SeanKroll
Treehouser
Fin cleaning do's and don'ts???
Cleaning a chipper radiator
- Thread starter SeanKroll
- Start date
- Replies 14
- Views 642
Dave Shepard
Square peg, round world.
No pressure washer, they can bend the fins over. I've have good luck with just a hose. Long nozzle on a blow gun can help.
Mick!
TreeHouser
Are you removing it or cleaning it in situ?
Mick!
TreeHouser
It’s just accumulated dust n stuff.
Clean with a soft brush and detergent, then use an airline to remove residual matter. Then leave to dry before using.
Worked for me on the difficult to remove rad.
Another chipper has an easily removable rad. So same method but more thorough.
Clean with a soft brush and detergent, then use an airline to remove residual matter. Then leave to dry before using.
Worked for me on the difficult to remove rad.
Another chipper has an easily removable rad. So same method but more thorough.
SkwerI
Treehouser
With the fan and shroud on one side and typically a guard on the other, it is hard to get up on the fins to physically brush them. On my equipment I just use an air nozzle on a regular basis to keep the buildup down to a manageable level. A water nozzle on a standard garden hose is fine as well if there's mud, etc. For grease or oil residue spray it with brake cleaner and then blow or rinse it out. As posted above a pressure washer can do more damage than good if you bend over the fins.
Burnham
Woods walker
If you have sticky gunk keeping the saw dust and chips and other junk from washing out with a garden hose, you might try pre-treating with a deck/siding cleaner spray, to loosen that stuff up before water spray to rinse.
flushcut
TreeHouser
I use a pressure washer but not a high power one under 1000 psi, compressed air, and leaf blower.
As a mechanic, I would suggest that using a garden hose, and back flush from the fan side out, and use an appropriately sized zip tie to help move the more stubborn bits of insect and baked on chips/ dust etc.
take your time and be careful/ gentle if its been a long time since done.
Most times, just a careful blast of air, or back flush with hose water is enough.
As the fins, (the fins between the rods that hold the coolant fluid) begin to age and perish, be mindful of it, and if you want to extend its life a bit, get a rustguard type black paint, and take rad out, clean, and hit with a few cans to help seal up the now corroding copper fins, makes them last a bit longer, or if done early enough, make it last a lot longer, providing your using the right corrosion inhibitor and changing it out as required, as it dosent last forever.
In saying all this, ive seen people use too much pressure, and pretty much ruin the core that could have lasted much longer if care and a bit of time was taken.
take your time and be careful/ gentle if its been a long time since done.
Most times, just a careful blast of air, or back flush with hose water is enough.
As the fins, (the fins between the rods that hold the coolant fluid) begin to age and perish, be mindful of it, and if you want to extend its life a bit, get a rustguard type black paint, and take rad out, clean, and hit with a few cans to help seal up the now corroding copper fins, makes them last a bit longer, or if done early enough, make it last a lot longer, providing your using the right corrosion inhibitor and changing it out as required, as it dosent last forever.
In saying all this, ive seen people use too much pressure, and pretty much ruin the core that could have lasted much longer if care and a bit of time was taken.
treebogan
Treehouser
Back home Dad used to clean combine harvester radiators by removing them and submerging them in a makshift tank made from a tarp.
The wheat would swell up but the husks would float off,he would stand up the rad and the sun would shrink the wheat back down to be blown out with a airline. I would straighten the fins with a rats tail file.
This was for the major service before harvest season.
The wheat would swell up but the husks would float off,he would stand up the rad and the sun would shrink the wheat back down to be blown out with a airline. I would straighten the fins with a rats tail file.
This was for the major service before harvest season.
Here is a second hand rad that I spent some hrs on cleaning and straightening all the fins with 2 small screw drivers and zip ties, and also cleaning out the inside with citric acid to remove the scale etc, then painted with a few cans of black rustguard.
I appreciate that some wont have the time to do this, but those starting out, or trying to save a few $$$, investing in maintenance, and doing it yourself, with your equipment saves you more $$$ when its running reliably when your using it instead of it breaking down when your at the job site and costing you more $$$$$$$$$$$$.
I appreciate that some wont have the time to do this, but those starting out, or trying to save a few $$$, investing in maintenance, and doing it yourself, with your equipment saves you more $$$ when its running reliably when your using it instead of it breaking down when your at the job site and costing you more $$$$$$$$$$$$.
Last edited:
Al Smith
Mac Daddy
Old radiators can cause you a lot of problems .I've spent many hours repairing them . One I had recored which was a Mc Cord brand core .However used on a Ferguson tractor with a big bore kit and higher compression pistons it would still over heat if used hard . Not enough radiator for the additional 4-5HP . On a 1964 Jeep which had a copper radiator it was less exspensive to replace it with a larger core aluminum radiator than to recore it .Some times if a core or seam leaks it can be soldered and some times not .The old copper gets as thin as a piece of paper ,nothing to hold on to .
Al Smith
Mac Daddy
To solder a copper radiator is not a job for a novice .You need to have the right solder,torch and flux because the metal must be clean .I use acid flux ,an acetylene turbo torch and 50 /50 solder .I've also got an antique electric iron,American Beauty 550 watt iron that works on seams some times .Dang thing takes 15 minutes to come up to heat and must weigh 5-6 pounds .
Similar threads
