Overheating problem

[32rodder]

Good morning, y'all
Got a Kioti DK4710 hydro that keeps overheating when I am bushhogging. I have 32 acres and some of it is hilly ground. It's the only thing I do with it; I bought it new in '21 and currently have 200 hours on it. I'm using a 6ft bush hog. Very disgusting when just after a 1/2 hr it starts to overheat, and that's without the a/c on!
I took out the thermostat, no help. I took it to the local Kioti dealer, they took it apart and cleaned it all out. I questioned them on this and told them I have constantly kept it clean by blowing out the radiator and washing it out. But they insisted this was the problem, so when I got back into the field, within a 1/2 it was overheating. I understand that the grill would get full of debris after a bit, but dang, to constantly clean it? Is this the problem? A bad design in the hood? It seems to help when I clean it, but after 15 minutes or so it's overheating again. It's hard for me to think that it should overheat that quick. Should I just get a leaf blower and carry it with me?
I'm to the point of looking at a different tractor, it's so dang aggravating. I have talked to another Kioti owner who does not have that problem at all.
Sorry for the longer post, I'm just po'd about this.

 

[RjCorazza]

In the right type of vegetation the grill / screen / radiator can clog up in a matter of minutes. Comparing one tractor to the next is almost meaningless on different properties.
If in that short period of time, you see chaff and debris sucked up onto the grill or radiator screen you're just going to have to blow it off as frequently as necessary. You could add a fine mesh in front the grill that you could brush off easier, but it's still going to require frequent attention.
If your tractor is overheating with no debris/ chaff buildup present, then I would certainly investigate further.

 

[32rodder]

Your reply makes good sense; I'll keep a closer look at it to see if my problem is the finer vegetation causing the problem. A $100.00 leaf blower is much cheaper than a different tractor.
Thanks

 

[RjCorazza]

Apples and oranges, but I have to blow out my diesel zero turn sometimes several times a day to keep the temp in the normal range. Several times meaning over 8 hours of mowing, and there's not really a whole lot of debris needed to be reflected on the temperature gauge.

 

[anomad]

I have to keep the radiator stack on my CK3510 clean as a whistle for it to keep up. And the way the screen is it makes difficult to clean. Usually just leave the leaf blower at the edge of wherever I am bush hogging and blow it out as needed with deeper cleanings back at the shop with a radiator genie/wand thing.

 

[Robin Veerman]

I took out the thermostat, no help.

You tried running it without the thermostat and it still overheats?

 

[ptsg]

In my experience, a leaf blower is not enough. Personally, I like to use compressed air to thoroughly blow the radiator after the job is done. Gets a much better result.

A leaf blower is good enough for a quick cleaning mid job but not for long term as the fine stuff will get really packed in the fins of the radiator. The leaf blower won't get rid of that.

Some types of brushes are definitely worse than others. This picture was taken after only about 30 to 45 min of mowing 4ft to 5 ft tall brush. The screen got really packed, still not overheating at all. I just parked so the wind would work in my favor, tapped the screen a couple times and it was clean already.

 

[homedad]

This made me think of the race car footage where there's a film that gets rolled away to expose clean film whenever it gets dirty. A retractable screen may be a solution. I also think the dealer needs to fix this. These machines are too expensive to not be able to use for a very common task.

 

[CATRAT66]

Unless you find that the screen is getting plugged up very quickly I would be checking for a failing head gasket or water pump
Is the belt snug?
Running without the thermostat is a way to check its operation not a solution
Pressure test the cooling system
If you don’t have a tester you can usually rent/borrow one from a parts store
Check for oil in the coolant and or coolant in the oil and a plugged air filter
Hope it’s a simple thing you can find and fix easily

 

[MapleLeafFarmer]

at what rpm and gear are you running in?

a little bit more info on potential engine load may help diagnose over heating problems.
cheers