Some Temperature Numbers That Might Be of Interest to You

[Texasmark]

This time of the year the Houston Black Clay is like solid rock. I bought a Hay King Pasture Renovator a few years ago and found that it is THE THING for dealing with it and if you want a fall crop you need to get the ground ready before the rains (Ha!) come.

It works the tractor pretty hard and I don't want my tractor to overheat so I work it till the temp gauge gets half way between center and 3/4 deflection and bring it in for a cool down which also cools down the AC and helps to keep me cool with the sun glaring into the cab.

Yesterday, upon bringing it in, I took my infrared non-contact thermometer and took some numbers before the cool down:

Lower block/oil pan area: 278F (no crankcase oil cooler on this engine)
Radiator reservoir: 248 50-50 mix, don't know pressure cap rating
AC Condenser coils: 174
Trans-Hyd cooler coils: 173
Front axle: 135 All 4wd components encased in separate 2.5 gal trans-hyd fluid sump, not cooled.
Ambient temp in shop: 97 Thermometer was in the shade.
Cab interior: 68 Measured on surface adjacent to a cooling register in the shade.

Not really surprised at the numbers.
I do use Rot. 5w-40 syn. oil
Thought about using window tint to keep the sun rays from working against the AC as the sun did warm the air up to something hotter, like maybe 80. I was comfortable whatever it was. Anybody try that?
I was surprised the front axle was running that cool as it was working too.
Obviously the pressure cap was doing it's job in preventing a boil over. The overflow bottle fluid level was fuller than when cold as expected. I do as OEMs recommend and that is to keep the radiator completely full of coolant.

That's about it.
Mark

 

[Topher265]

Neat report

If 278F was the oil temperature, I'd want to get that lowered a bit. Adding a simple oil cooler would help. The rest of the numbers are pretty good.

Thankfully you're using a synthetic oil, which resists breakdown until around 300F. Normal oil starts breaking around 250-260F. Oil has to be at least 220F to boil off any water into vapor so that it's taken out of the crankcase. A general ideal would be around 230-240. For every 18F that oil is into it's "breakdown" zone, it's life is cut by 1/2.

Yes, adding tint to reduce the sun load on the cab will make a big difference. I think the sun load is 60-70% of the heat the AC has to deal with. Reducing it will pay major benefits.

 

[Spindifferent]

This time of the year the Houston Black Clay is like solid rock. I bought a Hay King Pasture Renovator a few years ago and found that it is THE THING for dealing with it and if you want a fall crop you need to get the ground ready before the rains (Ha!) come.

Agree on both the Houston Black and the Hay King! I use the pasture renovator on my Fairlie Clay. Fairlie is similar to Houston Black; both part of the Blackland Prairie. 10" below average rainfall here, so the cracks in the soil are deep now.

Rain will eventually arrive.

 

[Texasmark]

Neat report

If 278F was the oil temperature, I'd want to get that lowered a bit. Adding a simple oil cooler would help. The rest of the numbers are pretty good.

Thankfully you're using a synthetic oil, which resists breakdown until around 300F. Normal oil starts breaking around 250-260F. Oil has to be at least 220F to boil off any water into vapor so that it's taken out of the crankcase. A general ideal would be around 230-240. For every 18F that oil is into it's "breakdown" zone, it's life is cut by 1/2.

Yes, adding tint to reduce the sun load on the cab will make a big difference. I think the sun load is 60-70% of the heat the AC has to deal with. Reducing it will pay major benefits.

Thanks. Figured at least somebody would like to have an idea as to where things run when you put them to the test.