How important is the hydrostatic cooling fan?

13thstreetgti · #1 03-31-2015, 10:40 AM

Hey all. I replaced the fan on my 1450 and this weekend while skidding some logs a branch must have snuck up into the tractor because the fan blades are all now broken off. I don't have the time to take off the drive shaft and put on a new fan.

I was wondering how important it is to actually have the fan. Yes, I understand that the fan moves air over the fins to help dissipate heat. However, there have to be MANY old tractors running around with broken fans. Also, I was thinking that the volume of Hy-Tran fluid that these little tractors use would probably dissipate most of the heat.

Has anyone ever heard of a hydrostatic unit failing due to overheating?

One more question, did other hydrostatic tractors of the same vintage from other manufactures have hydro cooling fans? I was trying to do a bit of searching on other forums but did not find anything.

I will keep using the tractor for now while it is cooler and be mindful to check for excess heat. A good test will be to use the tractor a bit without the fan and check the temperature using a laser heat gun, and then install the fan and use the tractor int he same way for the same amount of time and recheck temp.

64fleetside · #2 03-31-2015, 10:48 AM

I would replace it.

Mike McKown · #3 03-31-2015, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 13thstreetgti

A good test will be to use the tractor a bit without the fan and check the temperature using a laser heat gun, and then install the fan and use the tractor int he same way for the same amount of time and recheck temp.

I just put the driveshaft back in my 1864 after replacing a seal on the charge pump. To my surprise, I forgot to put the fan on after I had it most of the way back together.

Well, the seal leaked slightly all last year while mowing grass so you can figure the whole rear end was covered in oil, grass and dirt. I've seen them far worse than this on others I owned after I bought them so thinking that fan can't be doing much good trying to blow air through the crud.

So, I made a management decision to leave the fan off. I drove the tractor around for awhile and felt the lines and the hydro pump. They're just luke warm. Certainly, if run faster and harder like mowing or pulling some heavy loads, the pump would heat up.

Anyway, I'm going to spot check the pump temperature this summer with my IR gun while mowing and see what kind of temperatures I get.

13thstreetgti · #4 03-31-2015, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike McKown

Anyway, I'm going to spot check the pump temperature this summer with my IR gun while mowing and see what kind of temperatures I get.

That would be great. Does anyone have an idea of the safe range for operating temperatures?

drglinski · #5 03-31-2015, 02:19 PM

If it weren't important IH wouldn't have installed one on every hydro tractor that rolled out of the factory.

DoubleO7 · #6 03-31-2015, 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drglinski

If it weren't important IH wouldn't have installed one on every hydro tractor that rolled out of the factory.

And more important when working the hydro hard with the entire finned hydro unit covered, caked and insulated with grass clippings, dirt and other junk.

CubDieselFan · #7 03-31-2015, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DoubleO7

And more important when working the hydro hard with the entire finned hydro unit covered, caked and insulated with grass clippings, dirt and other junk.

My 1864 had all that stuff on the outside when I changed the fluid today. I cleaned it and then had to re clean it because I did not get enough of it off.

snoel · #8 03-31-2015, 06:40 PM

My 149 didn't have a fan, and had no problem. I pulled a turning plow several times, but probably, not over a 1/2 hour at a time. If I were mowing or heavy duty work, for more that a half hour at a time, regularly, I'd do the fan for sure. I'm working on a 169, that has a damaged fan, it's getting replaced, because it will have a deck, and I have a 1/4 acre lawn to mow.

PaulS · #9 03-31-2015, 07:15 PM

I was amazed at all the air that fan blows back through the entire rear end. On my supers I can feel the air a couple of feet behind the tractor. I do try to keep my hydro unit as clean as possible so it can dissipate the heat effectively.

Yosemite Sam · #10 03-31-2015, 08:42 PM

I can tell you that when used hard while it's really hot outside, the tractor will stop moving under it's own power.

IIRC On this particular tractor, two fan blades were missing and the hydro was caked so badly, I didn't know there were fins on the housing.

This happened 20 some years ago to my first Cub, since then, I try to keep them clean and try to keep good fans on them.

BTW, once it cooled down, it ran just like it did before and probably would still be running well if I hadn't changed the hydro for one with ports so I could add a hydraulic lift a couple of years ago.