tractor overheating

If your tractor is old and the radiator has never been cleaned, it would be a good idea to do so. Could save a warped head and an empty pocket book.

Never run your tractor without a thermostat. It's there for a reason, to maintain proper operating temperature in all types of temperatures. You will overheat in hot weather and engine will not heat up properly in the winter without one. When you have a overheating problem, always check the coolant first, thermostat, water pump and then radiator. Could save yourself a lot of money by checking the most obvious first.

Good Luck. (Never,Never,Never take of the cap on a boiling radiator).

Likewise running the tractor without the cap so that you can stick a thermometer in the top of the radiator is going to give an unrealistic result on anything but a totally unpressurised system.

Secondly, 200 deg. F. would be O.K. but since the boiling point of unpressurised water at sea level is 212 deg. F., running to 220 deg. is highly likely to result in a massive outflow not only of water from your cooling system but also of dollars from your bank account.

Incidentally, as I understand it, the higher the altitude at which you are working, the lower the boiling point, unless you have a pressurised cooling system.

BTW ewk, one other thing to check would be that your tractor's thermostat is working. You can do this by dropping the thermostat into a pot of boiling water and watching for several minutes to see if opens as it heats up.

Hope you find a solution.

You have a wonderful day. Best wishes. Deas Plant.

You can slow down the build-up of this debris within the core by placing a sheet of fine metal insect screen in front of the radiator and REGULARLY scraping off the build-up of trash from it. You may quite surprised at the amount of stuff that collects there. And how quickly.

Failing that, one of the more common causes of over-heating amongst older tractors and vehicles is simply that the tubes in the raditor become partially or even totally clogged with corrosion scale, chemical deposits from the water that has been put into it, stuff like Bars Leaks, pepper, Chemi-Weld etc., that has been put into it to 'cure' various problems or, in the case of one 'corrosion inhibitor' which appeared BRIEFLY on the market DownUnder, the corrosion inhibitor or anti-freeze itself.

Another cause can be oxidisation of the metal of the core itself. This puts a fine coating of oxidised metal between the metal and the passing air and can severely restrict the metal's ability to pass heat to the air. If most of the paint is gone from your radiator core and/or you can see any fine, often white, powder around the core or the soldered joints of the tanks, this may well be your problem, or at least part of it.

Hope this helps.

You have a wonderful day. Best wishes. Deas Plant.