Deere Cool-Gard II equivalent

[zuiko]

It is hard to find details on exactly what kind of coolant this is and what aftermarket alternatives it can be replaced with. I got a decent amount of Motorcraft ethylene glycol P-OAT type coolant left over that I'd like to use if I can. I think I could use this if I drain whatever is in there but I'm not 100% sure if there might be some kind of incompatibility or something. This is on a 20 year old JD 990 that still has its original coolant so it's definitely due to be replaced. I'm not even sure what is in it now (was Cool-gard II even a thing 20+ years ago?) Also this is essentially a re-badged Yanmar tractor that was made in Japan IIRC so no idea what they used.

 

[jyoutz]

When I had a Deere tractor, I couldn’t find an equivalent, so I just bought the Cool-gard for Deere for a few bucks more. There a danger in mixing incompatible coolants, so better to just be safe and buy OEM.

 

[CaptPat]

If you drain and flush the system you can switch brands of coolant. I'd look for a name-brand long-life diesel antifreeze as a replacement.

 

[dodge man]

I won’t swear to it, I’ve got a jug of JD coolant, but I think it’s just the old fashioned green coolant.

 

[sixdogs]

I faced the same question and am still not clear on the answer. BUT, Driver's Club magazine, that is published for policy holders of Haggerty (classic car) Insurance Company, had an article on anti-freeze that explained it all, especially for the owners of classic cars or older equipment in last month's issue. I just can't find it at the moment.

You do have to be careful with modern anti freeze to get the right one. There is different chemistry plus some have added silicates to protect sleeved diesel engines. Those sicilcates may not be good for non-sleeved engines.

Try to find a copy of that magazine or maybe call Haggerty. I'll keep looking and if I find it will update.

 

[ruffdog]

The cool-gard II ....Cool-Gard II is made with an ethylene glycol (EG) base and the toxicity level of EG.

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John Deere Cool-Gard II PG pre-mix antifreeze/coolant is a 60/40 mixture of propylene glycol (PG) and deionized water. It is a heavy-duty engine coolant formulated with a special organic formulation additive system.

 

[sixdogs]

I'm pretty sure my bigger equipment specifies ethylene glycol

 

[sixdogs]

You'll have to squint but here's the page from Hagerty Driver's Club magazine on modern anti freeze.

For a recent coolant change on a '97 Ford diesel truck, I went with Peak Fleet Charge from Menards. Peak also has the old green coolant for gas and some diesel engines. I don't know enough about it but know to be careful.


FYI. I hope this helps.

 

[zuiko]

I finally got around to draining what was in there and it sure looks to me like the old-school IAT inorganic ethylene glycol coolant. It's that classic radioactive green color. I need to pick up some filters at the dealer anyway so I'll ask what they show in the computer as the appropriate fill for it.

 

[rScotty]

I didn't know for a long while that ethylene glycol - the traditional green antifreeze - is sweet & tasty and deadly poison to animals. Dogs, cats, people, horses - most all species. It shuts down their kidneys & nervous system. Convulsions; there is no cure. Please do not leave a pan of it around. That's a horrid way to go.

Propylene Glycol - also called red RV anitfreeze - is almost as good as a coolant as the the more poision green stuff, and is not toxic at all. Some of the modern antifreezes use it instead. In fact. propylene glycol is used in a lot of foods.

 

[bmaverick]

I finally got around to draining what was in there and it sure looks to me like the old-school IAT inorganic ethylene glycol coolant. It's that classic radioactive green color. I need to pick up some filters at the dealer anyway so I'll ask what they show in the computer as the appropriate fill for it.

Do not use and long-life nor extended life coolant with that Yanmar engine.

You can use the Prestone for ALL VEHICLES and MAKES and MODELS. It is the closest thing you can find to the old school green for corrosion protection. The newer coolants have only 1/3 of the corrosion protection now. Prestone made their formula to span all the vintage, older and modern vehicles in one coolant with the old amount of corrosion protection. This should meet the Deere/Yanmar and other vintage imported Japan made tractors.

 

[beenthere]

Red RV antifreeze, as I understand, is just for the RV plumbing system and not recommended for coolant in internal combustion engines as it does not contain the protective additives.

 

[jyoutz]

Red RV antifreeze, as I understand, is just for the RV plumbing system and not recommended for coolant in internal combustion engines as it does not contain the protective additives.

It’s designed to winterize RV drains to keep them from freezing. I also use it to winterize my garden sprayers.

 

[ruffdog]

Red RV antifreeze, as I understand, is just for the RV plumbing system and not recommended for coolant in internal combustion engines as it does not contain the protective additives.

It’s designed to winterize RV drains to keep them from freezing. I also use it to winterize my garden sprayers.

Correct. If a person wants a propylene glycol coolant in a engine, they should use something like the purple Bobcat coolant.

 

[sixdogs]

It’s designed to winterize RV drains to keep them from freezing. I also use it to winterize my garden sprayers.

RV anti-freeze is the anti-freeze of choice around here for sprayer pumps.

 

[zuiko]

I ended up using the pink heavy duty universal coolant with the additive package specifically for diesels. It's sold under a bunch of brands (Fleet Charge, Durex, etc) and they all seem to be the same product. It claims that it is OK for all diesel engines. The CoolGuard II stuff was unbelievably expensive (6x the price of HD diesel engine stuff and almost 10x the price of the cheapest stuff) and they only had one bottle of premix left in stock anyway.

Out of curiosity I asked how much the 0W40 deere oil was and it was something like $18 for a single quart - yea I'll stick with the Rotella T6 5W40 I've been using since way before it was called T6. That stuff isn't all that cheap either - but it looks like a bargain next to the deere fluids.

 

[WinterDeere]

The CoolGuard II stuff was unbelievably expensive (6x the price of HD diesel engine stuff and almost 10x the price of the cheapest stuff) and they only had one bottle of premix left in stock anyway.

Most modern Deere service and owner’s manuals now list the flush/replace interval at 6 years when using Deere Coolgard II, but 2 years for all other coolant types. So, cost is higher, but usage is 3x less and convenience of not doing a drain/flush/refill every 2nd year is a huge bonus.

Out of curiosity I asked how much the 0W40 deere oil was and it was something like $18 for a single quart - yea I'll stick with the Rotella T6 5W40 I've been using since way before it was called T6. That stuff isn't all that cheap either - but it looks like a bargain next to the deere fluids.

Wow. You need to find a new dealer. Deere Plus-50 II in any weight runs around $7/quart, at our local Deere dealer, varying only a few pennies depending on jug size and weight.

I'm no oil expert, but I used to know a guy who was an engineer for an oil and lubricants company, actually I think it was Rotella. He said Deere ran very tight spec's on their oils, it was actually a problem for many of their suppliers, as it was difficult to guarantee they were always meeting all of the Deere spec's. This actually came up in a discussion regarding cars, not tractors, when another guy claimed he was running all Deere oils in his rally racing cars.

Deere doesn't make their fluids, but instead specifies their requirements, and many different manufacturers supply the products meeting those requirements. Just turned this up on Google: Who really makes John Deere and Case tractor oil? - FiltersforTractors.com

 

[zuiko]

The 0W40 is their synthetic (blend?) so it didn't really surprise me how much they wanted for it. It's about twice the cost of the (conventional?) other weights. I took a look at their info sheet on their oil and they don't even mention the word synthetic anywhere in the document so I guess they'd rather keep that a mystery. Maybe it was $16 a quart they wanted. Either way - still way too much and I'd much rather run a full synthetic than a conventional or blend. It's crazy how much they are making on their fluids. Makes the car dealer seem like a great value.

 

[WinterDeere]

The 0W40 is their synthetic (blend?) so it didn't really surprise me how much they wanted for it. It's about twice the cost of the (conventional?) other weights.

They have 0W-40 weight in both dino and synthetic. The dino juice runs about $7/quart, and the synthetic runs $10-$14/quart, depending on weight and whether you're buying in quart bottles or gallon bottles.

I have noticed their 0W-40 ($14) is more expensive than 15W-40 ($10), probably just because they process and handle it in much lower quantities.

I took a look at their info sheet on their oil and they don't even mention the word synthetic anywhere in the document so I guess they'd rather keep that a mystery.

Their synthetics are all clearly labeled as "Premium Synthetic", so there's no way you could be confused by that. If it doesn't say that on the bottle, then you're looking at dino oil. If your dealer is selling that for any more than $7/quart, you have a dealer problem, not a manufacturer problem.



Do note that the Plus-50 II is specially formulated for their diesel engines, different than the Turf-Gard formulated for gasoline engines. I can't imagine what they change in the formulation, but I'm not a petroleum engineer, and there must be some reason they go to all the trouble to make, stock, and track two different products at each weight. Point being, I know I can get Mobil 1 for $9 at WalMart, but I don't care so much about saving $2 - $5 (dep. on weight) per quart, that I'm inclined to deviate from manufacturer's recommended product without a more informed opinion on the consequences.

 

[bmaverick]

I ended up using the pink heavy duty universal coolant with the additive package specifically for diesels. It's sold under a bunch of brands (Fleet Charge, Durex, etc) and they all seem to be the same product. It claims that it is OK for all diesel engines. The CoolGuard II stuff was unbelievably expensive (6x the price of HD diesel engine stuff and almost 10x the price of the cheapest stuff) and they only had one bottle of premix left in stock anyway.

Out of curiosity I asked how much the 0W40 deere oil was and it was something like $18 for a single quart - yea I'll stick with the Rotella T6 5W40 I've been using since way before it was called T6. That stuff isn't all that cheap either - but it looks like a bargain next to the deere fluids.

Depending on the Deere/Yanmar machine series, the 50,55,56 Series and the 70 Series use 10W30 diesel for summer and 5W30 for winter. I've not looked into the 90 Series.

I too use the Rotella, but in the T4 diesel formulation.