Running Hot

[LarryBud]

I was brush hogging with my L3130 this afternoon. I'm mowing tall weeds which are tall but dried out. After about 2 hours I look down and see my machine temp is 3/4 of the way to the right. I was by the shop so I shut it down and inspected. The weeds are dirty and my radiator was smothered.

I blew out everything and brought it all back to square one. After a 1/2 hour I go back out. It runs at 1/2 way to the right for 45 minutes and then ticks up one notch. i shut it down. Again, fully smothered with chafe and dust. I clean it up and call it a day.

Also of note is that I flushed the radiator and replaced the coolant late this summer. I know 50/50 is the mix and I may have been a little heavy on the antifreeze mix but not by much.

Thoughts on my situation? I have a lot mow weeds to mow.

 

[jyoutz]

I was brush hogging with my L3130 this afternoon. I'm mowing tall weeds which are tall but dried out. After about 2 hours I look down and see my machine temp is 3/4 of the way to the right. I was by the shop so I shut it down and inspected. The weeds are dirty and my radiator was smothered.

I blew out everything and brought it all back to square one. After a 1/2 hour I go back out. It runs at 1/2 way to the right for 45 minutes and then ticks up one notch. i shut it down. Again, fully smothered with chafe and dust. I clean it up and call it a day.

Also of note is that I flushed the radiator and replaced the coolant late this summer. I know 50/50 is the mix and I may have been a little heavy on the antifreeze mix but not by much.

Thoughts on my situation? I have a lot mow weeds to mow.

IDK how you solve this issue other than frequently cleaning the screen. I have heard that some people carry a small HF battery operated leaf blower on the tractor for this purpose.

 

[Vlach7]

If you have room, try a cut to size HVAC filter in front of your radiator to pull out and shake/clean often. I like the leaf blower idea, but not getting in there in the first place is best. You think they could have designed these tractors better.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

One possible way.... cut the weeds BEFORE they go to 'seed dispersal mode'.
Guy up the road does that,field looks better and has far less weeds in it than his neighbour !

 

[old and tired]

I have to stop several times to blow out my radiator.... stuff from the screen in front then from behind to blow junk out of the fins!!! I made a long tube extension with a 90* turn at the end of it to point it forward while standing to the side of it.

I like the battery operated blower to get most of the junk but still would need the concentrated force of an air hose from a compressor every now and then for the junk in the fins.

I think a while back, someone tried to cover the hood screens with pantyhose... not sure how he did it, maybe duck tape?

 

[LarryBud]

One possible way.... cut the weeds BEFORE they go to 'seed dispersal mode'.
Guy up the road does that,field looks better and has far less weeds in it than his neighbour !

Guilty! Lesson Learned. Never again.

 

[LarryBud]

Back at it yesterday. I can mow for about 40 minutes before things clog up.

I'll just have to go slow with frequent stops. This will go down as another lesson for a rookie land manager.

 

[old and tired]

It's a pain in the rear for sure but waiting until after deer hunting season allows the deer to bed down in the weeds, giving them a safe spot to do so. I had 3 of them spread out over the property laying down so I don't mind having to stop to clear out the radiator. Also, it gives me time to warm up and eat/drink something when I go back to the shop.

I mow in February every year... before the Turkeys build their nests. Learned that the hard way... scared the mother off the nest. In hindsight, I should have made a turkey Omelet!

 

[Russell King]

I use one of these in front of the screen

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Filtrete-20-in-x-30-in-x-1-in-Cut-to-Fit-Adjustable-Air-Filter/5005517111?cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-plb-_-bng-_-PLA_PLB_171_Air-Circulation-_-5005517111-_-Online-_-0-_-0&ds_rl=1286981&msclkid=d0956f7fd783198747af0c03ec2d55b5&gclid=d0956f7fd783198747af0c03ec2d55b5&gclsrc=3p

.

It filters out the large stuff and can be shaken out easily

 

[jyoutz]

I use one of these in front of the screen

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Filtrete-20-in-x-30-in-x-1-in-Cut-to-Fit-Adjustable-Air-Filter/5005517111?cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-plb-_-bng-_-PLA_PLB_171_Air-Circulation-_-5005517111-_-Online-_-0-_-0&ds_rl=1286981&msclkid=d0956f7fd783198747af0c03ec2d55b5&gclid=d0956f7fd783198747af0c03ec2d55b5&gclsrc=3p

.

It filters out the large stuff and can be shaken out easily

Does it inhibit air flow?

 

[Russell King]

Does it inhibit air flow?

No noticeable difference until it gets completely coated in chaff. Then it will probably get hot. But I shake it off every time I take a break (2 hours or so). It is washable also I think

You may be able to put it on the outside of the hood to start filtering it on a larger surface.

My tractor (L185F) has a small hood and the battery is in front of the radiator so there’s a lot of room for air to come from the sides. There is a good place right in front of the radiator screen for this filter and it has no frame to fight with so I just slide and wedge it in

 

[ve9aa]

You should've taken out the OEM fan, then hacked an electric one with a PWM (@ 50%) then butchered the shroud, so it'll REALLY overheat ! (cross thread points?)

OP - these comments are a joke and for others following many threads on this forum, they'll get it. In no way whatsoever are they directed at you and I apologize if you don't get it.

For relative content, when I am mowing and the dandelions are really bad, I install old bed sheets over the vents to catch all the seeds flying around before they clog the rad screen. It's super easy to "brush them off" before they've reached the inside of the mower. Yeah, it looks like heck, but for once/twice a year, a minor annoyance !

 

[jimh406]

I would make sure you have all of the air out of the coolant system. Air can interfere with the cooling process. You also could have boiled some coolant out when it got hot.

 

[mcmxi]

I don't have any evidence to state this as a fact, but I wonder if an offset flail reduces the problem of vegetation building up on the front grill. I've cut the same fields pulling a rotary cutter and an offset flail behind MX000s. With the rotary cutter you're driving over grass, weeds or brush, whereas with the offset flail you're not, well, not as much at least.

 

[BruceP]

Thoughts on my situation? I have a lot mow weeds to mow.

• Plan on cleaning the radiator often
• DO NOT shut off hot engine (allow to idle for at least 5 minutes after working machine hard)

 

[Benhameen]

I was having this problem over the summer mowing higher than it should have been weeds. I too had replaced the coolant a few months prior as well.

long story short, the only thing that’s helped is thoroughly cleaning out the radiator. I stopped by the local tractor dealer to see what they might have as far as a tool to get in there a little better. They told me all they use is a water hose and compressed air. Even though I keep the screen clean and use a leaf blower or compressed air it was still very dirty in between the fins. I couldn’t believe How much crap came out of the radiator.

Hose off the radiator, both sides then blow out both sides. Be careful not to bend the fins on the radiator. Also, don’t do this if the tractor is hot. Repeat as many times as necessary. This helped mine form getting hot as quickly and as often.

 

[LarryBud]

Thanks to all who replied. I have some good strategies to deal with things.

• Plan on cleaning the radiator often
• DO NOT shut off hot engine (allow to idle for at least 5 minutes after working machine hard)

Do not shut off hot engine? This seems counterintuitive? Just let it idle hot for 5 minutes?

 

[BruceP]

Do not shut off hot engine? This seems counterintuitive? Just let it idle hot for 5 minutes?

You must be new to diesel engines.

Due to extreme efficiency of diesel engine, an idling diesel engine barely makes enough heat to keep itself warm. There is NO WAY that idling can make it any hotter.

Infact, in subzero ambient temperatures, an idling diesel may NEVER register any heat on the gauge. I have owned such engines.

HOWEVER: There are several reasons to idle a diesel engine after being worked hard.

• Antifreeze, engine-oil, and hydraulic fluids continue to circulate thru their respective 'coolers' and shed heat.
• Most importantly, the TURBOCHARGER bearings are cooling down due to flowing oil thru them.
• Engines with watercooled turbochargers also get cooled antifreeze circulation.

There is a phenomenon known as 'coaking' wheras the bearings in the turbocharger will overheat the oil and turn into hard carbon deposits. This happens because a turbocharger runs near red-hot when engine is being worked hard. This 'coaking' happens when hot engine is not idled for several minutes before shutdown. Infact, the owners-manual for most diesel engines will TELL you to idle for several minutes after working hard for this very reason.

Another way to help protect engine is to run Rotella T6 5w40 full synthetic oil. (on the shelves at WallyMart) Synthetic oil offers FARRR better protection against heat than dinosaur oil.

I am not sure if your L3130 is turbocharged or not. However, I believe it is motivated by "hydro". In cold ambient tempartures, Kubota recommends a thorough warmup before working the machine so the hydro fluid is flowing properly.

 

[Thunder chicken]

Anyone try reversible fan blades?
Something like these? I'm sure there are others.....

Cleanfix – reversible fans for cleaning radiators

Innovative Cleanfix reversible fans not only draw in air – they are also powerful enough to blow out and clean radiators and screens.

cleanfix.org