Antifreeze- is any type OK?

[KenPauling]

Thanks for all the information. I sent my wife to Tractor Supply with a note to pick up a gallon of Heavy Duty precharged green antifreeze for diesel tractors. She gave the note to the Tractor Supply person and he gave her a gallon of "Travellers Universal antifreeze and coolant" The container says nothing about use in diesel tractors or precharged for initial use. It has no instructions about diluting or if its prediluted! I called up Tractor Supply and the person said they had no idea what precharged was or if this stuff was heavy duty! I am concerned that this "Travellers antifreeze" is not the right antifreeze for my diesel. Anybody ever use this brand?

 

[KenPauling]

Wait till you hear this! I asked a long time friend who sells used tractors and repairs them for the last 50 years about the correct antifreeze for my diesel. His reply was " any type" and you don't need to replace it. Just top it off if it gets low and you will be ok. The manufactures just want you to change antifreeze so they can sell more. He said he has never changed antifreeze in any of his tractors in 50 years! WOW!

 

[Oleozz]

Have a friend who has over 12,000 hrs on his wet-sleeved tractor, I asked him how often he's changed the antifreeze over the years and his answer, "Never".
As FWJ has mentioned the wet-sleeved tractors are noted for cavitation problems, it was a real headache for IH until they came out with the water filters.
Someone on another tractor site recommended cutting and grinding oil, several ounces in your radiator helps with corrosion and rust. I have it in both tractors and my Mule.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Wait till you hear this! I asked a long time friend who sells used tractors and repairs them for the last 50 years about the correct antifreeze for my diesel. His reply was " any type" and you don't need to replace it. Just top it off if it gets low and you will be ok. The manufactures just want you to change antifreeze so they can sell more. He said he has never changed antifreeze in any of his tractors in 50 years! WOW!

I'd make it a point to NEVER buy a tractor from this guy That's not the best advice I've heard today

Coolant can break down over time, loosing it's ability to withstand freezing temps. It can become acidic in time. Most new engines are NOT spotlessly clean inside the block casting. Dirt/rust/ect can dislodge over time (as the engine goes through heat/cool cycles) Coolant becomes contaminated. Those tiny bits of dirt and rust will erode metal on water pump impellors, insides of cylinder liners, and even clog radiators.


A combination of acidic coolant, dirt, and cavitation will literally eat holes in cylinder walls. I don't need to tell you what can go wrong when all the coolant suddenly has a way to dump into the oil pan.

I've bought several tractors over the years for pennies on the dollar of their full value because of wasted engines that were caused by lack of cooant system maintenance. The cylinder liners looked as if someone took a cutting torch and blasted tiny holes in them. One had LESS THAN 800 hours on the clock.

If a "tractor Jockey" buys and resells tractors strictly for a quick profit, generally they don't fix everything there is to fix to 100% levels. They fix what HAS to be fixed to get it turned around and off the lot. Would you go out to the nearest "Buy here Pay here" used car lot for advice on how to care for your new car that you plan on keeping for the next 10 years? Same applies to your tractor.

OR. Would you rather take a nickels worth of free advice from someone who's kept a tractor in excellent running order for 38 years?

 

[3RRL]

I'm with Farmwithjunk on this one.
That's why I flushed my radiator out ... to get rid of as much dirt, rust etc. that builds up on the inside walls of your cooling system. In the long run, being cleaned out like that has to allow the cooling system to perform better. Somehow it's got to have a positive effect on your engine life too.
For example, when I drained out the old coolant it looked perfect and I thought, "Why am I doing this, the old stuff looks great?" But when I flushed the system, look what came out. Just follow the instructions on the bottle.

 

[Bedlam]

Looks like fudge. lol how did you flush it. open the brain and run the garden hose in the radiator?

 

[Oleozz]

This has been a good thread. Probably the most overlooked part of the tractor but one of the most important. Thanks for the pics 3RRL, they sure do tell a story.

 

[3RRL]

Looks like fudge. lol how did you flush it. open the brain and run the garden hose in the radiator?

Yeah, it does look like fudge, huh?
You would never guess that stuff is in your system if you just drain and refill because the old anti-freeze that comes out looks so good! I used the procedure recommended on the bottle of flush.
First drain out the anti-freeze.
Fill with water and the bottle of flush.
Run the engine for at high rpm and 10 or 15 minutes AFTER it reaches operating temperature.
Then drain again.
Repeat the procedure by filling with water and draining until the water that comes out is clear.
Then fill with 50/50 mixture (wet sleeve) anti-freeze and distilled water for best results.
It is all spelled out in that thread link I posted above.

 

[Bedlam]

thanks , now I know lol

 

[crashz]

My 770 taught me the advantages of changing coolant out. My vehicles always have been fairly new, and I'm a stickler for maintenance on them, so I've never seen the dark side of coolant before.

The PO did not have the health to keep maintenance up to snuff, so by the time I bought it and got around to all the things it needed, the coolant looked a little mirky.

But whats worse is that I had to replace the thermostat and temp sensor because of it. Both were corroded and covered in whitish slime. I replaced the hoses as well since I was this far. I was surprised to see the amount of corrsosion on the aluminum parts such as the water pump housing. It was a little scary.