Hot CAT forestry mulcher!

[HorseShoeInFork]

Is there a reversing fan option for that 299? I run a Case 621D loader and it has one. Idle the engine down, press a switch and it reverses the hydro flow to the fan blade. Blows all the crap out and you go at it again.

An optional reversible fan is available for purging dust and debris in adverse environments.

http://www.cleanfix.org/us_i_ein.html

 

[spencerhenry]

my buddy runs a fecon on a cat skidsteer, has the same overheating problems. my theory is that it is not so much the load on the motor, but rather the heat being generated by the hydraulics. most machines have a oil cooler built in with the radiator, or a heat exhanger both or which put alot of heat into the water of the motor. my thought is to take the heat out of the hydraulic oil and the water temp will come down too.

 

[kkottemann]

you are correct. the oil cooler and radiator are all in one. so heat is transfered which is part of the problem.. Hot dry weather, limited air in the motor and excessive workload for the hydrolics are all factors. I droped it off at the shop today for the screen in the back door, hopefully this will help with the air flow issue. Some rain would help with the dust and cool it off 10 degrees or so and finally a more efficient mulching head will all contribute to a better running machine. If not.....its gone!

 

[redprospector]

Even having to stop and clean out the cooling system real frequently, I figure it's better than running around trying to be productive with a 12" chipper (like I used to). :bang:

Andy

 

[Zombiechopper]

I fabricated custom cooling systems for five years. I've built lots of replacement stuff for all makes of HD equipment. Basically,. the stock cooling on most new stuff is just adequate. The problems you are having happen in lots of industries in lots of different equipment.

couple suggestions

1) Recore the radiator with a core that cools better. Almost every factory rad can be rebuilt to cool much better.

2) Have a custom fan installed. You can usually gain airflow with a better fan. Its alot harder to find a place that does custom fans but a new fan is way cheaper than a fabbed rad. Look up a company called Breeza and ask for Anthony. They engineer fans for military applications in the desert.

3) Replace oil coolers with larger units, or add another cooler in series. Add or beef up electric fans on these coolers

4) Thsi on e is simple, but check the fan clutch. They can go bad and the fan will still spin but no tourque is makin it there. Do not try to stop the fan with a stick/your hand (I've seen it)

 

[bullbuck]

excellent info zchop,i am going to look into breeza,i also wanted to ask if there is a rad.mod. shop that you know of in the lower 48?

 

[Zombiechopper]

Breeza is in the US so that part is easy.

As for a Rad shop in the US, sorry I don't know of any. But, I used to work here http://norwestcooling.com and they send full trailerloads of stuff to Montana fairly regularly. Call and ask for Al or Benny. They do CAD design so if they can get an engineering drawing from CAT they could Fab a rad and send it down on the trailer after which it could be shipped to you. Just keep in mind that a new rad or re-corred rad is the most expensive option. I'd do the new fan first, then add an extra oil cooler (check out Hayden HD coolers) plumbed in series with the factory cooler and/or add a hydraulic cooler. Every little thing you do to reduce the heat load adds up. Enough little improvements can make the difference you need.

 

[bullbuck]

excellent,this information is likely to be gold for the boss man ,and i would sure like to pour the amount of fuel on this cat that it could easily handle,he has a few bucks and would really would like to see his 77'd6c run cooler,i shirt you not this cat is strong,strongest i have ever opped,but none of that matters if it heats on you...thanks a bunch!

 

[QwikDraw]

I had a slight hydraulic oil leak in my ASV, it would coat the radiator with oil and the dust would stick to it...and over heat every two hours or less. I fixed the leak and power washed it real good...no more problems. I have only had a few days over 100 that I mowed in...I do remember overheating on those days too.

 

[kkottemann]

Alright, an update to my issue. well i had the rear door cut out and put some screens to allow air flow....that definitly helped out. She still runs at 215 degrees, but unless it is super dusty that is about where it stays. today it was really dusty and i hit 221 once or twice. kept the filters and radiator clean and go the production i needed. a good rain would help, been really hot and dry here. Now I am in the process getting rid of the cat mulching head and going to a gyro trac or denis ciamf head. I really was impressed with the planer knives......cut like it was pissed at the brush, never stained the motor and easily took out 10 inch trees!

 

[redprospector]

Alright, an update to my issue. well i had the rear door cut out and put some screens to allow air flow....that definitly helped out. She still runs at 215 degrees, but unless it is super dusty that is about where it stays. today it was really dusty and i hit 221 once or twice. kept the filters and radiator clean and go the production i needed. a good rain would help, been really hot and dry here. Now I am in the process getting rid of the cat mulching head and going to a gyro trac or denis ciamf head. I really was impressed with the planer knives......cut like it was pissed at the brush, never stained the motor and easily took out 10 inch trees!

I've never heard of a denis ciamf head. Do they have a website?

Andy

 

[kkottemann]

yeah...they have a website. From what i understand denis ciamf is the original designer of the gyro trac head. they have a few different models avaliable.

 

[kkottemann]

Well...I bought the gyro trac 500 HF head yesterday!! I like it!

 

[Curbside]

How much are those heads. I'm guessing around 33000 US.

 

[kkottemann]

got a demo unit for just under 30k.

 

[Curbside]

How is it holding up? I've been looking at getting one as well. I currently use Fecon heads with carbide tips. Overall quite happy with them but they take a long time in larger material and the chips are very stringy. I was thinking of using one gyro track head for knocking out the larger material and then using the fecon heads with carbide tips for the ground work. I've been told that the gyro track heads lose their edge quick when running in the dirt so that's why I was thinking a combination of the two might be the best alternative.

 

[kkottemann]

there is no doubt that the knives get dull quick....however all you have to do is sharpen them and you are good to go. I would say every 10 to 15 hours...the dealer showed me how to shapen right on the machine. use a 7 inch grinder with a 40 grid flap disk and in 15 minutes they are like new. Other wise it holds up well, no vegetation has stopped it up, it devoures large material and takes out the small stuff in one pass...over all i say it is a vast improvement. I want a new carrier though...something with a closed loop system...looking at putting the head on a rayco 100....goanna try it out later this month.

 

[mwarfel]

Curbside, if you already own a Fecon mulcher are you aware of the chipper tools that Fecon offers? The tools can be bolted directly into your Fecon. You could then switch back and forth between chipper tools and carbide tools in the same mulcher.

 

[russelllmetcalf]

I have a Cat 287b skidsteer with a cat (fae) 312 mulching head. I have worked in al kinds of conditions and had problems with overheating when I first started using the mulcher. Cleaning the radiator/oil cooler with air (not water) is indeed a must! But, when I added an external hydraulic oil cooler on top of the cab and plumbed it in series before the existing radiator/oil cooler, that solved a lot of problems immediately. I still have to blow the radiator/oil cooler out in extremely hot dusty conditions about 3-4 times a day, but that did the trick for me. The external cooler cost me about 4200 dollars and I installed it myself. I used a Loftness oil cooler and had to order it through Bobcat in Houston, as they were the closest Loftness dealer. If you get the skid steer setup with a mulcher, that will fix you up. Hope that helps.