Mini Digger Radiator - ??

upyaboyanow

Hi ,

iv an old 3t mini digger, barely use it,. radiator is gone - and €300 for a new one. :eek:

would a radiator off an old car do, if it physically fits?

:pac:;):o

148multi

upyaboyanow wrote: »

Hi ,

iv an old 3t mini digger, barely use it,. radiator is gone - and €300 for a new one. :eek:

would a radiator off an old car do, if it physically fits?

:pac:;):o

Can't see why it wouldn't.

FintanMcluskey

What are the chances of the hoses fitting correctly and being the correct diameter?

phelixoflaherty

Why wouldn't it.
Can't hurt to offer it in and see, they all do the same job

blackbox

phelixoflaherty wrote: »

Why wouldn't it.
Can't hurt to offer it in and see, they all do the same job

Give it a try, but make sure you have a working temperature gauge. Don't risk wrecking the engine.

twofish101

check the width of the replacement rad, as a car gets cooling from the car moving through the air where as the digger relies on the rad totally for cooling

Surely all this messing is hardly worth it,to save e300?


You could try solder the radiator if really want to save money

upyaboyanow

Deleted User wrote: »

Surely all this messing is hardly worth it,to save e300?

u serious! i could do a lot better things with €300 (eg. drink it) , on a machine thats hardly ever used.

soldering it would be even worse messing!

FintanMcluskey

upyaboyanow wrote: »

u serious! i could do a lot better things with €300 (eg. drink it) , on a machine thats hardly ever used.

soldering it would be even worse messing!

By the time you get rad hoses to fit and seal on an obscure radiator, and line up any auxiliary mounted equipment such as oil coolers etc, a few days of your time won’t be long adding up to €300 in value, and it will still belong in the guntering thread on here.

I’d advise a new rad or solder the old one, still less messing than using something from a car

TheBoyConor

How are you going to secure the radiator into the machine? The brackets or mounting lugs will be completely different on a car.
Also, car radiators tend to be very wide whereas a machine rad is taller and less wide. If you put the rad in sideways it won't work as the water passages will be the wrong way around.

Repairing the current radiator will probably be the best option unless it is completely jiggered.

Odelay

€300 for a new radiator is well worth it by the time you value your own time flutering around scrap yards trying to make do.

White Clover

Odelay wrote: »

€300 for a new radiator is well worth it by the time you value your own time flutering around scrap yards trying to make do.

With the added chance of boiling the engine!

TheBoyConor

And a cobbled together car radiator held in with cable ties and makey uppey brackets.
You'd be only waiting for the vibration to cause it to leak, or a pipe to come off, or for whatever redneck fixings to come loose and the radiator plunges into the fan, and you're back to where you started.