B3030 Coolant Change

[AMR]

I am coming up on 2 years on my B3030 and the book recommends changing out the coolant every 2 years.

What are some opinions on what to use for coolant? Mixed at what rate?

Do you flush with a cleaner or just flush with water? Is well water OK?

I take all of my oil and hydraulic fluid to our local transfer station and they take it for nothing. What do you do with your used coolant and flush water, when I was a kid I flushed my cars on the driveway and let it run into the street?

My initial plan is to drain the radiator, fill it up with water and run the tractor for a couple minutes, drain that water and then fill it up with a 50/50 mix of well water and prestone.

 

[art]

I often just use an additive on my own engines although most manufacturers recommend changing the antifreeze. It normally is labeled as a cooling system additive.
If I was to do it I'd just drain and refill not worring about flushing.

There are properties in the anti freeze that do wear out. This came to a head with wet sleeve engines with cavitation. They also assist with the water pump bearings and seals. The additives will regenerate your existing solution to like new rather then changing out. Your temperature protection normally will never change unless you add!

 

[Egon]

Glycol is quite deadly to living creatures. It should be collected and disposed of properly. No antidote for it either. Does very well at sterilizing the soil too!

You should only use water that has been distilled or run through reverse osmosis filter so there are no contaminates in the water that will scale up the radiator.

You can get premixed antifreeze. If mixing your own the maximum is a 50/50 mix. You can use less but then the freezing temperature is raised. There are very inexpensive gages to measure the mix and tell you to what temperature you are protected to.

Not sure of your location but here there are a two year and five year change interval anti freeze available in both regular and diesel version.