Coolant Recovery Tank

M

MF2615Fred

New member
My Dads' 1960 Ferguson TO35 tractor radiator does not have a coolant tank and I'd like to retro fit one. It would need to be a slim line set up possibly mounted along the R/H aft edge of the radiator shroud.
I installed a new radiator and I doubt there was 2 quarts in the system when I drained it and put nearly 2 gallons in on fill up.
Its' a wonder those old tractors still run with that old system.
 
is the water pump working:whistling:
are there fan blades on the water pump to keep the engine cool:whistling:

MF2615Fred said:
My Dads' 1960 Ferguson TO35 tractor radiator does not have a coolant tank and I'd like to retro fit one. It would need to be a slim line set up possibly mounted along the R/H aft edge of the radiator shroud.
I installed a new radiator and I doubt there was 2 quarts in the system when I drained it and put nearly 2 gallons in on fill up.
Its' a wonder those old tractors still run with that old system.
Click to expand...
 
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I'll know about the coolant flow once I get the tractor up and running. The old radiator was leaking but I saw no leakage around the mechanical water pump.

The recovery tank should be here this week and once it is installed I'll be able to watch the fluid level at the tank without having to look inside the radiator. Of course the cap has to be a recovery type that has a double seal, with the 2nd seal under the cap lid.

A closed type (recovery) system allows the radiator to stay completely filled all the time. The open type has a large air pocket at the top of the radiator and never allows the system to be at full capacity.

Retrofitting an open system to a closed system will make it pretty much maintenance free, not requiring constant monitoring.
 
radiator and hoses can be bought new for these TO35 tractors:smile:
l assume your TO35 thermostat is working :smile:
like to see photos of the recovery tank on the TO35 tractor and how you connected it:cool:

MF2615Fred said:
I'll know about the coolant flow once I get the tractor up and running. The old radiator was leaking but I saw no leakage around the mechanical water pump.

The recovery tank should be here this week and once it is installed I'll be able to watch the fluid level at the tank without having to look inside the radiator. Of course the cap has to be a recovery type that has a double seal, with the 2nd seal under the cap lid.

A closed type (recovery) system allows the radiator to stay completely filled all the time. The open type has a large air pocket at the top of the radiator and never allows the system to be at full capacity.

Retrofitting an open system to a closed system will make it pretty much maintenance free, not requiring constant monitoring.
Click to expand...
 
I'll take photos/post the set up on the recovery tank once installed.
I put a new thermostat in and did replace the upper hose. Yesterdaystractor.com carries about any item needed for the TO35 tractors.
The cap IS a closed system type, so I'm good there.
I hope to get the tank tomorrow or the next day and need to get it on soon so I can start mowing with the newly refurbished 6' side sickle mower.
 
Here is my final install of the 96-02 Toyota Corolla tank. I cut down the aft sections of the steel grill louvers for clearance between the tank and radiator, added split hose rub strip between the grill/ tank and tie wrapped it in. Two feet of hose allows the tractor hood to be opened without pulling the hose.

As the tractor was warming up I could see air bubbles at the bottom of the tank, meaning the recovery set-up was working as intended.

The temp gauge green zone in 160-180 degrees and the needle stayed within that zone. It was moving up and down quite a bit, within that zone, which seems more of a gauge issue than a thermostat issue.
 

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looks like a great system you have there, and great photos, only one pipe going in to the small tank from the top of the radiator, there is no other pipe coming from the small tank?
 
The single hose extends all the way to the bottom of the recovery tank, allowing the back and forth flow of coolant, keeping the radiator full at all times.

With all new mower cutting parts I was able to run, some in Hi range, 2nd gear, nearly a full tank of gas on a hot day w/o a hint of overheating.

I also added electronic ignition, new plugs (from .025" to .032" gap), Hi-tension leads, new coil and voltage regulator......made a huge difference in power.
 
G"Day mf2615fred.
Such a wealth of knowledge,young people never cease to amaze me with these fantastic ideas ,Plastic tanks ,No loss radiator caps ,I to am amazed that These OLD TRACTORS EVER WORKED without your new U beut Idea.

You will keep us posted , I am curious to know wher the water will come from to top up the NO LOSS System .
happy Days.
Hutch.
 
shona,

With that system he's built, it will be the same as your car, the whole rad system will fill with fluid and the expansion tank should have a cold fluid level minimum of about where the lower tie strap is and when hot will probably expand to the top tie strap line or higher.

A small hole in the cap where the hose goes in allows air in and out of the expansion tank.

Hose should have an angled slash cut on the bottom so it can't get blocked it pushed to the bottom of the expansion tank.

Adding coolant to the expansion tank anytime level gets low up to the cold level line will keep the system happy.

If you have to add to often, it's the first sing of a problem.

Sweet. Nice job.
 
shona13 said:
,I to am amazed that These OLD TRACTORS EVER WORKED without your new Idea.
Click to expand...

I don't know why you say this.

I have tractors over 70 years old (1941 Farmall H) that have worked fine all their lives without a coolant recovery tank.

You have to realize the top radiator tank on many of these old tractors is HUGE! After you cover the top of the core ends with liquid, you can often add at least another gallon to the upper radiator tank.... so, in essence you DO have a coolant recovery tank... built right into the upper radiator!! The extra space above the coolant level *is* the expansion/recovery space.

If the cooling system is clean and in good condition, there is not any need to change over to a "recovery" style system. I haven't added any coolant to my Farmall H the entire time I have owned it in 32 years.... I have never overheated it, either.

Coolant doesn't just "disappear" ... EVER.
It only goes away if something is wrong with the system in the first place (leaks, overheating, broken fan belt, etc)
 
True, the large area at the top of the radiator does act as the 'recovery' part of the radiator on older models (and work just fine), but the beauty of a separate tank is one never has to remove the radiator cap to check fluid, which is hit or miss on older models, because the is no min/max level marks on the radiator. Add too much and it simply is pushed overboard. I don't know how much 'recovery' fluid is in the upper portion of my radiator, but to my knowledge, haven't overflowed the recovery tank yet but I can keep the radiator completely full at all times. Everything today has a recovery tank.
 
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I'm replacing the rear tires w/Firestones 13.6x28. One of the old tires is OEM, no manufacturer stamping and 55 years old, the other stamped Pennsylvania Farm Hand. I was cutting hay and had a flat on the (side mount) cutter barThis replacement was long overdue., calcium spewing everywhere, wheel needing a lot of wire wheel rust grinding and repainting. Appears to have been leaking for years. This tire replacement is long overdue.
 
MF2615Fred said:
to remove the radiator cap to check fluid, which is hit or miss on older models, because the is no min/max level marks on the radiator. Add too much and it simply is pushed overboard.
Click to expand...

It can indeed be hit-and-miss.
Most older tractors have either a low pressure cap like yours, or a "no pressure" cap (like the old Farmalls)

A seat-of-the-pants guess is about all you can do... make sure the tops of the core tubes are covered plus "some more" for low level, and if you open the cap when the engine is still at operating temp but not over heating, that will tell you the high level.

Some owners manuals show a picture of a ruler being used to measure the fluid level, with the number of inches specified. If your owners manual has this diagram, you can always use it to determine your coolant level as well.

One last thing: some older tractor designs have a water pump seal that cannot handle a lot of system pressure. Adding a high pressure cap to those will ruin the water pump bearings when coolant is pushed into them. Some older tractors also develop head gasket leaks, and some will lose coolant past the cylinder sleeve o-rings into the crankcsase/oil pan if pressure is too high.
 
MF2615Fred said:
I'm replacing the rear tires w/Firestones 13.6x28. This tire replacement is long overdue.
Click to expand...

I need the same size for my International 404 (it originally had 12.4 x28's) and I was thinking about buying from Tucker Tire in Dyersburg:

http://www.tuckertire.com/
Tucker's Tire Company
FARM TIRES FARM TIRES FARM TIRES
Acres of Tires in Tennessee!
Call; 1-888-248-7146 Or 731-285-8520
Also Call; 615-777-9351 Or 901-255-2716
Fax; 1-731-285-5889
E-Mail: tires4u@webtv.net
Visit Our Ebay Store! http://stores.ebay.com/TUCKER-TIRE-COMPANY
We are conveniently located at 844 South Main Street in Dyersburg, TN 38024
 
I bought a pair of BKT TR-135 (13.6-28) from a local truck tire dealer here in town. $371 per tire, $30 each for the tubes. I called him one day, carried the rims to him and had them installed the next day. Normally one leaves the wheel assembly on the tractor to change the tire, but the beads were really tight so we laid the tires on the ground and drove the 2615 up onto the tires w/a plank board.

I put 36 gallons each of Peak (-20F) washer fluid into each tire and can now finish mowing the hayfield in front of the house.

Dads' new boots look really good.

http://www.bkt-tires.com/bkt_catalog_search.html :a1:
 
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