Not bulletproof

Brokermike · Jun 29, 2009

Well about 85% through the project of regrading my back hillside I managed to shove a small stick backwards through the bottom of the radiator on my DK40se. Yikes! I still haven't pulled the radiator to see if it's salvageable, but I'm thinking this is going to be an expensive backyard project!

Dargo · Jun 29, 2009

Been there, done that on several different brands. I think you may be pleasantly surprised with what a replacement Kioti may be as compared to some others I've had to replace. I don't remember the $$'s, but ramming a stick through the radiator of a 955 Cat I had sure left a serious mark in my checkbook!

ToadHill · Jun 29, 2009

A new radiator for an Old 8N runs about $200.

Brokermike · Jun 29, 2009

well i pulled the radiator. It's not bad at all. Only the plastic is cracked. Any thoughts on someone who can fix it?

mattman · Jun 30, 2009

I would call a KIOTI dealer and see if you can get just the plastic tank. I don't know that a tank busted like that can be fixed.

Me personally would fix it right with another tank or complete radiator. The cost of the radiator is nothing compared to the cost of an engine repair if it gets run hot, by trying to get out the cheap way.

Brokermike · Jun 30, 2009

I sent it out to have a new aluminum tank built to replace the plastic parts. amazing that everything is plastic these days. It should come back BETTER than new. FYI a new radiator is well over $500, having a whole new tank built will be around $225. A big difference and I should end up with a better product.

Kioti and nearly everyone else doesn't sell parts for their radiators> I guess they assume most people really trash them when they break

JoelD · Jul 2, 2009

When you say new tank, can you explain? You don't mean the overflow tank right?

Is there two parts to the radiator?

Pretty cool that for 225 you can get something built up from scratch.

Joel

Brokermike · Jul 2, 2009

the bottom part of the radiator that holds much of the antifreeze is the tank. The one on my tractor is heavy plastic (which is stupid), and that's the part they're making new

VictorW · Jul 2, 2009

Gone are the days where the top and bottom tanks or the side tanks on most cars and trucks were built out of brass and the brass core, the cooling tubes and fins, were attached. Now it's plastic tanks with aluminum cooling tubes and fins. It must be cheaper to make that way but not necessarily better. Yours should be good now. Hopefully dent instead of break.

ccsial · Jul 2, 2009

I was quoted $900 for a radiator for the Ford 1910. I had the old one repaired for $100. It just had a small leak. It is all metal. They not be cheap.

Coyote machine · Jul 4, 2009

Hey Mike,

Where did you have it repaired?

Thanks, CM

Brokermike · Jul 7, 2009

well I haven't gotten it back yet, but I sent it to Myler's Radiator Repair in West Jordan Utah! They've done some custom work for me in the past for motorcycles, and they did a great job. So here's to hoping, I'll post a review of their service when I get it back

IslandTractor · Jul 8, 2009

If it is just a crack in the plastic, why not consider doing a plastic weld or just using some epoxy putty to fix it? I've been impressed with a cheap plastic welder from HF (sorry Dargo). It really is not hard to do so long as you are not concerned about cosmetics. You'd have to know what type of plastic you are dealing with but that is not very difficult to figure out. If you don't trust HF there are other welders available (I don't necessarily trust them either but I figured I'd try out their plastic welder before investing in something that costs three times as much to see if the technology/skill level was something I could handle).

VictorW · Jul 8, 2009

A "good" radiator shop can usually fix just about anything. I had a motorcycle radiator leak because of the core leaking. A new one was $400 but the shop repaired it for $100. They had to match up the size of the core from their bulk cores in stock. They cut a section and then soldered it in. It's a good sized shop with about ten guys and they really know their stuff.

Brokermike · Jul 9, 2009

Well it just got interesting. The shop just called it arrived with the top tank destroyed. Despite paying the shipping company to wrap it ($16) and ship it ($41) with fragile stickers on it it still arrived in pretty bad shape. The good news is that FedEx should pay for the additional work, the bad news it will take a couple of extra days.

Plastic weld wouldn't work there was a pretty good gap, and a crack along the plastic. Aluminum is worth the price just for piece of mind.

Coyote machine · Jul 9, 2009

Mike,

The good news now is you will have two brand new headers when it gets back to you!
I'm sure they will, but in case they don't -ask them to make sure it passes a LONG pressure test before shipping it back to you...

Post back end results with pics!

Brokermike · Jul 17, 2009

A GIANT thank you to Myler's radiator repair in West Jordan Utah. My crappy plastic radiator is completely rebuilt out of Aluminum, back in the tractor, and running perfect!!

IH3444 · Jul 23, 2009

Beautiful job!!! I have also noticed on the later NH TC 48, and TC 55 tractors, they don't have the all metal radiators like mine and my neighbor has. They now have the plastic/aluminum.

PA hayseed · Jul 23, 2009

So that I am clear, you got a brand new Aluminum radiator from this place for roughly 300 instead of a plastic one for 500?

HODAK · Jul 23, 2009

Brokermike said:
A GIANT thank you to Myler's radiator repair in West Jordan Utah. My crappy plastic radiator is completely rebuilt out of Aluminum, back in the tractor, and running perfect!!

It's not easy to impress me, but that is truly the work of a skilled craftsman and it's nice to know there is a place in the USA that can do that kind of work. Thanks for sharing.