I got my tractor last summer and have watched all your videos, very helpful. This one came to mind today as I was mowing for the first time. Stuff 3' to 5' tall and going to seed. I wouldn't have even thought to look at the screen in front of the radiator if not for your videos on the subject. Yes after a few hours of mowing it was coated. Thank you!!
Best advice ever. Watched video then I brush hogged first time ever. An hour into it red light comes on. Raised hood and radiator pre filter was totally clogged! Thank you Mike.
I brush the outside screens with a broom before I open the hood. Then I use the broom on the outside of the ratiator to again break up the big stuff & a shop vac to vacuum the ratiator fm the outside then blow it out fm the inside. Key words: watch your engine temp. Clean up after each use & y'll never have a problem. Your battery cable look like they need scrubbing with a wire brush. I get one fm Auto Zone for under a $1. Plastic handle steel bristles. A little bigger than a toothbrush. I wire it inside the housing hood so it is handy at all times. Great video. Keep them coming.
I'm late to the picnic here. The video is very clear. concise. well done and and helpful. if I may offer a couple of thoughts. 1) A removable radiator pre-screen is a great help. It catches 90+% of the seeds and crud. A good one is flexible and easy to remove-reinstall; they save a Lot of detailed radiator cleaning. 2) When back blowing the radiator with compressed air, be Very cautious and gentle. The thin aluminium fins between the radiator tubes are almost like aluminium foil and can easily be destroyed. Lose enough of 'em and you'll soon have a new radiator. 3) I agree with an earlier poster - leave the bucket on as a "Guard" to avoid driving into unseen rocks and other debris. This is especially true if you haven't mowed the field before. Better to hit the bucket than possibly smash the front axle.
I use a radiator air wand. They're about $30. They work very well. Typically you can buy them at any heavy equipment store. It gives you a true 90 degree Air blast through several holes in the wand.
Mike, nice video. My '89 JD 1050, warning lights changed to 3 gauges on Cowling top. Battery moved from front of radiator to a box on loader cross-beam, all cowling voids sealed with foam rubber, headlights removed from cowling front to the fold-down grille guard and factory perf. grille screen framed and place in that old headlight space. Window screen on a frame mounted on lower part of grille guard beneath headlights. One piece of loosely woven filter mesh 4' long attached with magnets spaced 1' apart from left cowling air screen, across the front screen and the right cowling screen. In the 20"x7.5" space that once housed the battery rack beneath radiator I installed an electric winch with 9000# tow power with the synthetic rope coming through the hole I cut in the face-plate of the 1/4" steel cowling hinge bracket. Temps go from 180* f idle to 195* @ 1800 rpm (engaged pto), climbs to 200*, thermo opens and back to 195* all day long. When it goes to 205* I hear her talking, pull the magnets, shake out the fabric downwind the tractor. I'm happy.
In the northeast we have tons of field stone, and the emerald ash borer has decimated the ash trees, dropping branches all over the place. Unless you have done a piece of land before its none to smart to hog w/o the front bucket mounted. Going slow, placing the bucket 6" off the deck, curling it all the way back, and cutting high the first time is always the smart course of action. By curling the bucket if something is hidden the bucket will "ride" over it and give you plenty of time to stop before you get to the bush hog. If you leave the bucket flat you can be in for a hell of a jolt. The next time you cut you can go more quickly and also cut lower. On top of that with the bucket curled back all the way the material does not snap back as fast or hard and they cast of debris less dramatically. Lastly, if you place the belly of your bucket (the part of the bucket which would be the lowest to the ground when at max cur) 6" off the ground and your bush hog to cut 6" high, you'll save your blades and more importantly your gear box on your hog.
Another great video Mike. I completed step two on mine this evening. I noticed the temperature was higher than normal while cutting with it earlier in the day. Popped the hood and sure enough, the radiator screen was covered. While cleaning off the screen, I noticed that there was a pile of debris at the bottom of the radiator. I blew all of that out as well and then proceeded to blow out all of the radiator fins. Hopefully, I am now back to good.
Rodents love those debris piles for building nests and they can do a lot of damage in the winter, so you're doing the right thing by blowing all of that out.
just earlier today, I was mowing the grass at my local airport (39P) The grass dust, stems, etc was flying everywhere (good thing for safety goggles) About every hour, I needed to stop, clean the radiator screen, the hood screen and blow out the radiator fins. The screens were easily cleaned with a large paint brush. However, the actual radiator fins required an air hose and patience.
I am glad that I saw this video as I had not thought of that much dirt building up in the radiator and causing heating problems. I will be blowing out the dirt from my radiator also and I am in the process of servicing my brush hog and tiller also. Thanks so much for this video and tip.
1958 IH 240 utilty, not sure if it originally had a pre-screen behind the grille but I cut some pet porch screen and zip-tied it to the back. Works good.
I just wash mine out with the water hose and let it dry before I go back and use it again. You can also soak it down with degreaser and wash it out, seems to get the radiator really clean.
Thanks for the videos. When I am out hogging I use a paint brush to knock off the debris since I don't have access to compressed air. I typically blow out the radiator once at the shop.
Darris Turbyfill Great idea…that'll keep you from getting to the point this tractor was…obviously, whoever owned it was extremely lazy at maintenance :)!
I have a brush hog/tractor business and I've started carrying a 12V air compressor and 8-gallon compressed air carry tank with me. I charge up the tank and use an extendable air gun nozzle to blast debris out of the radiator. I hate waiting for the tank to charge up but boy does it clean out the radiator. Great vids, Mike!
+Mike Wiles (Ask Tractor Mike) Today while brushhogging I used a Makita 18v cordless blower (www.amazon.com/Makita-BUB182Z-18-Volt-Lithium-Ion-Cordless/dp/B001UQ6WKU) and it worked GREAT. I'd never thought of it without having seen you try the full size blower. The size makes it reasonably easy to get into the nooks and crannies. I'm looking forward to seeing your next review of a radiator solution.
I like Your thoughts on putting the suction tub ( one would normally use on shop vac. ) Onto Your leaf blower.. But on your air Nozzle..Your using on air compressor..I did one a Touch better ...get a air Nozzle about 2' long.w rubber tip of course..like you had on your short Air Nozzle ( air gun ) .. Bend the 2' Nozzle about 3" fr the rubber tip @ a 90 % angle ..This will help you safely get in to Radiator fr rear like you did in video.. Also you can get up in closer to top & bottom corners.. ( of Course as you Know. Becareful to Not Hit the rear radiator fins...) Great Videos you have out on Tips in trick for Brush hog work & how to properly set up Brush Hog
I use a pump up sprayer and soak the radiator in with white vinegar, a gallon at every time. Then rinse with a garden hose from the back side.Takes all residue off the cooling surfaces
I do it with tools i made out of 5/16" steel tubing. One for air , one sprays water. You can actually buy such tools but i just basically copied them using stuff i already had around the shop. 5/16 tubing is small enough to fit between the coils on trucks or tractors. They are 3 feet long for semi-truck radiators that get full of grain chaff during harvest season.
Clean the grill and then the removable screen in front of the radiator which most newer tractors have. Odds are that the radiator itself isn't actually dirty, just the screens. A long wand for the compressed air works great but watch that the fan blades are not blocking the air stream. It will be necessary to turn the fan as you blow out the radiator.
My tractor has a piece of metal window screen zip tied on the top. When the temp gauge starts to creep up, I turn the tractor off and reach in and shake the screen. All that loose crud just falls straight down. The radiator behind the screen stays relatively clean of seeds and fuzz.
Hey Mike, love your videos. I was cutting this fall and ran into this same issue. I had to clean the screen and radiator about every hour but what I missed initially was my air filter. I started seeing lots of smoke under load and when I checked my air filter it was plugged with seeds. You might want to do a video on this issue
Take that air gun to your local parts store, unscrew the tip, buy a 2-3ft piece of brake line with a fitting that will thread into the gun. Cut the other end off of the line and use their line bending tool to put a bend on the end of that line. Gets right into hard to reach areas of equipment.
Thanks, I appreciate the compliment. My goal is to have at least one a week for as long as I can think of topics, please let me know if you have suggestions.
Hi, Mike. Love your videos. You ask for ideas, and while it was a year ago, I don't think I've seen you do any yet on topics like what can cause unexpected rollovers, the importance of wearing a seat belt (because of that), and other sorts of perhaps common problems that a new tractor ow er might not readily suspect. Or a lighter topic could be all the acronyms in the tractor world. your video on scoop vs bucket vs loader was classic, and so funny. you could have a good time with the acronyms, I think. :-) keep em coming! so, so helpful. thanks VERY much.
+Charlie Arehart Thanks Charlie. That scoop/bucket video is my favorite, it was one of the first ones I did, and I think it has the lowest web traffic of all of my videos. There was no way to classify it, and the few people that have watched it have generally just stumbled across it. I like to have fun with videos, I've done a couple of cooking videos (parodies of the ones my family watches all the time…I can't figure out the appeal) and one where I clean the house with my leaf blower. I may post those this winter when it's nasty outside and see if they run off my subscribers…they have nothing to do with tractors. I'll get a video out on rollovers soon. I had a really scary experience last winter that I want to discuss. Usually people get in trouble when they're in a hurry, I wasn't, but I did a bonehead move that sent me in a free slide down a hill. It could very easily have been a rollover. I'm also working with the Missouri Department of Transportation on some videos about popper hauling of equipment. While I was at their place I noticed a device that they install in every tractor, a level indicator. They ought to be standard equipment on all small tractors, they show you when you're getting close to danger. I want to do a little more research before I move forward with that one…the tire width settings and ballast have a lot to do with that as well. Thanks for the comments and thanks for watching!
I had a spreader truck at my shop guy had it at another shop twice they replaced water pump and thermostat first time it still ran hot on second time they replaced head gaskets it still ran hot so I looked found two grocery bags full of chicken feathers between the radiator and a/c condenser cleaned it out never run hot again.
Thanks for the compliment. A lot of the deluxe tractors have those screens and they're AWESOME! Saves a bunch of time because about all that goes in the radiator fins is dust and it blows out real easy. The seeds and big chunks get caught by that screen. Wish my tractor had that feature!
***** you may be able to fashion a screen type shield to cover your radiator. the holes don't have to be very small, and anything it catches will not need to blown out later.
I always use a pistol-grip nozzle on a water hose Critical, as you point out, that you put the water in from the rear, and in the case of water that the radiator be allowed to cool off most of the way first.
+Sarah Jane Hicks So you tape a furnace filter in front of the radiator, so when it's dirty you untape it and throw it away? That's a real interesting idea, I may try that. I have that little hydrostatic oil cooler in front of the radiator and it's real hard to get the gunk out of both because you have to blow air or water through the radiator and the oil cooler to get everything clean. A furnace filter in front of the hydrostatic oil cooler might keep everything a bunch cleaner. Thanks for sharing.
@@TractorMike try using no rinse A/C coil cleaner it will break loose all the stuff stuck in the fins then you can still flush it with water as in an A/C the condensation is what rinses the debris out after restarting the unit
There is a company called Radiator Genie that sells ends one for water an one for air compressor which is angled to clean radiator. If you watch Paul Short channel he owns and runs a business in NewFoundland he shows using Radiator Genie.
After I did the video you watched they sent me one and here's the resulting video: th-cam.com/video/RA4d1Vxd8KA/w-d-xo.html. I still use the leaf blower for quick radiator cleaning in the field because I'm not always around air or water, then I use the Radiator Genie at the end of each season. Good product!
It’s better to use air if possible. With water if you don’t get it completely clean, what’s left will turn in to mud and dry hard. At that point you’ve got an almost permanent blockage. I worked for my uncle at a lawn mower shop and we always blew not only the radiator but the decks, fenders and anywhere else that could hold debris with air before even thinking about putting water on them. I’ve also gone on the custom wheat harvest and we always used air to blow out radiators on combines (and there’s not much dustier service than a combine.) Like he said in the video you should always go from the inside out. The thing you have to be careful about is blowing out air filters as you can actually create holes in the paper that increase the micron size of the filter and allow larger particles to flow through. If you are going to blow air filters out, they also should be done from the inside out (clean side back to the dirty side) and don’t put your nozzle directly against the filter media.
Just a suggestion Mike but don't you think MAYBE you should explain if you don't blow those fins out w air after washing out w water that you would be back doing it all over again !!!!
Hi, would a 12v cordless Milwaukee blower be strong enough to do this? I'm trying to find something compact i can carry with me as we are having lots of issues with the radiator clogging
If you got stumps and cinder blocks you shouldn't be bushhogging/mowing. Buckets block your view. Maybe these things wouldn't be "hidden" if you didn't have a bucket blocking the view.
emidmag sometimes you have to mow! If you do custom work I ALWAYS leave the bucket on and down, and it's saved big repair bills several times! And with all the dead ash dropping limbs it helps also. Not all fields that need mowed are level and out in the open!
That depends on the brush hog. The owner's manual would be where I get that info for your particular machine to see what the manufacturer recommends. On mine, there's a swinging bracket that the top link attaches to and it only comes into play when you're picking the brush hog up, the rest of the time the top link is loose and the machine rides on the tailwheel and the lower three point links. You basically want it so it will allow the machine to tilt slightly toward the tractor so the material goes out the back.
Hey Mike. Will this keep the tractor from cranking? My mother was bushhogging in high grass for a few hours and then heard a bubbling sound from the front of the tractor so she shut it off and let it cool in the field. she went back a few hours later and moved the tractor under the shed. Now she says it won't crank or do anything when she tries to crank it. Any ideas. Its a Kubota L3010
If it were still in the field I'd guess she left the PTO engaged and it's a safety switch. Usually when they run and then they suddenly don't, it's a safety switch somewhere. Check out these videos: th-cam.com/video/yD4ssTSoLEk/w-d-xo.html, th-cam.com/video/9sgypsYDDmg/w-d-xo.html, and th-cam.com/video/yfOOgfOBQdc/w-d-xo.html. Good luck!
HI Mike Can you let us know what you think about chains or fluid ( anti-freeze or salt) in tractor wheels for more grip on snow or ice specialy on small tractors like a Kioti Ck 20. Thanks
First, I wouldn't have a tractor without some ballast, for what you're talking about, for loader work, and stability on slopes. Wheel weights or non-caustic tire fluid both work well. I'm not sure there's room for wheel weights in the rims of a CK20 and I don't think the holes are drilled there for the bolts anyway, so I'd go with fluid. My experience with ice is that no amount of extra weight will help, but I have no personal experience with chains. I have friends that have used them for traction in the winter and they all seem pleased with how well they worked. I think that's your best option on ice, and they'll sure get you through snow.
All I know my tractor tires had that brine stuff in the tubes.Over not much time it corroded the end copper threads off the valve stems .One side even leaked a bit thru the winter and ruined a rim.Right where the rubber bead was.My tire man I use told me he sees a lot of that.Wish he would of told me sooner .What was funny is that the rim corroded mostly from the inside where the brine leaked in between the tube and the tire.No way for it to dry up in there..That extra weight really helped alot with traction and all.. If you find something better ,I sure would like to know about it,,I still have the liquid in one tire.If I hit a slick spot and loose traction on the one tire,The tractor will just do a circle almost sitting in one spot.
Trouble you had with that just put piece of screen door screen on it clean it more often you can brush it with a snow brush occasionally take the garden hose and blow through it from the fan with water
It's a Charge Air Workbench Series 3/4 HP compressor bought from Sears, made by DeVilbiss. I'm not sure they're available anymore. My parents bought it for me when I moved out on my own at least 30 years ago. I would definitely buy another one if this one ever goes out. It's been a great product! Its kind of noisy but I'm going deaf so it's not as bad as it used to be :).
Yep Thats the way to do it. You may have to turn fan blades some. On my tractor the A/C coils get clogged too. Wish they sold a metal one. The plastic bends to easy.
Yeah, a certain time of year that could be thirty minutes worth of debris. Where I live, when the weed seeds are mature, they shatter and head right back into the radiator.
This is a dumb move to use the high air pressure,If your angle is off you can end up closing off the finns in the radiator.You can peels paint or cut a hole thru a cinder block, dont ask me how I know.
Once a year il take the radiator out its real easy take about hour in and out plus like the other comment it has a screen I front of the radiator it's a KUBOTA l 3830
You'd think the air filter would be packed but it stays much cleaner than the radiator. I think the suction of the fan pulls the debris into the radiator before it can get to the air filter. The inlet is mounted just about the radiator. I'm not sure that's be design but that's been my experience.
I got my tractor last summer and have watched all your videos, very helpful. This one came to mind today as I was mowing for the first time. Stuff 3' to 5' tall and going to seed. I wouldn't have even thought to look at the screen in front of the radiator if not for your videos on the subject. Yes after a few hours of mowing it was coated. Thank you!!
Best advice ever. Watched video then I brush hogged first time ever. An hour into it red light comes on. Raised hood and radiator pre filter was totally clogged! Thank you Mike.
I brush the outside screens with a broom before I open the hood. Then I use the broom on the outside of the ratiator to again break up the big stuff & a shop vac to vacuum the ratiator fm the outside then blow it out fm the inside. Key words: watch your engine temp. Clean up after each use & y'll never have a problem. Your battery cable look like they need scrubbing with a wire brush. I get one fm Auto Zone for under a $1. Plastic handle steel bristles. A little bigger than a toothbrush. I wire it inside the housing hood so it is handy at all times. Great video. Keep them coming.
I'm late to the picnic here. The video is very clear. concise. well done and and helpful. if I may offer a couple of thoughts. 1) A removable radiator pre-screen is a great help. It catches 90+% of the seeds and crud. A good one is flexible and easy to remove-reinstall; they save a Lot of detailed radiator cleaning. 2) When back blowing the radiator with compressed air, be Very cautious and gentle. The thin aluminium fins between the radiator tubes are almost like aluminium foil and can easily be destroyed. Lose enough of 'em and you'll soon have a new radiator. 3) I agree with an earlier poster - leave the bucket on as a "Guard" to avoid driving into unseen rocks and other debris. This is especially true if you haven't mowed the field before. Better to hit the bucket than possibly smash the front axle.
I use a radiator air wand. They're about $30. They work very well. Typically you can buy them at any heavy equipment store. It gives you a true 90 degree Air blast through several holes in the wand.
Mike, nice video. My '89 JD 1050, warning lights changed to 3 gauges on Cowling top. Battery moved from front of radiator to a box on loader cross-beam, all cowling voids sealed with foam rubber, headlights removed from cowling front to the fold-down grille guard and factory perf. grille screen framed and place in that old headlight space. Window screen on a frame mounted on lower part of grille guard beneath headlights. One piece of loosely woven filter mesh 4' long attached with magnets spaced 1' apart from left cowling air screen, across the front screen and the right cowling screen. In the 20"x7.5" space that once housed the battery rack beneath radiator I installed an electric winch with 9000# tow power with the synthetic rope coming through the hole I cut in the face-plate of the 1/4" steel cowling hinge bracket. Temps go from 180* f idle to 195* @ 1800 rpm (engaged pto), climbs to 200*, thermo opens and back to 195* all day long. When it goes to 205* I hear her talking, pull the magnets, shake out the fabric downwind the tractor. I'm happy.
I personally use my 175 gallon air compressor at 90 psi. Blows everything out and I've always had the cleanest equipment.
In the northeast we have tons of field stone, and the emerald ash borer has decimated the ash trees, dropping branches all over the place. Unless you have done a piece of land before its none to smart to hog w/o the front bucket mounted. Going slow, placing the bucket 6" off the deck, curling it all the way back, and cutting high the first time is always the smart course of action. By curling the bucket if something is hidden the bucket will "ride" over it and give you plenty of time to stop before you get to the bush hog. If you leave the bucket flat you can be in for a hell of a jolt. The next time you cut you can go more quickly and also cut lower. On top of that with the bucket curled back all the way the material does not snap back as fast or hard and they cast of debris less dramatically. Lastly, if you place the belly of your bucket (the part of the bucket which would be the lowest to the ground when at max cur) 6" off the ground and your bush hog to cut 6" high, you'll save your blades and more importantly your gear box on your hog.
Thank you for the time to do this. It Helps !!!!!!!!!!
I was skeptical. I tried it. It works. Brilliant. Thanks.
Another great video Mike. I completed step two on mine this evening. I noticed the temperature was higher than normal while cutting with it earlier in the day. Popped the hood and sure enough, the radiator screen was covered. While cleaning off the screen, I noticed that there was a pile of debris at the bottom of the radiator. I blew all of that out as well and then proceeded to blow out all of the radiator fins. Hopefully, I am now back to good.
Rodents love those debris piles for building nests and they can do a lot of damage in the winter, so you're doing the right thing by blowing all of that out.
just earlier today, I was mowing the grass at my local airport (39P)
The grass dust, stems, etc was flying everywhere (good thing for safety goggles)
About every hour, I needed to stop, clean the radiator screen, the hood screen and blow out the radiator fins.
The screens were easily cleaned with a large paint brush.
However, the actual radiator fins required an air hose and patience.
I am glad that I saw this video as I had not thought of that much dirt building up in the radiator and causing heating problems. I will be blowing out the dirt from my radiator also and I am in the process of servicing my brush hog and tiller also. Thanks so much for this video and tip.
You're welcome Sidney, thanks for watching and commenting.
1958 IH 240 utilty, not sure if it originally had a pre-screen behind the grille but I cut some pet porch screen and zip-tied it to the back.
Works good.
I just wash mine out with the water hose and let it dry before I go back and use it again. You can also soak it down with degreaser and wash it out, seems to get the radiator really clean.
Thanks for the videos. When I am out hogging I use a paint brush to knock off the debris since I don't have access to compressed air. I typically blow out the radiator once at the shop.
Darris Turbyfill Great idea…that'll keep you from getting to the point this tractor was…obviously, whoever owned it was extremely lazy at maintenance :)!
I have a brush hog/tractor business and I've started carrying a 12V air compressor and 8-gallon compressed air carry tank with me. I charge up the tank and use an extendable air gun nozzle to blast debris out of the radiator. I hate waiting for the tank to charge up but boy does it clean out the radiator. Great vids, Mike!
+Mike Bosley Great idea! I'm getting ready to do a review of a product that does a really good job on radiators. Stay tuned!
+Mike Wiles (Ask Tractor Mike) Today while brushhogging I used a Makita 18v cordless blower (www.amazon.com/Makita-BUB182Z-18-Volt-Lithium-Ion-Cordless/dp/B001UQ6WKU) and it worked GREAT. I'd never thought of it without having seen you try the full size blower. The size makes it reasonably easy to get into the nooks and crannies. I'm looking forward to seeing your next review of a radiator solution.
I like Your thoughts on putting the suction tub ( one would normally use on shop vac. ) Onto Your leaf blower..
But on your air Nozzle..Your using on air compressor..I did one a Touch better ...get a air Nozzle about 2' long.w rubber tip of course..like you had on your short Air Nozzle ( air gun ) ..
Bend the 2' Nozzle about 3" fr the rubber tip @ a 90 % angle ..This will help you safely get in to Radiator fr rear like you did in video..
Also you can get up in closer to top & bottom corners..
( of Course as you Know.
Becareful to Not Hit the rear radiator fins...)
Great Videos you have out on Tips in trick for Brush hog work & how to properly set up Brush Hog
I use a pump up sprayer and soak the radiator in with white vinegar, a gallon at every time. Then rinse with a garden hose from the back side.Takes all residue off the cooling surfaces
I do it with tools i made out of 5/16" steel tubing. One for air , one sprays water. You can actually buy such tools but i just basically copied them using stuff i already had around the shop. 5/16 tubing is small enough to fit between the coils on trucks or tractors. They are 3 feet long for semi-truck radiators that get full of grain chaff during harvest season.
Clean the grill and then the removable screen in front of the radiator which most newer tractors have. Odds are that the radiator itself isn't actually dirty, just the screens. A long wand for the compressed air works great but watch that the fan blades are not blocking the air stream. It will be necessary to turn the fan as you blow out the radiator.
My tractor has a piece of metal window screen zip tied on the top. When the temp gauge starts to creep up, I turn the tractor off and reach in and shake the screen. All that loose crud just falls straight down. The radiator behind the screen stays relatively clean of seeds and fuzz.
Hey Mike, love your videos. I was cutting this fall and ran into this same issue. I had to clean the screen and radiator about every hour but what I missed initially was my air filter. I started seeing lots of smoke under load and when I checked my air filter it was plugged with seeds. You might want to do a video on this issue
Mike my radiator was so bad I used evaporator coil to clean mine it works very good to clean out dirt
Once again some more good tips about cleaning the radiator.
Take that air gun to your local parts store, unscrew the tip, buy a 2-3ft piece of brake line with a fitting that will thread into the gun. Cut the other end off of the line and use their line bending tool to put a bend on the end of that line. Gets right into hard to reach areas of equipment.
Northern Tool sells a purpose built blower now..... I have used it for couple years now... works perfect
Tractor supply sells long air blowers they work great for this and blowing grass off of mower decks
The one at northern tool is more for radiator has 6 air jets all on same side
@@91prostreetstang TSC only has one central hole with a 45° bend that works well to get around fan and shroud but either one gets the job done well
Yea these are designed for blowing out radiators
There's a gutter cleaning attachment for leaf blowers that might do a nice job of getting in there....
Thanks, I appreciate the compliment. My goal is to have at least one a week for as long as I can think of topics, please let me know if you have suggestions.
Great video, can you share the name of the small air compressor your using in the video please
Good job mike
Radiator Genie is best solution. One wand for air compressor another for garden hose.
would it work equally well to suck it out from the front with a good shop vac?
Great video, cleaning mine out today and it works good.
Hi, Mike. Love your videos. You ask for ideas, and while it was a year ago, I don't think I've seen you do any yet on topics like what can cause unexpected rollovers, the importance of wearing a seat belt (because of that), and other sorts of perhaps common problems that a new tractor ow er might not readily suspect.
Or a lighter topic could be all the acronyms in the tractor world. your video on scoop vs bucket vs loader was classic, and so funny. you could have a good time with the acronyms, I think. :-) keep em coming! so, so helpful. thanks VERY much.
+Charlie Arehart Thanks Charlie. That scoop/bucket video is my favorite, it was one of the first ones I did, and I think it has the lowest web traffic of all of my videos. There was no way to classify it, and the few people that have watched it have generally just stumbled across it. I like to have fun with videos, I've done a couple of cooking videos (parodies of the ones my family watches all the time…I can't figure out the appeal) and one where I clean the house with my leaf blower. I may post those this winter when it's nasty outside and see if they run off my subscribers…they have nothing to do with tractors.
I'll get a video out on rollovers soon. I had a really scary experience last winter that I want to discuss. Usually people get in trouble when they're in a hurry, I wasn't, but I did a bonehead move that sent me in a free slide down a hill. It could very easily have been a rollover. I'm also working with the Missouri Department of Transportation on some videos about popper hauling of equipment. While I was at their place I noticed a device that they install in every tractor, a level indicator. They ought to be standard equipment on all small tractors, they show you when you're getting close to danger. I want to do a little more research before I move forward with that one…the tire width settings and ballast have a lot to do with that as well.
Thanks for the comments and thanks for watching!
My left ear enjoyed this
I had a spreader truck at my shop guy had it at another shop twice they replaced water pump and thermostat first time it still ran hot on second time they replaced head gaskets it still ran hot so I looked found two grocery bags full of chicken feathers between the radiator and a/c condenser cleaned it out never run hot again.
my kubota has a screen in place to catch the chaff before it gets to the radiator. Makes it real easy to keep clean. Really like your video's
Thanks for the compliment. A lot of the deluxe tractors have those screens and they're AWESOME! Saves a bunch of time because about all that goes in the radiator fins is dust and it blows out real easy. The seeds and big chunks get caught by that screen. Wish my tractor had that feature!
*****
you may be able to fashion a screen type shield to cover your radiator. the holes don't have to be very small, and anything it catches will not need to blown out later.
I always use a pistol-grip nozzle on a water hose
Critical, as you point out, that you put the water in from the rear, and in the case of water that the radiator be allowed to cool off most of the way first.
Use a shop vac and vacuum the grille and radiator. It will get most if not all of it. Quick and easy.
Thanks Mike. Another great tip.
The fin's on modern radiators are delicate ........you could possibly cause damage from a blast of a high pressure air !!!
Just a thought, how would a good shop vac do from the front side?
My solution is duct tape and a right sized furnace filter taped over the radiator.
+Sarah Jane Hicks So you tape a furnace filter in front of the radiator, so when it's dirty you untape it and throw it away? That's a real interesting idea, I may try that. I have that little hydrostatic oil cooler in front of the radiator and it's real hard to get the gunk out of both because you have to blow air or water through the radiator and the oil cooler to get everything clean. A furnace filter in front of the hydrostatic oil cooler might keep everything a bunch cleaner. Thanks for sharing.
@@TractorMike try using no rinse A/C coil cleaner it will break loose all the stuff stuck in the fins then you can still flush it with water as in an A/C the condensation is what rinses the debris out after restarting the unit
Doesn't the air cleaner intake suck up the same dirt and weed debris?
is it ok to use a shop vac to pull the stuff out?
I swear Google spies on me! I have an early 90s White tractor & had this issue to deal with last week on my hydro side coolers.
There is a company called Radiator Genie that sells ends one for water an one for air compressor which is angled to clean radiator. If you watch Paul Short channel he owns and runs a business in NewFoundland he shows using Radiator Genie.
After I did the video you watched they sent me one and here's the resulting video: th-cam.com/video/RA4d1Vxd8KA/w-d-xo.html. I still use the leaf blower for quick radiator cleaning in the field because I'm not always around air or water, then I use the Radiator Genie at the end of each season. Good product!
That's great! Mike i really like the videos you have put out
Who would have ever thought of blowing trash out of the radiator? Im glad I saw this….
if you do a lot of cleaning the radiator making a end for the air compressor works best
is there any reason you didn't simply unbolt the hydro cooler from the radiator to get better access?
Laziness, fat fingers and a tendency to drop small nuts and bolts and never find them. :)
keep the videos coming! great job
Soapy water and water hose works best(dawn dishwasher soap /vinegar)
It’s better to use air if possible. With water if you don’t get it completely clean, what’s left will turn in to mud and dry hard. At that point you’ve got an almost permanent blockage. I worked for my uncle at a lawn mower shop and we always blew not only the radiator but the decks, fenders and anywhere else that could hold debris with air before even thinking about putting water on them. I’ve also gone on the custom wheat harvest and we always used air to blow out radiators on combines (and there’s not much dustier service than a combine.) Like he said in the video you should always go from the inside out. The thing you have to be careful about is blowing out air filters as you can actually create holes in the paper that increase the micron size of the filter and allow larger particles to flow through. If you are going to blow air filters out, they also should be done from the inside out (clean side back to the dirty side) and don’t put your nozzle directly against the filter media.
Just a suggestion Mike but don't you think MAYBE you should explain if you don't blow those fins out w air after washing out w water that you would be back doing it all over again !!!!
I blow mine out with compressor after every mowing and I clean the air filter at the same time.
I use a fine paint brush.
Hi, would a 12v cordless Milwaukee blower be strong enough to do this? I'm trying to find something compact i can carry with me as we are having lots of issues with the radiator clogging
I doubt it, but it would be worth trying. Depends on what's in there and how much moisture's in it. Good luck!
I need to this macain
I'd rather clean my radiator and grille than hit a stump or cinder block that is hidden. Bucket stays for me.
If you got stumps and cinder blocks you shouldn't be bushhogging/mowing. Buckets block your view. Maybe these things wouldn't be "hidden" if you didn't have a bucket blocking the view.
emidmag sometimes you have to mow! If you do custom work I ALWAYS leave the bucket on and down, and it's saved big repair bills several times! And with all the dead ash dropping limbs it helps also. Not all fields that need mowed are level and out in the open!
Bucket on.
@@curioushooter I do custom work and charge a premium for the unknown. But what do I know.
Why not just use a shop vac like everyone else?
Our New Holland has a removable screen in front of the radiator.
So does my Massey 4610. In fact three. One is to protect the A/C coils
Hi mike. What is the proper way to adjust the top link for a brush hog
That depends on the brush hog. The owner's manual would be where I get that info for your particular machine to see what the manufacturer recommends. On mine, there's a swinging bracket that the top link attaches to and it only comes into play when you're picking the brush hog up, the rest of the time the top link is loose and the machine rides on the tailwheel and the lower three point links. You basically want it so it will allow the machine to tilt slightly toward the tractor so the material goes out the back.
Hey Mike.
Will this keep the tractor from cranking? My mother was bushhogging in high grass for a few hours and then heard a bubbling sound from the front of the tractor so she shut it off and let it cool in the field. she went back a few hours later and moved the tractor under the shed. Now she says it won't crank or do anything when she tries to crank it. Any ideas. Its a Kubota L3010
If it were still in the field I'd guess she left the PTO engaged and it's a safety switch. Usually when they run and then they suddenly don't, it's a safety switch somewhere. Check out these videos: th-cam.com/video/yD4ssTSoLEk/w-d-xo.html, th-cam.com/video/9sgypsYDDmg/w-d-xo.html, and th-cam.com/video/yfOOgfOBQdc/w-d-xo.html. Good luck!
@@TractorMike thank you Mike. I will check them out.
thanks good tips
HI Mike
Can you let us know what you think about chains or fluid ( anti-freeze or salt) in tractor wheels for more grip on snow or ice specialy on small tractors like a Kioti Ck 20. Thanks
First, I wouldn't have a tractor without some ballast, for what you're talking about, for loader work, and stability on slopes. Wheel weights or non-caustic tire fluid both work well. I'm not sure there's room for wheel weights in the rims of a CK20 and I don't think the holes are drilled there for the bolts anyway, so I'd go with fluid. My experience with ice is that no amount of extra weight will help, but I have no personal experience with chains. I have friends that have used them for traction in the winter and they all seem pleased with how well they worked. I think that's your best option on ice, and they'll sure get you through snow.
All I know my tractor tires had that brine stuff in the tubes.Over not much time it corroded the end copper threads off the valve stems .One side even leaked a bit thru the winter and ruined a rim.Right where the rubber bead was.My tire man I use told me he sees a lot of that.Wish he would of told me sooner .What was funny is that the rim corroded mostly from the inside where the brine leaked in between the tube and the tire.No way for it to dry up in there..That extra weight really helped alot with traction and all.. If you find something better ,I sure would like to know about it,,I still have the liquid in one tire.If I hit a slick spot and loose traction on the one tire,The tractor will just do a circle almost sitting in one spot.
Trouble you had with that just put piece of screen door screen on it clean it more often you can brush it with a snow brush occasionally take the garden hose and blow through it from the fan with water
Hi, whats that compressor you used?
It's a Charge Air Workbench Series 3/4 HP compressor bought from Sears, made by DeVilbiss. I'm not sure they're available anymore. My parents bought it for me when I moved out on my own at least 30 years ago. I would definitely buy another one if this one ever goes out. It's been a great product! Its kind of noisy but I'm going deaf so it's not as bad as it used to be :).
best way water hose it will get that fine dust
I use my shop vac
How to change jcn registered
Case ih grill?
I went to Northern Tool and bought a 24" long blower with 10 jets... you can blow it very easily... 19.00 bucks I think
Yep Thats the way to do it. You may have to turn fan blades some. On my tractor the A/C coils get clogged too. Wish they sold a metal one. The plastic bends to easy.
Is that debris from one day? Maybe a daily job.
Yeah, a certain time of year that could be thirty minutes worth of debris. Where I live, when the weed seeds are mature, they shatter and head right back into the radiator.
plz mike do a video on mahindera tractor radiator cleaning plz
Doesn't matter much what brand. Blow air back to front. Do it every day you possibly can. Also now out your alternator.
Seems like a lot of work for something I have been doing for years with a simple garden hose and Gods creation "WATER" done mowing, hose it off, done
Water can turn dust to mud, which dries in the fins, and clogs things solid.
This is a dumb move to use the high air pressure,If your angle is off you can end up closing off the finns in the radiator.You can peels paint or cut a hole thru a cinder block, dont ask me how I know.
Too bad they do not have a prefilter to catch the grass, and seed heads etc. Then you could remove and clean them.
Once a year il take the radiator out its real easy take about hour in and out plus like the other comment it has a screen I front of the radiator it's a KUBOTA l 3830
jason knight Great idea! I may try that this year, mine could use a real thorough cleaning.
I use a garden hose
I guess do this if your bored and have nothing else going on for the rest of the day. Or get a pressure washer and wash it out in 2 min.
I'll bet the filters are filled
You'd think the air filter would be packed but it stays much cleaner than the radiator. I think the suction of the fan pulls the debris into the radiator before it can get to the air filter. The inlet is mounted just about the radiator. I'm not sure that's be design but that's been my experience.
Now thats stupid.
lease take off your sun glasses when you talk to us
Whats new was there in that video, ridiculous video