Hydraulics at 5 deg F

[ishiboo]

That radiator cover is the cure, I'll bet. According to the temp gauge, this model B never raises temp in the summer even when being pushed real hard at mowing. My BX used to run on the hot side when pushing it in the summer. I don't think that I even looked at the temp gauge while moving this last big snow at 5 deg F. When working the FEL, lifting and looking for a place to dump; and then dropping the RB etc., I think I forgot to notice the gauge. Thanks, everybody.
Cheers,
Mike

Kubotas staying that cold seem to be pretty common. Don't confuse coolant temperature with hydraulic fluid temperature.

I have a GST, is 2000 RPM normal operating for the HST? I thought the RPMs would be higher. Higher RPMs = more pump flow = more heat.

 

[Fallon]

The Grands have auto throttle to synchronize power, RPM & HST output. The basic HST will run at whatever RPM its set at. The higher the RPM, the more power or speed you have & the less likely to lug the engine (but burns more fuel, makes more noise, etc.)

 

[oldballs]

Okay, today I moved some more snow at 12 deg F. I covered about 2/3 of the radiator with a sheet of cardboard. Result: a little better hydraulic response with the FEL and RB; but it was also warmer today. The temp gauge moved up only a little off the "cold" peg. I'm good with this result however. Later I'll make a better radiator screen that fits on the outside of the grill. 2000 rpm is adequate for what I'm doing. Maybe if the runs were longer I could boost the rpm at mid-range where I work it. And, yes, higher rpm would create more heat for the HST. The HST filter never did get warm after a 15 minute warm up at about 1800 rpm.