Tractor under water

[Chapel Hill Vann]

We live in an area that just got flooded with 4-12" of rain in about 5 hours.. My best friend was able to move some equipment, but not all. His orange Kubota is safe,but his green tractor was completely underwater for about 14 hours. It has a top exhaust and the water was covering the engine but not going down the exhaust pipe. It has no hydraulic implements attached.

Can it be saved?

where do you start to try and save this tractor?
I'm sure draining the diesel fuel is first, changing all of the fluids, washing mud,etc.but what else is essential?

Thanks
Vann in Chapel Hill

 

[Dustball]

Drain everything and pull the injectors and glow plugs out before even trying to crank the engine.
Replace the air filter and secondary filter if they were underwater. Inspect the air intake for any silt.

Also before trying to start it, I'd let the tractor sit out in the sun for several days to let the electronics dry out.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Drain all fluids.
Look for water in what you drain.
If it's got water its got sand, silt, muck, in it flush whatever is contaminated.

 

[Tx Jim]

Amount of electronics that the tractor has will affect if it's salvageable or not. If tractor happens to have common-rail fuel inj then my guess is your neighbors is in for a bad experience. Do you know the model #?

 

[Runs With Scissors]

I think the amount of electronics on that machine will be a huge factor.

I would also put emphasis on @Dustball first sentence.

Do not crank it until you have made sure there is no water in the cylinders

My order of operations would be something like this.

1. Tear tractor down and clean with light duty pressure to try and get all sand/muck/silt off.

2. remove any electronics and try compressed air as 1st step in drying.

3. Then let them sit out in sun for a while.

4. maybe get large bags of rice to put them in, to try and "suck out" more moisture. ( a little trick that hardly ever actually works)

Then while waiting for the sun/rice to work

5. drain and dry/clean entire fuel system.

6. drain/flush entire hydraulic system.

Reassemble......Hope and pray.

I feel bad for those flood victims......

 

[Orangeglow]

If it is insured, get your friend to call his insurance agent. Get them to write it off, and then see if he can buy it back from the insurance company, at scrap price. or salvage.

 

[RBsingl]

Agree on the insurance but if no insurance, the electronics need special attention. Immediately disconnect the battery if that hasn't already been done and then anything that was under water needs to be flushed with copious amounts of distilled water. Electronic assemblies are very robust against CLEAN water but flood water is anything but clean and it will leave both corrosive and conductive residue that must be immediately flushed away followed by time to properly dry.

Areas hard to dry can be flushed with WD-40. Although flammable, it isn't electrically conductive and is an excellent water dispersing agent.

Rodger

 

[lmichael]

If it is insured, get your friend to call his insurance agent. Get them to write it off, and then see if he can buy it back from the insurance company, at scrap price. or salvage.

I did this years ago with a car I had that got T-Boned while my youngest daughter was driving (guy ran a stop sign). Had the car brought home, adjuster looked at it and said "totaled". The insurance contacted me and explained how much they'd give me. I asked how much for me to buy it back. "$300" So I took the settlement minus the $300 and bought a couple of pieces, new rear struts and hired someone to paint the rear 1/4 panel, and door panel. Once all the painting was done, I had the car assembled and back on the road in 2 hours work. Mad some coin off that deal.

 

[stevewhitts]

Lots of good advice. I would add - disconnect and remove the battery as one of the first steps.

 

[imarobot]

Radiator fins are probably full of junk too. Should be cleaned

 

[Alfred_2345]

Immediately disconnect the battery if that hasn't already been done and then anything that was under water needs to be flushed with copious amounts of distilled water. Electronic assemblies are very robust against CLEAN water but flood water is anything but clean and it will leave both corrosive and conductive residue that must be immediately flushed away followed by time to properly dry.

As an electronics engineers with 20 yrs manufacturing electronics, I can confirm. I would like to add our main cleaning agent was isopropyl alcohol (IPA). This will displace and suck out the water. Let it dry for several days. You can speed this up using a dehumidifier and/or elevated temperatures (<120F). You want a "technical grade" IPA. (example, not recommending: https://www.amazon.com/MaxTite-Isopropyl-Alcohol-99-9-Gallon/dp/B08JHBM3VY) Drug store IPA will leave a film of contamination.

 

[Chapel Hill Vann]

Thanks for all of the valuable information. he had the local dealer pick up the tractor as soon as he could get it out.
We did use a lot of your suggestions on his other equipment,
We washed , removed batteries, drained gas/oil, removed spark plugs and more on 2 generators, a log splitter, a blower , floor jack and other stuff.

This is just equipment-the heart wrenching part is the total loss of their fenced organic garden that they have had for over 20 years. she also has a tremendous flower garden that was lost.

Still have a long way to go

Thanks again to the Forum
Vann in Chapel Hill

 

[stevewhitts]

Thanks for all of the valuable information. he had the local dealer pick up the tractor as soon as he could get it out.
We did use a lot of your suggestions on his other equipment,
We washed , removed batteries, drained gas/oil, removed spark plugs and more on 2 generators, a log splitter, a blower , floor jack and other stuff.

This is just equipment-the heart wrenching part is the total loss of their fenced organic garden that they have had for over 20 years. she also has a tremendous flower garden that was lost.

Still have a long way to go

Thanks again to the Forum
Vann in Chapel Hill

But the most important things is that you all made it out safe. Things can be fixed.

 

[Tractor Gal]

Thanks for all of the valuable information. he had the local dealer pick up the tractor as soon as he could get it out.
We did use a lot of your suggestions on his other equipment,
We washed , removed batteries, drained gas/oil, removed spark plugs and more on 2 generators, a log splitter, a blower , floor jack and other stuff.

This is just equipment-the heart wrenching part is the total loss of their fenced organic garden that they have had for over 20 years. she also has a tremendous flower garden that was lost.

Still have a long way to go

Thanks again to the Forum
Vann in Chapel Hill

Yes, as mentioned, "things can be fixed." But, let's not forget in 20 years how our physical strength/stamina diminishes. Plus, now the equipment to re-do everything may not be working so it's just a heartbreak all around. My area is close by and somewhere around 5+ inches fell here. Only a few miles away, there was destruction of all kinds. My heart goes out to those affected, whether it's affected a lot or a little, it doesn't matter. It always hurts.

Tractor Gal

 

[Daren Todd]

Ive had plenty of equipment at work go under water over the years.

The old mechanically governed stuff was easy. If it wasn't running when it went under, I would drain, flush and change all the fluids.

Replace the battery and control panel. Clean up any electrical connections. And let it roll.

That's after pulling injectors and bumping over the engine to make sure it wasn't hydrolocked.

If water didnt make it to the exhaist or air breather, i would just chsnge fluids and let it roll.

I recently had a customer who had an electrically governed piece of equipment (not tier 4) that had water get up to almost the top of the block but not in the exhaust.

They changed and flushed all the fluids. Replaced the battery and control panel.

Disconnected, dried, and cleaned with contact cleaner, every electrical connection, and every sensor on the engine.

Replaced the control panel.

Surprisingly the ECM was fine and didn't need to be replaced. They just disconnected it and sprayed all the contacts down with contact cleaner.

If it's tier 4, make an insurance claim if you can.