Best tool for cleaning radiator while mowing.

[RSKY]

It's that time of year again. Everybody is out mowing their fields. One of the tractors we are using has a broke heat gauge. And for some reason the weeds that tend to clog up a radiator are the thickest I have ever seen. I'm having to stop and clean my Kioti radiator every other trip round the field. So when I stop to clean it I clean the other tractor's, with the broke gauge, at the same time. Now my 89-year old mother is driving the bigger tractor. And before you jump on me for having her in the field you must know that she has been looking forward to doing the mowing for weeks. She is telling my sister's and her neighbors about all the wildlife she is seeing and about how much fun she is having. Anyway to the point of this post.

The first day we were at the farm she lives on and we would drive back to the house and use a water hose to clean the radiator. The second day Mom pulls out her battery powered leaf blower! It does as good or better job blowing all the thin junk out of the radiator housing. Even on my little tractor that has a screen over the radiator the little blower gets more out that any other way we have used. Put the thing at the edge of the field under a shade tree and pull over and blow it out, crank up and start mowing in two or three minutes at the most.

Remember all the newbies out there, if you are bushhogging keep a close eye on the heat gauge or risk ruining your tractor engine.

RSKY

 

[msb1766]

Take a look at this:Radiator Genie | High Pressure Air and Water wands for cleaning radiators and condensors

 

[Rocky Hoffler]

Sometimes while mowing you don't have access to water or air a long handle stiff brush will knock most of debris off until you can do it right.

 

[blueriver]

Im against using water "on the go" so to speak .. If you stop wash it out then go with things not dry that forms "mud" when dust meets wet.

I purchase furnace filters and fasten them with bungee cords.. Then when I stop remove the filter bang it against the tire put it back on and mow on

 

[Fallon]

My Kubota has a removable screen right in front of the radiator. Its in a slot with some spring at each side. Bend spring & pull out screen. Have to do that from each side if the loader is on & down, but it is still a 30 second procedure.

I'd strap some screen in front you can pull & clean easily.

 

[boggen]

i am a bit against high pressure water and/or air... you can easily bend the fins on a radiator or like.

with above said, i have a standard generic air gun for the compressor, i have a short stubby end, (not really useful for radiator), i have about 7" long nozzle, it gets into the front and through the grill, and then i have a stiffer rubber hose end, i can attach to the air gun/blower, so i can feed it in through the engine compartment and hit the back side of the radiator.

ya need a large air compressor to make blowing things out with an air compressor quick and easy. say in 10 plus gallon tanks, with appropriate sized air compressor on it.

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leaf blowers are awesome, lots of air, and no extreme high pressures. and with an extension you can stand back a couple feet, and out of the way, and not get a face full of crud.

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i don't like using water... as blueriver noted. if ya going to go back at it... it just makes things a goober of a mess if not making a bigger mess. that and cold water on a hot radiator... doesn't sound very good to me, as in putting stress on things from rapid cooling. and getting water into other areas, i rather not have....

on other hand i do wash stuff down with water, but that is when stuff is getting put up and being put away. not during usage.

 

[ruffdog]

I use a blow gun made by Milton and comes in a 2' or 4' length. Also, double check you have a clear radiator with a light behind it.

Milton Extension Blo - Gun (Length: 2') at Blain's Farm & Fleet

 

[2458n]

Furnace filter and gas powered Emglo air compressor., To late in the year to mow now every thing is gone to seed in Ohio.

 

[mfreund]

I use a blow gun made by Milton and comes in a 2' or 4' length. Also, double check you have a clear radiator with a light behind it.

Milton Extension Blo - Gun (Length: 2') at Blain's Farm & Fleet

Me too!

 

[rutwad]

I agree with the leaf blower. Once on a dozer that ran hot. Blew out radiator with air compressor. Seemed clean but sprayed with water hose and a lot more came out. So if you reach the end of the day, water is fine to clean it as long as you make sure it gets clean.

 

[RoyJackson]

I carry a cutdown 2" wide paint brush...cut the bristles down to 3/4's to 1 inch and they'll be pretty stiff. It's pretty easy to brush off the majority of debris on the grill and radiator which is all you need to do when you're out in a field.

 

[MESSMAKER]

I put a foam AC filter in front of the radiator. I just stop and pull it out and knock the debris off. It takes no time at all.

 

[EddieWalker]

In the field, I like to use a small stick that's kind of bow shaped. I keep it behind my seat and it gets into the corners easily. At the shop, I found that the flexible hose used for the grease gun fits onto the end of my air nozzle. I can fit that hose into the small, hard to get areas inside the shroud and blow everything out towards the front. The results are huge and one good cleaning will remove more dust and debris then you would think possible in the small space in between the fins.

Eddie

 

[cdavid1944]

Here's another one. I've used this for 15 years.
Air Blow Gun with 2 ft. Extension

 

[countrybumpkin]

Leaf blower here too, been using one for several years.

 

[LindenBruce]

What size tractors? B.

 

[boggen]

i guess i never really thought about it... i bought a spot sprayer hand gun, to hook up to a pull behind sprayer, but instead picked up a couple extra fittings and hose to connect it to a garden hose down stairs. to clean out pond filter media. i have a couple extra tips...
1 = full 90 angle hard spray, 1 wide spray, 1 wide spray more of a mister, 1 jet nozzle.
a couple cheap plastic extension rods

the end of the gun / spray tips, are interchange-able for boom tips, to hand gun tips.

i am not about to unhook this spray gun from were it is, afraid of chemicals getting into gun, then using on pond and killing fish...
but.... it should be beefy enough to handle compressed air (within reason), and it is small enough to fit into some pretty tight spaces.
i have sheets of filter media much, like a 4'x8' sheet of plywood cut in half. and a few of these pieces setting side by side, i just kinda push the tops over, and run the spray gun between the sheets. then push next top over and repeat.

there really is no replacing manufactured bought spray tips. just a little difference goes a long ways in adjusting the spray pattern.

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i have used "kaboom" spray on cleaning foam (kitchen/bath), on radiator and coils on the external a/c compressor unit outside. and a little bit more than shocked of how much gunk came out of different units. it was a noticeable difference in how warm radiators got (engine temp gauge), and how long a/c ran. everything was just cooler!

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granted non of above is ""ON THE GO"" cleaning but... *shrugs*

i do like the bungie cord and strapping a filter from say a central heating / a/c unit onto front of tractor. it would be no different that farmers taking a piece of card board and bungie it up in front of tractor in very cold times of the winter. to reduce amount of cold wind coming into the engine and freezing things.

 

[pmsmechanic]

I like the leaf blower idea. I can see it doing an awesome job on dry dust. Now if you have an oil cooler in front of the rad and it starts leaking then the leaf blower isn't gong to do much. What I like to use in grubby situations is a varsol gun. It uses a combination of air and varsol for oil but I've also used it with water and it works great. It doesn't bend the fins and yet the dirt and junk gets hit with enough to wash the rad clean. If you idle the tractor for a few minutes after washing the heat and air flow dries everything up and your good to go again.

 

[countrybumpkin]

Yes a leaf blower is only good on dry dust and leaves , grass , ect from bush hogging or mowing and such. For oil sludge or simile rebuild ups , mud or what ever I usually use a cleaner of some type and a garden hose with a spray nozzle. To much pressure you can start damaging fins real quick.

 

[Hill Farmer]

I made an extension out of a section of brake line. I put a 90 degree bend about an inch from one end after cutting off the fitting on that end. Screwed the fitting on the other end into air gun.
Works great at the shop and allows me to blow out the radiator and condenser from the back side.
A leaf blower is hard to beat in the field though. It also works great for blowing the crud off the top of the mower and knocking the dust off the windows.