Anti Freeze Your CAT

[Catman]

Winter is coming this Side.


Please Remember to Antifreeze your Cat or other water cooled device, or drop the water. I learn the hard way, a couple of years ago I purchased 10 Gallon of the blue Glycol, and forgot to fill a perkins P4 Powered Crawler will the stuff :confused: I through I had done it :confused: 4 months after winter I had to repair frost damage on a what was a Good Block.

Now I keep a Record of when and what engine was filled and with how much

I spent a couple of hours today warming up the Cat 10, and Diesel 35 pics attached

[Kelly]

Catman,
That’s a good reminder for everyone, not only for ones tractors but all vehicles as well.
I remember years ago forgetting to drain a truck engine on one of my Dads trucks for the winter. When I filled it in the spring there was crack in the block just below the freeze plug, you could slip a Four Bit piece edges ways in the crack.:o Yes a good reminder for everyone.
Kelly

[SSsssteamer]

If you drain the coolant (read water), don't forget to go back after you had pulled the plug and check on it to make sure that it did indeed drain all of it's coolant. 40 years ago, I came home sick from work and I felt like poop. It was going into a hard freeze that night, so I went out to the old Fordson tractor (painted Hiway yellow :) ) and turned the petcock to drain. It was draining like a cow on a flat rock, so I went back into the house for some medication and then on to bed. A few days later I walked by the Fordson and the block had a new smile in the water jacket from ear to ear. The freeze had ruined it. A piece of dirt had blocked the petcock while it was draining. There after, I always use a wooden match stick or something like that to probe the drain hole to make sure that the the coolant did indeed completely drain.

[Al Letts]

Excellent Post
I'll put that one on my list for tomorrow. I drained it last winter and not yet refilled but one never knows...... Without a shop it'll be awhile before I get going on it again.

Al

[Gordon.]

Allways best tho'.......put in the antifreeze !! there is allways the possibillity that water will lie inside the block or head in small pockets, it can then do damage that you wont even see. We have special record cards for all our water cooled gear, however we have policy of running A/F all year, but stronger mix in the winter, down to -25o for safety......in the mild UK..... that is Lol.

[SJ]

A 50/50 mixture will give you a -34 degrees below "O" protection.

[Jack]

I keep track of about two dozen units, about half requiring antifreeze solution. The rest are drained. It only takes me a single sheet of paper once a year to keep track of them. Check off the pumps, valves and pipes when you drain them. You won't miss any and won't have to run around in the dark with a flashlight when you can't rememberif you drained something.

As for the antifreeze, note the test on your sheet and the date, and check back to previous year sheets for when it was replaced with new solution and what you used. You may want to drain after about three years before it becomes muddy crud.

If you top up a system with regular EG when it had extended-life EG, you're going to get a mess that could cost you a radiator. Likewise, bring the cooling system conditioner up to strength while you're at it. In a diesel, the conditioner is well worth the trouble. It does slow down worm holes in sleeves.

I wondered why a nearly new blower motor failed in my Jeep. I dug out a rebuilt, found that the nearly new motor was installed in 1996! Anybody out there got a memory like mine? A mind like a steel trap? Rusty? I'd have antifreeze a lot older than that blower motor if I didn't keep a record.

Jack

[JWH]

I test the antifreeze twice a year. Every Spring, Every Fall. It's too :cool: here not to watch it closely.

[7upuller]

Thanks Catman,

Tonight at Cat Night with the gang a crew went around drained a couple of gallons on each Cat (1922 Autocar 5 ton also) and topped off with 50/50. Thanks for the reminder. Your post was on my mind and motivated me to bring the supplies home. I was waiting for you to fly over, maybe you did, but I was busy changing track pads on the 35. I saw your picture, I'm jealous. Wait a while until I get her painted, then fly over:D .

[3J1Bill]

A CAT 15 that was sandblasted and painted. It was a waste of his time as he did not do the basics. The block drain plug is in place and if stuck could have easily been drilled out. :( Bill

[TractorDon]

For us normally fair weathered Californian's we are in for a cold spell tonight, forecast of 24 degrees. If i remember correctly in 1990 we hit around 22 and there was a whole lot of pony engines cracked and a few mains also.
I had just remembered, 10:30 P.M.:eek: that that i had an AC grader out in the cold and could not remember if it had antifreeze, it did:) Hope everyone got theirs taken care of. BRRRRR:D Don

[CR]

Almost had a close call this week, came back to the ranch monday afternoon and one of the guys was getting ready to repaint our old JD 2 CYL high crop, and the guys were asking if I wanted the new radiator hoses removed before painting, just then remember that I had put only water in the radiator last summer when the low was 88 and the high was 121, didn't think that it would take this long to finish.


Back in 1990 I got my free D4 6U from a San Jose area apericot / cherry grower who's last thought on his mind Dec 89 was that old cat that ended up with a cracked pony on the lower LH side, and the radiator lower tank was cracked from one side to the other ended up replacing the complete radiator from cat and changing over to direct start the next winter.

I also got a JD M that was used by another grower that used it pull bin trailers.


I'll take this north cold dry wind over the damp fog we normally get. At least when it's cold the sun comes out, nothing like being trapped in the misty fog for weeks where everyting is wet including you.