Chaff in radiator

[Cougsfan]

Today I am installing the new fan and fan shroud that my dealer gave me to replace the broken shroud that had rubbed against the fan. (The new fan has more blades and is slightly smaller in diameter).

To do so I had to remove the radiator (not that hard of a job). At the start, I thought my radiator was clean of chaff as before I began I had cleaned it with compressed air and followed up with a water hose. As I tore the front end apart, I was amazed to find out how incredibly dirty things still were! The radiator, ac condenser, and oil cooler all had an incredible amount of chaff still imbedded in them. It has to be cleaned out from the backside with air, which is hard if not impossible to clean while mounted on the tractor. I am sure air flow through these devices was reduced considerably. Probably explains my occasional overheating and weak AC performance.

I decided that I need to find a way from keeping that stuff from getting in front of the radiator in the first place. It is mostly seeds, tiny pieces of grass like objects, or minute broken-off parts of dead leaves that get sucked into the front of the radiators to cause this. The removable screen in front of the radiator stops a lot of it from getting in, but doesn't do a good enough job. That screen doesn't help the oil cooler and ac condenser at all.

As I look at things closer; the radiator compartment is sealed pretty well on the top and the sides with foam between the radiator and the hood. But the bottom, around the area where the battery is, has all sorts of major spaces where chaff can get sucked in to the radiator compartment. I took some pictures to illustrate the areas. Before re-assembly, I plan to block the holes in the support steel around the battery with plastic sheet and to fill and block the gaps below the radiator itself with foam rubber. Hopefully this will make it to where all the air going into the radiators has to come though the grill, which will serve as a primary screen.

My guess is that the particular weeds in my area that I mow exacerbate the problem, but you may wish to consider pulling your battery and plugging the gaps too.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

I've been struggling with the same thing. As you said, the screen over the radiator helps the radiator, but does nothing for the AC condenser or the cooler. I've been thinking of going this route:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/century-branson/353377-what-have-you-done-your-13.html

Adding screen to front of condenser and cooler like Kentuckyfarmer did to his.

 

[Cougsfan]

I will be making Kentuckyfarmer's modification in addition to the other things am doing. It is a very good idea, as was moving the air cleaner. But even with the factory radiator screen I am obviously still getting loads of chaff into the radiator. His modification won't address that, or address the oil cooler which was also plugged solid. I am not sure how the chaff still gets into the radiator with the screen in place, but it does (I have never even started the engine without the screen in place). In any case, there just isn't any way to adequately clean any of the devices once they get dirty, so I will try to go upstream further to address the problem in totality. As I mentioned in another thread, I had a grey market Yanmar that I used to mow the same fields without any problems (the only tractor that hasn't gave me these problems). I am trying to duplicate the Yanmar's "airtight" (except for the grill holes) compartment in front of the radiator.

I think what I am suggesting can be done by simply pulling the battery. It shouldn't be that hard to plug these gaping air leaks.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

I'm interested in seeing what you come up with, and how it works out in the field. As I said, I'm dealing with similar issues myself, and looking for a good solution.

Keep us updated in the thread as you go please.

 

[Kentuckyfarmer]

Every tractor I have ever used when in dusty conditions I always had to watch temp gauge. I think having condenser coil and oil cooler compound the problem because if they stop up then no air gets to thru radiator. Two things with these tractors don't help either is exhaust pointing down in front and also around the battery box. I had some foam rubber that goes around pipe that I stuffed around the battery to keep the crap from coming thru there. My exhaust goes all the way up to the top of the cab so no problem there anymore either. Pictures are on another post somewhere for that. I didn't put a screen in front of the oil cooler because it's fins are not as fine as condenser and easy to clean compared to condenser.

First I did the exhaust and it helped some. Then I did the battery box and it helped more. Last I did the screen on the condenser and the little that was getting thru was being caught by that screen.

To the OP I know what you mean about thinking you had it clean. Before I changed the fan, hub and shroud I took the hose to it and sprayed the crap out of it. I didn't take the radiator out to change the fan, hub and shroud but I did unbolt the oil cooler and condenser and swing them to the side and took the hose to them again. There was lots of stuff still there that I didn't see. Most was from before I sealed around the battery box and changed exhaust and condenser screen.

As stated before radiators getting plugged with dirt and dust isn't a Branson specific problem. I've had to clean fords, allis chalmers, farmall and ran a 855 john Deere hylift for a couple years after hours and weekends and can't tell you how many times I pulled the heavy ***** grill off that and pressure washed the oil coolers, condenser coil and radiator. What the OP is doing will help tons but there will always be stuff that gets thru.

 

[ericm979]

I haven't tested it but I have a theory that water combines with dust and fine chaff on the radiators and makes a sludge. So I only use air. I blow the radiators out from the engine side after removing the screen. You have to poke the air gun around the fan and shroud.

 

[Mr Bitz]

There is a specific blow gun to clean radiators and condensers, I'll have to look to see what company had those again they wanted me to sell them but never got into it. I'll try to find out.

 

[ericm979]

I use low pressure when blowing out the radiator and blowing off the tractor- 20-30 psi.

 

[Cougsfan]

I use this nozzle that I got from Harbor Freight to blow the radiator out. Works better than anything else I have found.


Eric is correct in reducing the pressure. High pressure might bend the fins. Probably some truth to water and dust making a mud that is harder to clean.

Even with this nozzle, as I have now found, I have been doing a pitiful job of blowing out the radiator from behind because of the fan and fan shroud blocking decent access. And the condenser and oil cooler don't have nearly enough room to get behind them to blow them out without removing them. So the strategy has changed to eliminate the chaff from getting in there in the first place.

Sounds like Kentuckyfarmer and I are on pretty much the same page. I ended up using door screen material instead of plastic to block the gaps around the battery mount area, and have bought foam to stuff under the radiator.

I am trying now to make a screen to go in front of the condenser and oil cooler, but am having a bit of trouble coming up with a way to fabricate and attach something that thin and still be durable. I must be lacking fab skills compared to Kentucky Farmer:confused3: How did you attach the screen to the frame, KF?

Removing the exhaust canister, rerouting the exhaust and moving the air cleaner are things I would love to do, but that is a project for another day. I did get an exhaust pipe 90 degree ell to slip in the exhaust outlet while mowing.

 

[Kentuckyfarmer]

I used JB Weld. I used metal screen and metal frame. I put down some no stick Reynolds wrap on a flat surface. Then laid the screen on top of that. Mixed up some JB Weld and coated the frame and then laid it on top of the screen. Give it a day or two to dry good and then pulled off the Reynolds wrap. Comes off really easy. Trimed the screen and painted. When you lay the frame on I put a couple pieces of wood on top and added some weight.

The frame is almost 3/16 inches thick when I was done so I had to shim out the oil cooler with washers to be able to slide in the screen.

Also the hub with the new fan is not the same as the old one. Mr Bitz probably could chime in and give the proper part numbers. My dealership called Branson and got the proper information for the part numbers, per Mr Bitz's instructions.

I posted some pictures in another thread. If you need something more let me know. I'm sure someone else probably have a better idea and could do a lot better job but it works good.

There is pictures on post 130 in What did you do to your Branson today tread.