What did you do with your Power Trac today?

   / What did you do with your Power Trac today? #331  
Ok how warm? Engine oil was reading 210F on the dash, 195F in the oil filter and engine oil cooler. Hydraulic oil was only 165F, but that is enough to keep the PT from climbing a 20 degree grade.

In practical terms, the wire loom melted off of the glow plug wiring above the muffler, and off of the starter solenoid wiring below the muffler as well.
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The missing section of wire loom on the red wire fell on the muffler and more or less evaporated. (The muffler was at 390F, not too bad, considering) You can also see a bit of melting on the air filter housing on the left, but that is a long term issue.

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The wire loom on the solenoid melted, losing its corrugating...

Time to do some fixes. Anyone have any experience with aluminum/fiber muffler heat shields?
e.g.
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I am also thinking of adding a 12" fresh air fan to provide more cool air for the hydraulic cooler. Thoughts?

All the best,

Peter
 
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   / What did you do with your Power Trac today? #332  
Hi Peter,

In my opinion, these Power Tracs don't have enough cooling capacity. Once upon a time, I used my 1845 to mow my lawn/pasture. In the dry summer, I had to run back to the shop once every mowing job to blow out the oil radiator. And my yard is only 3 acres. I finally fabricated a large "intake filter" on the back of the tractor to catch the larger stuff and that helped a lot.

As to your auxiliary fan idea, I think it's worth a try. I added one to another PT I own but haven't really stressed it since. That said, "where to put the fan?" Blowing straight against the muffler may not be the best idea as it keeps the heat in the engine compartment to a degree. Reversing the hydraulic cooler fan (this fan may lose efficiency if it wasn't designed to be reversed) and a suction fan near the muffler might work better. The goal is to get the heat out of the engine compartment as quickly as possible. This is a complicated subject if one wants to get in the weeds.

BTW, did you remove your engine oil radiator "re-director?" I removed mine as an experiment and it helped. The original weldment was too constricted and it's almost always better to "go with the flow." I realize this directs the oil radiator exhaust into the hydraulic oil radiator. However, I think the overall effect was a net positive due to the increased velocity. But of course, this wouldn't work if you reversed the hydraulic cooler fan.

Everything is always a compromise.

Tom
 
   / What did you do with your Power Trac today? #333  
Hi Peter,

In my opinion, these Power Tracs don't have enough cooling capacity. Once upon a time, I used my 1845 to mow my lawn/pasture. In the dry summer, I had to run back to the shop once every mowing job to blow out the oil radiator. And my yard is only 3 acres. I finally fabricated a large "intake filter" on the back of the tractor to catch the larger stuff and that helped a lot.

As to your auxiliary fan idea, I think it's worth a try. I added one to another PT I own but haven't really stressed it since. That said, "where to put the fan?" Blowing straight against the muffler may not be the best idea as it keeps the heat in the engine compartment to a degree. Reversing the hydraulic cooler fan (this fan may lose efficiency if it wasn't designed to be reversed) and a suction fan near the muffler might work better. The goal is to get the heat out of the engine compartment as quickly as possible. This is a complicated subject if one wants to get in the weeds.

BTW, did you remove your engine oil radiator "re-director?" I removed mine as an experiment and it helped. The original weldment was too constricted and it's almost always better to "go with the flow." I realize this directs the oil radiator exhaust into the hydraulic oil radiator. However, I think the overall effect was a net positive due to the increased velocity. But of course, this wouldn't work if you reversed the hydraulic cooler fan.

Everything is always a compromise.

Tom
Tom,

Thanks for the suggestions and ideas. I remember your intake filter idea. For me, chaff isn't much of a problem as I don't dare mow if the grass isn't green due to fire risks.

I do agree that the under hood cooling leaves something to be optimized and I am a bit annoyed (my compulsiveness rearing its ugly head? ) that there isn't a more uniform left to right /front to back flow of cold to hot. Such is life...

Since puller fans are so much more efficient than pusher fans, I wasn't planning on altering the set up of the existing hydraulic oil cooler. My thinking, at the moment, is to put a suction fan inside the hood, just in front of the engine and behind the fuel tank. (Basically blowing at the battery.) I was going to start with that and then perhaps try a small baffle/half duct to guide the air up towards the hydraulic cooler. I have a 12" fan that should fit there and generate about 60% of the air flow of the SPAL fan on the hydraulic oil cooler. (Which is a darn good fan in the grand scheme of things.)

I agree with you that the engine oil cooler exhaust is too restrictive, but I hadn't thought of just removing it. I did convince myself that the engine oil cooler diverter is about half the area it needs to be. I thought that I would try making one with a wider, and slightly higher opening toward the outside that protruded farther out to guide the exhaust all the way to the grill on the side of the hood so the hot air wouldn't end up in the oil cooler. You can't raise the eight of most of it due to clearance issues with the hydraulic oil cooler.

I have seen versions for the Deutz oil cooler that goes up from the engine oil cooler, fans out over the engine and goes over to the muffler. The cowling on the 2445 45HP is close. I like this one better, but there is a lot more metal and fabrication in it.
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What I like about this version is that not only does it have more room for the oil cooler exhaust, but it captures the other exhaust air, and puts it all over the muffler, and keeps the muffler from baking the starter. Clear front to right cold to hot air movement.

There is a certain amount of cooling air that doesn't go through the engine oil cooler that comes up around the injectors and more comes out around the exhaust.

I did replace the plastic wire looms today with aluminized fiberglass versions that look snazzy, but time will tell if they are any good. Based on what melted the temperatures got to somewhere above polyethylene melting temperature, but below some of the nylon I have on various components. (Zip ties were ok, but the hydraulic spiral hose protection got a little warm and shrank slightly...) I also sanded and repainted the muffler with fresh high temperature paint to be ready to wrap in the muffler heat shield later in the week.

Thanks again for the suggestions! I will keep working on this one.

All the best,

Peter
 
   / What did you do with your Power Trac today? #334  
TL-DR: added an insulated muffler heat shield, but probably could have done something simpler with two pieces of aluminum heat shield above and below the muffler. Something like a 150-200F drop in temperature around the muffler.

Update: I did put in the insulated muffler heat shield. I will admit up front not to being a sheet metal whiz. The sane way to do this is probably to remove the muffler and do this off the tractor. I didn't, and I do regret that decision.

I made a series of templates in paper, then cardboard, then cutting the insulation, fitting it, trimming it more to fit, then transferring it to the aluminum, with an extra perimeter to fold over the ends. I decided to put the seam on the engine side to allow some airflow between the intake and the muffler where the Deutz routes some airflow.

The hard bit is that on the BF3L2011 there are three exhaust headers from the Deutz that go into the combined header/muffler. So, you have to get the cutouts for those aligned with the ends, and then manage the muffler end covers. Fiddly doesn't begin to describe it as you have to compress the heat shield around the circumference while keeping the cut outs aligned at the exhaust header tubes. I ended up using four large hose clamps, and I should have planned for two or three inches of aluminum overlap to make fitting things up easier.

Does it help? Well, I ran the tractor for a bit and the exhaust was measuring 390F, and the outside of the heat shield was reading 90F. That's probably not totally accurate as the IR thermometer that I used does need to be adjusted for highly reflective surfaces, but in the past the adjustment has only been 20F or so. You can touch the heat shield.

This may adversely affect the intake air during cold weather (no warming from the exhaust), but time will tell.

I used the Design engineering Muffler Heat Shield 10529. I broke the first stainless zip tie that they supplied trying to use their fancy tool. I also used a stainless hose clamp to hold parts of one end to the exhaust pipe by way of a lateral anchor. I will probably replace it with stainless safety wire in a few days.

I am not happy with the wrinkles, but I think it results from my not having several inches of excess aluminum heat shield to slide over each other. You can see the aluminized fiberglass wire loom that I used above and below the muffler.
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Let's just say that this took more effort than I thought it would. If I were doing it again, I might just curve a piece of aluminum heat shield from above the air intake down to the level of the exhaust, and put a heat shield over the starter and solenoid. Much less fiddly, and probably would also help route cool air up to the hydraulic cooler, as this does.

I liked the heat shield products; the Deutz exhaust is just a bit of a jungle.

All the best,

Peter
 
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   / What did you do with your Power Trac today? #335  
This weekend my wife and I spent a good 20 hours each working in the yard, cleaning flower beds, spreading mulch, installing drip irrigation around the place, finishing up the new to us greenhouse, plantings, etc. Also straightened a much-leaning small garage that was leaning a good 4-5" since we bought the place back in '95.

Little PT425 makes for a great wheelbarrow.

Also found an old 5hp chipper/shredder/blower at the junkyard for $35 and brought that home. Even if I can't get the motor running, I can adapt it to hydraulic and put a QA plate on it and have a mobile leaf blower.

Used the PT425 forks with my modified backstop/extra 2 fingers to grab it out of the back of the Suburban.
 
   / What did you do with your Power Trac today? #336  
This weekend my wife and I spent a good 20 hours each working in the yard, cleaning flower beds, spreading mulch, installing drip irrigation around the place, finishing up the new to us greenhouse, plantings, etc. Also straightened a much-leaning small garage that was leaning a good 4-5" since we bought the place back in '95.

Little PT425 makes for a great wheelbarrow.

Also found an old 5hp chipper/shredder/blower at the junkyard for $35 and brought that home. Even if I can't get the motor running, I can adapt it to hydraulic and put a QA plate on it and have a mobile leaf blower.

Used the PT425 forks with my modified backstop/extra 2 fingers to grab it out of the back of the Suburban.
No pics ??
 
   / What did you do with your Power Trac today? #337  
OK

(click to enlarge)

Neighbor gave us old carport frame. We got some greenhouse plastic and wiggle wire/tracks, some hardware cloth along the bottom 3' to keep the bunnies out and allow ventilation in summer. This was a couple weeks ago. We've since planted all the cinder block holes with marigolds and I finished the drip irrigation system.

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The menace!

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The crooked shed/garage. Used these safety harness anchors and a ratcheting strap to pull it back to just past level and square. Temp braces on exterior and released straps. Came back to level. Will brace internally, and we're replacing the doors and windows, then roof and siding to match the house and other garage. It's been a long time coming.

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Chipper/shredder/blower/vacuum rescued from auto salvage/scrap yard. $35. Put a pull rope on it. It spins freely. Checked oil and air cleaner. Gave it a shot of starting fluid. No pop. Checked for spark. No spark. Getting new plug sometime soon and will check for spark again. If no spark, will get hydraulic motor and QA plate to power from PT425.

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   / What did you do with your Power Trac today? #338  
Great idea to use the anchor point to pull the shed back to plumb!

Nice find at the dump. I wish our dump did resale like that. Speaking from experience, having an independently powered chipper has its advantages. Those engines tend to be really easy to work on. I would check to see if the the spark circuit is complete, and if needs something simple like a coil or a capacitor. I wouldn't rule out a replacement engine from HarborFreight, or the junkyard either, but I don't know your budget.

All the best,

Peter
 
   / What did you do with your Power Trac today? #339  
Great idea to use the anchor point to pull the shed back to plumb!

Nice find at the dump. I wish our dump did resale like that. Speaking from experience, having an independently powered chipper has its advantages. Those engines tend to be really easy to work on. I would check to see if the the spark circuit is complete, and if needs something simple like a coil or a capacitor. I wouldn't rule out a replacement engine from HarborFreight, or the junkyard either, but I don't know your budget.

All the best,

Peter
I got the anchor idea off of a youtube video, so can't claim that for myself.

We don't have a dump that allows browsing, and the good scrap yards stopped that as well. However, we have a self-serve auto yard that also takes scrap metal to recycle and anyone is free to browse. They'll pull stuff out with a loader if it's buried. I was there looking for angle iron to use on the shed/garage. I found 1 nice piece of 3" by 1/4" by about 4'. And that chipper. When I got home, I found the video of the anchors. That seemed a better idea, as no cutting/drilling and reusable. $20 each at Menards. I bought 4. I'll keep them in my bucket of safety gear.

The chipper is heavy! I had to drag it through the auto wrecker yard up a hill with a flat tire. Had to stop at the top of the hill to catch my breath. 😛

Tire aired up at home ok.

I thought about re-engining it with Predator from HF, as I did that with a log splitter and it worked great! (y)

But I'd really like to be able to put it on the PT425 and use it as a leaf blower if it's any good at that task. The chipper will be a bonus for garden and yard waste.

We'll see. I'd have to find the RPM of the Briggs and get a motor to match about that with 8GPM at 2500psi. I'm guessing it's 3600rpm.
 
   / What did you do with your Power Trac today? #340  
I also purchased a new 7000# PTO winch military surplus from a Gama Goat for $250. Still in the crate. I'll probably use that on my trailer to load logs out at our property. I'll power it with a hydraulic motor/gas engine setup on the trailer, but make it usable on the PT425 as well. Might take the log splitter and make its engine/pump setup portable for the trailer. All kinds of fun.

 
 
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