his picture three guys having fun with an obvious make believe fish.
Then it accrued to me he meant , My picture .


See the blower in the picture , the best possible fresh air flow would be to cut a hole in the roof just above the squirrel cage and have a filter there on top.
But that is not how it is , How it is the roof sits right over that squirrel cage about an inch or so higher imagine taking the roof and placing it over the hole about an inch,
Now the air flow is cut back and is drawn from all over.

The problem is the headliner, after the a/c unit and right after the gold metal strip the headliner goes right up and touches the roof over your head ,where you sit, the headliner is the highest. I know this because when I was putting in the dome light there was no clearance between the roof and the headliner.
But the (fresh air filter) air inlet is at the back of the cab, so the fan just sucks air where ever it can around the edges some from the back the front , sides anywhere it can because its restricted slightly from the filter in the back. What I have to do is put a couple of foam strips between the headliner and the roof to leave space for the air flow from the filter to the blower. similar to the foam blocks shown in the picture.

smfcpafp
Says he doesn't have this problem that maybe because his headliner either has small blocks like shown in the picture on top of the a/c unit or the headliner just sits down lower then mine.
On my headliner it never had any spacers or anything to separate the headliner from the roof as I said I had this problem from day one.
Anyway thanks to all you guys and your posts , because of you guys and your ideas I think this may be the problem.

Edit Correction I just went out and pushed up on the headliner there is about3/8 of an inch space before it hits the roof. So hopfully if I increase that space I will increase the air flow. What I should do is get two strips of 1 inch weather stripping and go from the rear air intake to the blower , that way it will be more of a direct line of air flow from the outside air so there will be less of a chance of pulling the air from elsewhere in the roof. I think

 

[milkman]

Squirrel cage blowers running backward doesn't put out much air, had a furnace blower replaced one time and it didn't pull much air at all, called them back and they found that the blower was wired wrong and running backward. There should be enough air pulled through the intake to put positive pressure in the cab and keep out the dust. I say that because this summer I run an old IH 1066 with cab and air, the rubber boots around the clutch and the brakes was gone and there was still no dust coming in the cab with the air on. The engine smell you are getting, could it be that the intake is sucking the exhaust from the exhaust that exit's about 3' in front of it and at about the same level? Just throwing out ideas, hope you find the fix.

 

[WaxMan]

No definitely not backwards and definitely not an exhaust smell had that then moved it up and out of the way , besides there is a gasket all around the roof where it mounts to the cab , no leaks there. I hate diesel exhaust smell.
Its a hot motor smell hot rubber hoses etc. if you sit in the cab without any air or heat on it builds up and I can smell the motor smell.

If you look closely at the picture of the roof mount a/c box in the front you can see traces of tan dust where it is being sucked up from inside the cab. There is also some near the hoses . This is whats left after I cleaned most of it up.

If its being suck back in then it is recirculating instead of being fresh and cutting down on the positive air flow. Maybe I'll try that thick foam that is used for pickup truck caps , Run one long piece around the squirrel cage back to the intake like a big long U that way the blower will only suck thru the flittered outside air. I'll attach it to the underside of the roof.

 

[brandoro]

I'm probably not as meticulous as you but I just wiped out my cab for the first time, ever, and it wasn't that bad. I bought the tractor new in the spring and have 90 hours on it at the moment. A good portion of those hours was with the RFM or the flail, some with the grader scraper so not like I have been driving up and down the pavement with it. Well, I have done that too but not much.
I haven't taken anything apart to have a real good look but it appears to me that even when the air control is in the position for fresh air it is still drawing a fair bit of air from inside the cab. Maybe you could adjust the damper to force the fan to draw more outside air to increase pressure inside the cab.
I have been thinking about this since I read about your dilema and can't recall ever smelling exhaust or hot engine/hoses smells. I have also not done anything to try to close up any openings in the cab where pedals or controls pass through, it never seemed to be a problem. I rarely run the fan above the lowest speed either, in fact if the temperature is okay with the two wing windows open I might not run the fan at all, still no (unexpected) smells.

 

[My Hoe]

Trust me,
reversing the fan will not reverse air flow.
Not only will it not push, instead of pull,
but it will loose efficiency because of the curve of the blades-- BTDT.
(lift affect, like airplane wings)
you must get a reverse flow fan.
I put a reverse flow fan on a Ford industrial tractor being used inside a factory for operator comfort.

Hey 'ol George,

1. Do you or anyone else know if Kubota offers a "reverse flow" fan?

2. Difficulty level for a "shade tree mechanic?"

3. Like the OP, I would NOT want the fumes (diesel or just hot oil) in the cab, NOR THE DUST!

So I'll be watching the thread closely--great question!

Thanks,

My Hoe

 

[PHILIP8N]

This thread died on October 2009, so there may not be too many updates. I do not know if an oem fan is available, others might. If you need a pusher fan contact Multi-Wing Fan in Ohio. They will need specifications like static resistance and cfm that you cannot provide, so you may have to remove the fan and send it to them. Good luck. Philip.

 

[High Compression]

Well I had my B3030 cab model for almost two years and as far as keeping the dust out of the inside of the cab it's a crappy design.
I used it quite a bit this summer and last for dirt work, grading etc. If I'm working in dusty conditions the whole inside of the cab is covered with fine dirt and silt all the while the A/C is blowing the dust around inside the enclosed cab. I could get inside the cab for two hours working in the dirt and never get out of the cab once and my once clean pants are all dusty where if you slap your leg a cloud of dust comes off. Very unhealthily to breath this silt for hours at a time in the small enclosed cab without fresh air.
I replaced the air filter in the back 3 times since I bought the tractor, check for leaks many times all around the roof etc.

The only thing I could think of is the engine fan is blowing the dust thru the holes in the firewall, pedal opening etc. into the cab, I know for a fact if you take the dash cowl off it's all dust and dirt behind there.
I have been thinking of reversing the fan blade so instead of blowing the air across the motor into the cab it would blow the air thru the front grill.
Since the fan is off-set it looks like I would have to cut down the aluminum spacer and turn the blade around so it won't hit the radiator.

The BX models exhaust the air out the front. Why can't the B3030. I would buy another spacer to cut down just in case it would run too hot and I would have to turn it back around.
The temp gauge always runs just above the cold mark so there is room for it to run a little hotter.
Does anybody have any thoughts on this.

From my understanding, the new B3000 has a ton of improvements in the cab to seal it up better. I had to ask my dealer when I traded my B3030 in and saw the B3000 sitting in front of the store.