etpm
Veteran Member
If this was my tractor I would attempt a repair. I am a recently retired machinist and still own my shop, so take that into consideration for what I write. This is close to how I would do it if I had limited tools: First make a part that will span the hole in the radiator by maybe 3/8 inch on either side of the hole. Make the part from steel or stainless steel. It would be about 1/2 inch wide and 3/8 inch thick and have a 1/4-20 tapped hole in the middle. Make another similar part that just spans the part that broke off so that it won't interefere with the hose. Drill a 1/4 inch hole through the middle of the shorter part. Clean super well the mating surfaces of the radiator and the part that broke off as well as the surrounding areas on the outside. Then use either an acrylic based two part adhesive or a urethane based two part adhesive or an adhesive recommended for the fiber reinforced plastic your radiator is made from. Apply the adhesive to the mating surfaces and use a screw to go through the part drilled 1/4" and screw it into the tapped part. This screw will clamp the parts together as well as continuing to provide support for the life of the repair. Then, using the same adhesive, saturate some fiberglass, polyester, or nylon mat or webbing and apply to the outside of the break. This will not only strengthen the joint it will also help to prevent a leak.
Before embarking on this effort buy the adhesives you think will work and try them out on the radiator tank to see how well they work. Wet some of the fiber reinforcement and stick it to the radiator. See if it can be removed easily. I did this about 10 years ago with a cracked Toyota fiber reinforced radiator. I had ordered the radiator but tried some two part adhesive I bought at a local hardware store just to see if it would hold. I used some cotton cloth as the fiber in my repair. The adhesive I bought was supposed to only be good to 180 degrees F. but I used it anyway. After more than a month I was convinced the stuff would continue work even at a temp that was higher than what the package recommended. Nevertheless I installed the new radiator because it was my wife's car. If it was my car I would have tested the repair longer. Maybe forever or until I sold the car.
Since the Toyota repair I have needed to repair some other plastic things and found out that the two part adhesives sold at the local hardware stores were of different types. Recently I had to make a nylon plastic to ABS plastic repair and used an acrylic based adhesive. It did not work. I have had acrylic two part adhesives work well in the past and don't know why the failure occurred this time. So I went back to the store and looked at the other adhesives available and found a JB WELD two part URETHANE based adhesive that worked very well. It stuck to the nylon part and the ABS part. Over a year later it is still stuck.
Of course McMaster-Carr will have better offerings than the local hardware store and they may be able to give the OP some advice. McMaster-Carr is great. They have a huge variety of stuff, all of it high quality. I have spent thousands of dollars on stuff from McMaster-Carr for my shop. But you may be able to find a suitable adhesive locally. Which would be faster and probably cheaper.
The method I describe above will of course restrict the coolant flow some and I have no idea if this will be a problem. And I don't have your radiator in hand to see how well my method of repair might work. But If I had to cough up $1000.00 plus shipping I would certainly be attempting a repair. With my machine shop I could probably come up with a method similar to what I describe above but it would probably involve making a new part that the hose fits on. I am trying to think about how I would fix you radiator with just a hacksaw, drill motor, 1/4" and #7 drill bits, and a hacksaw. And some steel scrap.
Good luck,
Eric
Before embarking on this effort buy the adhesives you think will work and try them out on the radiator tank to see how well they work. Wet some of the fiber reinforcement and stick it to the radiator. See if it can be removed easily. I did this about 10 years ago with a cracked Toyota fiber reinforced radiator. I had ordered the radiator but tried some two part adhesive I bought at a local hardware store just to see if it would hold. I used some cotton cloth as the fiber in my repair. The adhesive I bought was supposed to only be good to 180 degrees F. but I used it anyway. After more than a month I was convinced the stuff would continue work even at a temp that was higher than what the package recommended. Nevertheless I installed the new radiator because it was my wife's car. If it was my car I would have tested the repair longer. Maybe forever or until I sold the car.
Since the Toyota repair I have needed to repair some other plastic things and found out that the two part adhesives sold at the local hardware stores were of different types. Recently I had to make a nylon plastic to ABS plastic repair and used an acrylic based adhesive. It did not work. I have had acrylic two part adhesives work well in the past and don't know why the failure occurred this time. So I went back to the store and looked at the other adhesives available and found a JB WELD two part URETHANE based adhesive that worked very well. It stuck to the nylon part and the ABS part. Over a year later it is still stuck.
Of course McMaster-Carr will have better offerings than the local hardware store and they may be able to give the OP some advice. McMaster-Carr is great. They have a huge variety of stuff, all of it high quality. I have spent thousands of dollars on stuff from McMaster-Carr for my shop. But you may be able to find a suitable adhesive locally. Which would be faster and probably cheaper.
The method I describe above will of course restrict the coolant flow some and I have no idea if this will be a problem. And I don't have your radiator in hand to see how well my method of repair might work. But If I had to cough up $1000.00 plus shipping I would certainly be attempting a repair. With my machine shop I could probably come up with a method similar to what I describe above but it would probably involve making a new part that the hose fits on. I am trying to think about how I would fix you radiator with just a hacksaw, drill motor, 1/4" and #7 drill bits, and a hacksaw. And some steel scrap.
Good luck,
Eric
