Go Bottomthermostat for BX1850
 | balliver
Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 2 Turner Maine 
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2007-12-13 149261
now i am not a rocket scientest but why cant a thermostat be installed in the BX1850 so the hot water going to the heater might be more than luke warm.For a person inexperienced in this I had to go by the advertised information(see Curtis cabs and accessories)and spent $350 for a heater that doesnt heat the interior of the cab. I have heard from others that have the same problem and thier soloution was cardboard in front of the radiator.this was state of the art in 1930's but not today.someone must have found a soloution and I could use any help
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| kleinchris
Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 269 Westminster, Texas
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2007-12-13 149265
Hey, I used sheet metal on my CJ5 grill. Granted, it's not as fancy as one of then new "therostat" devices, but I considered it quite a step up from cardboard.
I wish I had an old picture of the inside of that cab- it got crowded with dryer vent hoses, duck tape, and close hangers to get the heat around, but it got the job done. And, it's only cold in Colorado 7 or 8 months out of the year.
Sorry I cant help. ....
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 | candoarms
Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 1932 North Dakota 
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2007-12-13 149276
Balliver,
There may some state of the art solutions to this problem, but good luck finding a company who is still in business. It's pretty danged difficult to compete against FREE cardboard boxes.
Remove the debris screen located in front of your radiator. It should slide into a set of channels on either side. Replace that screen with a piece of heavy cardboard. Problem solved.
If your tractor gets too hot when the radiator is completely blocked off, pull that piece of cardboard out and cut a few small holes in it until you reach the desired engine operating temperature.
When Spring comes, replace that piece of cardboard with your screen. My screen is in the barn, and won't be used again until I start cutting grass.
Joel ....
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| candoarms
Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 1932 North Dakota
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2007-12-13 149277
Balliver,
I forgot to address the thermostat issue.
Installing a different thermostat is not the answer. The thermostat will only open when the engine gets too warm. In the winter months, your thermostat will only be open about 1/4 of the time.
You need to figure out a way to keep your thermostat open, without losing too much heat through the engine's cooling system. This is best done by blocking off any air flow to the tractor's radiator....thereby preserving most of the heat for the cab's heater core.
A piece of cardboard is the best and cheapest solution. There are some things that simply cannot be improved upon.
Joel ....
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 | Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999 Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada 
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2007-12-13 149278
Not that I would endorse this, nor even recommend it, but... ;)
If you take a standard thermostat for a 'Bota to a NAPA or other good auto parts house, you will find that there are several options available in the same size & shape, and a variety of temps' by matching them up to certain imports and re-branded (Japanese) North American vehicles. You can also buy external thermostats which go inline of a rad hose.
It is a PITA to constantly be changing thermostats, but it will work.
One word of caution though, in order to get heat you need circulation in the line leading to the heater, in most cases, blocking the flow with a higher temp. thermostat will reduce the flow, even though the water is hotter, you might not get as much of it.
Our factory cabs kick out way more heat than is necessary for even the coldest weather.
Best of luck. ....
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| Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999 Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2007-12-13 149279
It might be the easiest to make up a debris shield which has a sheet of porous, but heavier material, maybe something like cotton fabric which would restrict airflow, but not stop it completely.
CAUTION: Anything you put in front of the radiator MUST be able to withstand sustained temperatures of 300°+ or you might have a hotter tractor than you want!!!!
Best of luck. ....
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| candoarms
Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 1932 North Dakota
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2007-12-13 149280
Murf,
You hit on a topic that has always bothered me.
My old Ford pickup has the best heater I've ever seen. Even at -30, that pickup will cook a fella right out of the thing.
It's all in the plumbing.
My old Ford has a thermostat housing with two hoses coming off of it. (1 large hose going to the radiator, and 1 smaller hose going to the heater core) One of those hose fittings is located BELOW the thermostat, which bypasses the entire engine cooling circuit. Even when the thermostat is closed, the coolant will still circulate through the heater core.
That old truck is fantastic in the winter. The cab heats up and starts defrosting long before the thermostat opens. I've not seen this feature on any other vehicle.
When the thermostat once failed on me (sticking closed), I turned on the cab heat and drove that pickup over 100 miles before replacing the thermostat. The heater core served as a radiator, cooling the engine just enough to keep it from boiling over. It was 90 degrees outside that day, and I had the cab heat running full blast. Every window was rolled down, and even the door was held open for a minute or two at times.
Needless to say, I was soaking wet with sweat when I pulled into the shop, but at least I wasn't stranded on that long, deserted road north of Belle Forche, South Dakota.
Joel ....
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| candoarms
Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 1932 North Dakota
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2007-12-13 149282
Murf,
If having a piece of flammable cardboard in front of the radiator seems to pose a fire risk -- a piece of sheet metal cut to the same dimensions as the debris screen will serve the same purpose.
Metal is not as easy to cut holes in when attempting to regulate the engine temperature, however. And if you end up cutting a hole too big, you'll have to start over with a new piece of sheet metal.
I've considered using metal, with a an adjustable metal flap riveted over a hole, which could then be adjusted to regulate the heat perfectly, but I've never had a case in which completely covering the radiator caused the engine to get too warm.
I've used cardboard for years and years, with never a sign of burning the cardboard.
Joel ....
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| Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999 Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2007-12-13 149285
Joel, the problem isn't the cardboard itself, it's what the highly absorbent cardboard might be holding next to the radiator.
The autoignition point of diesel fuel, the point at which it will burn, is 410°F. and it has a flash point of just 143°, so if you happened to spill some diesel while fueling a machine, and the cardboard absorbed it (cause it was baked dry in front of the rad) then if the conditions were right, it would go up in flames without much effort at all.
Just last night for instance, 2 tractor trailers were lost in a fire at a truck stop near here, the driver of one of them had used a piece of cardboard to get under the truck to effect a repair to an air line, at the same time, he had drained his fuel separator, soaking the cardboard, the driver then placed the diesel-soaked cardboard in front of the rad and went into truck stop, leaving the rig running. In short order it burst into flames and then ignited the truck next to it. The witnesses at the scene said the fire stared in the front of the engine compartment, they could see it through the grille.
Best of luck.
....
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| candoarms
Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 1932 North Dakota
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2007-12-13 149287
Thanks Murf.
Depending on where the fueling point is located, (not sure about the BX series) it may not be a good idea to use cardboard in front of the grill.
All of my tractors had fueling points located much further back......just ahead of the dash. The B-Series tractors have a fueling point located just ahead of the steering wheel.......as far away from the radiator as possible.
If I had a fueling point located anywhere close to that cardboard, I'd replace it with a piece of sheet metal.
Any piece of galvanized sheet metal, such as that used in HVAC systems (heating and cooling ducts), will easily replace the cardboard. For that matter, a piece of 1/4" steel plate will likely fit right into the debris screen slots......but now I'm going way overboard with this. hehehe. We don't have to build a tank to accomplish this goal.
Joel ....
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