Better way than a blowjob?

[Bald Rick]

Having serious heating problems with our JCB skid steer - two of whose primary jobs is to power brush cubicle beds & then distribute sawdust/paper mix from an AG dispenser.

However this is clogging air filters & rads and coating the engine in a layer of dust & fines which is getting the temp gauges all worked up.

I have been blowing compressed air at 4 bar in to the rad and on the filters/engine bay ...

but it's not overly healthy and as the old bugger, it is me that does this work.

Question: Can I power wash the engine or will that cause irreparable damage to any electrics etc? Will the top mounted rad be OK to wash from a distance so i don't close the veins or do I just have to get down & dirty every week to 10 days?

PS Please note that these are livestock farmer hands and not poncey arable farmers hands so they can take a bit of grit ....

 

[Dr. Alkathene]

I try to bed up working with the wind blowing through the shed to keep the dust away from machine as much as possible. Bed up while reversing and not driving through the dust constantly where possible. Start at different ends up of building depending what direction wind is blowing at that time.

 

[Tractortech]

Now Then..
I always wash tractor radiators with the steam cleaner. Ours isn't ridiculously high pressure and never damaged a radiator yet. If you can get a variety of lances, angled or short and wash the dust out the way it went in you should be OK..

 

[Bald Rick]

I try to bed up working with the wind blowing through the shed to keep the dust away from machine as much as possible. Bed up while reversing and not driving through the dust constantly where possible. Start at different ends up of building depending what direction wind is blowing at that time.

Yeah that's fine but we have 3 x 300' sheds and over 800 cubicles to get around pdq otherwise the cows are back wondering why I'm still in their home. Nothing worse than having the cleaners in unexpectedly
Plus this is the Sainted Isle and the wind blows every which way most of the time
Plus we brush & bed twice a day

You should have seen the state of the machine when we had to tilt the cab last week to get to a hydraulic leak. Think there was 1/2 an artic load of sawdust in there cuddling the drive motors & ECU

 

[Bury the Trash]

fitting An air pre cleaner would help a bit
easier to clean every day anyway.

 

[davidroberts30]

air precleaner as said^ any way to fit a reversible fan to the engine?
and turn the air up to 8 bar

 

[deleted user 837354]

For this kind of application I would be looking around for an electric loader or skid steer for future use. By the sounds of it a fire is gonna be on the cards in no time.

Someone with some higher level mechanical mindedness might be able to look at the engine bay and know ways to waterproof it a bit better but someone who is savage with a pressure washer is at risk of bending the cooling fins on the thing I would say.

If the machine coolers/radiators are not fitted with them already screens for the radiators and the like might be worth investigating? Air precleaner you can open and clear out every day will definitely help. Engine bay fire extinguisher system probably too expensive to install.

 

[Two Tone]

I don’t think you will hurt it by using a power-washer. I’ve been doing so on many engines for years.
However, be careful what chemicals you use, as these can sometimes cause an electrical short or fault. Traffic film remover cab be a bugger for this!
And don’t blast the alternator for long.

PS, Even though I’m mainly an arable farmer, my hands often look worse than yours. But it is usually grease, that make mine look so bad. - Grease is something that I’m told that many dairy farmers have never heard of!

 

[FarmerFrank88]

While bedding up my shed I often wonder if I could rig up a simple system to spray water over the outlet I the bedder to stop the dust. We have a pump and sprayer nozzle on the forager for additive that puts out roughly a litre a minute through a small 12v pump and think it could help but haven't got to making it yet. Wonder if anyone or any manufacturers have a system like this
Frank

 

[dowcow]

Have you tried a leaf blower rather than a compressor?

 

[Chuckie]

Fine screen over the radiator like JD use, then less gets sucked in?

 

[Spuddler]

Has anyone tried the fans where the blades turn angle to blow the crap out the radiator, I think they are called cleanfix

 

[Bald Rick]

Personally, I don't know why JCB don't test their machines on dairy farms. We would soon find things that could be made better such as a reversing fan (like on the TM) and even a pre-cleaner as has been suggested

Lot of small annoying things but having had a climb thru on hire, one thing I am immensely grateful for is the side door even it it compromises lift capacity and destroys bushes in the arm

@Two Tone ....... I am going to take your word that it will take a pressure wash. Hopefully it wont result in a new engine

 

[Tarw Coch]

- Grease is something that I’m told that many dairy farmers have never heard of!

John Travolta and Olivia Newton John.

 

[milkloss]

Pressure wash the rad whilst it's running fast idle if you can. Pressure wash the engine bay but not a steam cleaner imo as it's too aggressive on electrical connections etc that may rely on grease to keep moisture out.

 

[fendtfiasco]

A Mustang skid steer dealer in County Monaghan fits a different radiator if they are selling one to a poultry farmer, basically bigger spaces between the fins. Some are sold to contractors one who spreads bedding all day every day which obviously test the rad. I am on my second Case skid steer just blow out or wash the radiator occasionally but its not in use every day.
Obviously a reversing fan would be useful but a nightmare to fit, have one on my JCB 525'60 very useful.

 

[deleted user 837354]

There used to be a firm that advertised reversing fans in FW. Worth finding out if one can be fitted to this machine.

 

[Drago]

A gnats fart would have more puff than your compressor.
We use a road compressor for blow out engine bay and rads.
Surprising how much cooler the tractors run after a good blowjob!!

 

[GeorgeK]

Perhaps the best blowjob is not available in house? Pay an experienced professional who knows all the tricks to carry out the procedure, the rates are very reasonable (so I'm told)

 

[76masseyman]

A longer lance would be my first step !