RoMad
Platinum Member
My Radiator started leaking on my L2900 so I took it out (actually my youngest son did) and found a long crack across the bottom.
I called the nearest dealer and they were very nice and even apologetic that a new radiator would be $640.00.
I took it to a local radiator shop. He informed me that since the bottom and top were plastic it was not replaceable. He said that a new one would be expensivie and I should take the old one to some junk yards and find one close in size with brass top and bottom and he would help adapt it to my tractor. I didn't tell him how much a new one was, just thanked him and took off for a junk yard.
The first junk yard I stopped at had a radiator that they said came out of a 3 cyl diesel mowing machine. The bottom nozzle was on the wrong side and it didn't have the small 1/2' extra fitting on the bottom. It looked close and the guy told me I could bring it back if it didn't check out. He charged me $50 for it.
Back to the radiator shop and showed it to the radiator man. He said it looked like a much better radiator than my original. He said he would check it out, do an R&R ,whatever that is, and he could move the bottom nozzle to the other side and take the small nozzle off and put it on the new one. The Kubota radiator has pegs on the top and bottom that sit in rubber grommets. He said he would cut off a couple of bolts and braze them on to use for the pins.
The radiator man called me two days later and said it was in very good condition and he was finished with it. I picked it up and he charged me $72.00
Since it is thicker than the original I had to modify the shroud a little and instead of bolting it to the radiator I tack welded two straps on each side.
Below are a some pics. It is working just fine and with the hood back on you can't tell a bit of difference. I did take me about 6 hours to put it back together. The shroud was a bit tricky to line up just right and I had it off and on a few times. To ease installation I cut the top tractor brackets off and then rewelded them but I was okay with that.
I called the nearest dealer and they were very nice and even apologetic that a new radiator would be $640.00.
I took it to a local radiator shop. He informed me that since the bottom and top were plastic it was not replaceable. He said that a new one would be expensivie and I should take the old one to some junk yards and find one close in size with brass top and bottom and he would help adapt it to my tractor. I didn't tell him how much a new one was, just thanked him and took off for a junk yard.
The first junk yard I stopped at had a radiator that they said came out of a 3 cyl diesel mowing machine. The bottom nozzle was on the wrong side and it didn't have the small 1/2' extra fitting on the bottom. It looked close and the guy told me I could bring it back if it didn't check out. He charged me $50 for it.
Back to the radiator shop and showed it to the radiator man. He said it looked like a much better radiator than my original. He said he would check it out, do an R&R ,whatever that is, and he could move the bottom nozzle to the other side and take the small nozzle off and put it on the new one. The Kubota radiator has pegs on the top and bottom that sit in rubber grommets. He said he would cut off a couple of bolts and braze them on to use for the pins.
The radiator man called me two days later and said it was in very good condition and he was finished with it. I picked it up and he charged me $72.00
Since it is thicker than the original I had to modify the shroud a little and instead of bolting it to the radiator I tack welded two straps on each side.
Below are a some pics. It is working just fine and with the hood back on you can't tell a bit of difference. I did take me about 6 hours to put it back together. The shroud was a bit tricky to line up just right and I had it off and on a few times. To ease installation I cut the top tractor brackets off and then rewelded them but I was okay with that.
