OP
Scooby074
Super Member
Yes, Racor has a bowl heater for the R120a+b filters. I posted it somewhere, not sure where lol. In the link I posted to the Racor catalog, it is listed under accessories I believe.
Oil & Fuel Adding a Spin on Racor filter to a BX25
- Thread starter Scooby074
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- kubota bx25
Yes, Racor has a bowl heater for the R120a+b filters. I posted it somewhere, not sure where lol. In the link I posted to the Racor catalog, it is listed under accessories I believe.
No the Racor does not come with a shutoff.
To change the filter I use some small hose pinchers available at any autoparts store or even a harbour freight.Cheap
These work good for something like this.
Radiator hose pinch-off pliers - Amazon.com
CHDinCT
Veteran Member
Got all my parts including the Racor 120a filter housing and a 10 micron filter. My BX25 is coming up on the 400 hour service, which is a major service, and I'll be changing out the OEM under body filter for the Racor one and plan to mount it like Scooby did. One question if anyone who's done this knows or remembers, what size are the FEL mounting bolts? Reason I ask is the largest hole I can drill now is 3/4" using a Milwaukee step drill bit. Didn't think about the bolt sizes so I hope they're not more than 3/4" holes. If anyone knows, I'd appreciate a heads up so I can get a bigger bit if I need one, but hopefully not. Thanks
OP
Scooby074
Super Member
Im pretty sure its less than 3/4 (19mm) . If I was to guess (its been a while) , Id say closer to 1/2 (13mm) or 5/8 (15mm) . You should be OK if you can go up to 3/4. Hopefully your step drill has deep steps if your going to use it on thick steel.
like2wheel
Gold Member
The bolts are 14mm, so anything between 9/16 & 5/8 will do.
CHDinCT
Veteran Member
Thanks Scooby/like2wheel. Here's a pic of the rough cut mounting bracket I made yesterday. I drew the bolt holes in for effect. The steel is 3/16". I'm thinking of using long threaded bolts to mount the filter bracket by inserting the bolts from the back side and tack welding them. Then I'll use some extra nuts/washers to adjust the stand off distance from the existing FEL mounting bracket. I may even weld on a shield to the front side of the filter bracket if I can find an appropriate sized piece of scrap steel.
Oh yeah, one more question. Does anyone know what the torque setting is for the FEL bolts? I don't know if that's in the owners' manual - haven't checked yet. Thanks
Oh yeah, one more question. Does anyone know what the torque setting is for the FEL bolts? I don't know if that's in the owners' manual - haven't checked yet. Thanks
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CHDinCT
Veteran Member
Found the torque setting in the owners manual - 108 ft lbs.
OP
Scooby074
Super Member
:thumbsup:. Glad you found the official number
I just use the "Tight-E-Nuff" method, which was my impact gun on setting #3 in this case
CHDinCT
Veteran Member
Well, finished my Racor fuel filter install yesterday as part of my 400 hour service. Worked out pretty well with one hiccup. Per the pic, I added a shield to protect the glass bowl as best I could. After I changed the transmission oil (SUDT2), I gave the tractor a spin and noticed the left front tire shuddered when doing a full left turn. At first I thought it was air in the power steering lines, but after jacking up the front using the FEL and doing full lock to lock turns multiple times, I still had the shudder. Eventually, the "duh" light bulb went on and I realized my filter guard was hitting the tire. Had to cut almost half of it off so now it doesn't provide full protection. It is what it is, and I'm not too worried it will get hit by anything big anyway. I did add a fuel shut off valve just before the filter (see red handle in pic). Thanks Scooby and others for blazing the trail. So happy I won't have to go under the tractor and drop my skid plate just to change that PIA OEM Kubota filter.
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Scooby074
Super Member
Looks good Chris.
HeLa
Gold Member
you guys have any input on this?
Heavy Duty Diesel Fuel Filter FAQs
Q: What is the difference between a primary and secondary diesel fuel filter?
A: The primary fuel filter must offer low restriction because it is mounted on the suction side of the fuel pump where normally a suction pressure of only 5-6 pounds per square inch is available. This filter has the job of protecting the transfer pump and lightening the load of the secondary fuel filter (if installed). Primary fuel filters typically have a nominal rating of 10 - 30 microns.
Secondary fuel filters are mounted between the transfer pump and the injectors. The secondary fuel filter is designed to offer full protection to the fuel injectors. Since these filters are mounted after the transfer pump they tend to see much higher pressures than primary filters. Secondary fuel filters typically have a nominal rating of 2 - 10 microns.
i had been considering a 2-micron filter installed before the pump, but this logic has me reconsidering. thoughts?
The way a mechanic buddy explained it to me was "Many modern (as in diaphragm style) fuel pumps don't tolerate Input side restriction well - guys have upgraded the filter (smaller micron) only to end up tearing the diaphragm due to restricted fuel flow ".
If you go with a high-restriction (2u) filter, I'd take a serious look at reducing the Service Interval from what the factory filter is rated for. (Edit - meaning the same physical size of filter).
Rgds, D.
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OP
Scooby074
Super Member
Install your 2 micron before the lift pump then leave your stock inline filter by the injection pump as a secondary layer of protection for the pump. The 2 micron filter will not be a restriction if you use a quality filter like a Racor. The 120a filter is significantly oversized for the amount of fuel that a BX needs.
In practice the secondary filter will not see any dirt as it is removed by the 2 micron and its only job will be to protect the injector pump if the lift pump fails or debris is introduced after the 2 micron filter somehow.
HeLa
Gold Member
this was my plan, a final line of defense for when/if the pump fails is a must.
thanks. this is what i was looking for.
my concern is not the micron rating of the filter at new but rather the restriction as the filter becomes clogged. naturally a 2-micron filter will clog faster than a 10-micron. high vacuum on the intake side of the lift pump will cause the pump to wear and if the lift pump is experiencing high fuel vacuum it's possible that its output will be hindered, which could lead to fuel starvation at the injection pump. since the fuel is the lubrication within the injection pump, this in turn could lead to injection pump damage. this last part is, by far, my primary concern.
i don't have D902 GPH rates handy, the link that i cited above explains:
Q: How can I estimate my engines total fuel flow rate?
A: If this information is not available from your engine or equipment manufacturer, use the following formulas for estimating purposes.
Diesel or kerosene fuel systems:
Gallons per Hour is Engine Horsepower (maximum) multiplied by 18% or GPH = HP X 0.18
23.0 hp x 0.18 = 4.14 GPH
the 120AS 2-micron filter is rated at 15 GPH. in this case i would *guess* (since i don't have mm-HG pressure drop numbers) that the filter to be sufficiently over-sized to avoid unacceptable restriction in the suction line and to be large enough not to clog to critical levels so long as the cartridge is changed frequently.
how long have you guys with 2-micron filters been running them, and how often are you changing the elements?
anyone running a racor or the like with sequential filtering, with a filter ahead of the racor (even the plastic kubota filter)?
i suppose the best solution would be similar to marine applications, replacing both filters with racors. a 10-micron followed by a 2-micron. space likely prohibits this, though.
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The racor 120 is rated 15gph which is somewhat more than your BX will put through. Don't forget that there is more fuel flowing through the filter than is burnt by the engine, which generally is almost double. Even at that your BX will only burn 1 gal/hr so the racor will have plenty of capacity. You will be amazed at how much a 2 micron will take out unless you are meticulous with your fuel. You better keep a spare filter on hand at all times.
benabrazil
New member
I am about to do an install similar to the one mentioned above. For the folks that did this install, any advice/feedback from instalation or how it's going now that it's been installed for awhile (change in filter frequency, problems, etc.) This is all great stuff and my BX25 is starting to act up and instead of changing out the existing fuel filter and going through this again, I thought I would do the upgrade. Thanks for all the info on this. This was really good stuff. Only issue I will have is fabricating the bracket.
dodge man
Super Star Member
Here is another pic of mine. I used some flat steel with pre drilled holes in it because I don't own a welder. I tried different locations but as far as I know, this is the best place. I've had mine on maybe a year and haven't changed it yet. I do have a spare though. I'm probably going to go 3 years before I swap mine out.
To add a little more about my bracket, I have one piece of the flat steel running horizontal mounted to the loader mount bolts. Then I have two pieces of it running vertical ( you can only see one in the pic but they are side by side), each bolted to the two holes in the filter then bolted to the horizontal piece that's on the loader bracket. It looked awfull when I did it but it has actually worked out really well.
To add a little more about my bracket, I have one piece of the flat steel running horizontal mounted to the loader mount bolts. Then I have two pieces of it running vertical ( you can only see one in the pic but they are side by side), each bolted to the two holes in the filter then bolted to the horizontal piece that's on the loader bracket. It looked awfull when I did it but it has actually worked out really well.
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benabrazil
New member
Thanks dodge man. Did you use the 2 micron filter?
OP
Scooby074
Super Member
Its working great for me.
Filtered out so much crap and water. I just went and added some valves to the housing so I can shut it off if I have to do maintenance like changing the filter or cleaning the bowl (much easier than using the hose pinchers I have).
No freeze up or reduced performance issues this winter.
Filtered out so much crap and water. I just went and added some valves to the housing so I can shut it off if I have to do maintenance like changing the filter or cleaning the bowl (much easier than using the hose pinchers I have).
No freeze up or reduced performance issues this winter.
benabrazil
New member
Thanks Scooby for the info. Would it be too much trouble to attach a picture of the filter with the shutoff valve. The pictures you provided were great but it didn't look like the shutoff valve was included. Want to minimize the errors I might encounter. If not, no worries. I can figure it out myself. But thanks again for the info.
