BX HST Fan

Yes there is a plastic cooling fan on the HST propeller shaft and there is a world of people that have had the same issue, myself included. Mine was on a BX22 thankfully. It wasn't a bad fix. On later models though, it is pretty involved because the engine has to slide forward in the frame in order to get the shaft out. I've heard of and read where people cut the fan hub in half and got it done that way. Do a search here and on other tractor sites there are LOTS of threads on this very problem.

My only other advise is to get a WSM manual to help you get it done if you choose to do it yourself and some under armor from Bxpanded......good luck.

If you do a search, perhaps via Google for someone who sells a fan in two parts. Also on this web room you might find info on it. That split fan fits around the shaft there and then two parts are secured together and saves all that grief of separating the tractor front from the back. As I recall a new fan is cut into two parts so as to be able to do this, but the cuts have to be planned for how this is done. Perhaps some one else here can advise better on this. I'd start a new subject with a title similar to "Splitting a BX fan technique?"

I did the search for you and found it about 230th out of 500.

copy down this thread number in case you lose it.

http://www.orangetractortalks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24153&highlight=repair

Wouldn't that be covered by your insurance?

There is an excellent thread on replacing the HST fan that cerlawson provided the link to. I recently heard someone say that it took him about 1.5 hours to do the job from start to finish. I never did the job myself so I cannot comment about how much time it would take me. However, it is certainly worth checking into.

Also, it might be worth your while to talk with your dealer about it. I am not saying that he would be able to do anything but when I talked to my dealer about a broken engine cooling fan on my tractor, he found that it was covered under warranty. That repair did not cost me anything. They even picked up the tractor and took it to the shop and delivered it back to me when the repair was done. Some dealers are willing to go an extra mile, others maybe not. It is worth talking to them in person. If your dealer is in Augusta, that is not very far from where you live. Give them a visit and develop a close relationship with them anyway. It may pay off in the future even if they cannot help you with this one.

When I had a bx2660 I tried cutting the fan in half got it on the hub but couldn't figure out how to get the two bolts on that hold it in place because the fan blades didn't allow excess to them since they are behind the fan blades. I guess smarter people could figure that out? Anyway took the tractor to the dealership- $475.00 to replace the fan ..

Done a bunch of BX60's and 50's, well I say a bunch, maybe a half dozen. Never takes more than 2 hours labor. Pull the motor, it's so easy to do on these. A few wires, 2 hoses, 4 nuts and slip it past the fan shroud, and it's out in 30 minutes or 35 minutes if it's got a loader. Just faster (for me) to do it that way then it is to fight with cutting the fan in half and then fighting those two bolts. Also removing the engine gains access to a nasty area under and behind it that normally you don't see, so you get the opportunity to wash it out good; plus when the shaft is out, you can check the condition of the U-joints. Trust me, from experience, if one of the U-joints comes apart while it's running 3500 RPM, things aren't very pretty. That shaft goes absolutely wild. IMO there should be a loop around it to keep it contained, but again, apparently the engineers thought it was ok; and for the most part it is.

IF the fan were metal, the blades would just bend. Then the possibility exists that whatever bent the blades could be wrapped up in the fan itself, around the shaft, and then create all sorts of problems. OR if a blade broke off, you then have a projectile, possibly come through the floor where your pride and joy are, whether it be your feet or.....

I reckon it's ok to put a skid plate on it, assuming no belly deck. But make sure to vent it properly so that the little fan can get some air. That's all that cools the transaxle and hydraulic fluid, there is no other cooling mechanism.

In most of the ones I've done, after quizzing the operator what they were using the tractor for, usually I am finding that they were using it for something it wasn't designed for, e.g. bulldozer. Clearing land, hopping over trees, etc. I realize that sometimes stuff happens; and if the owner has Kubota's insurance, they'll usually pick up the tab minus the deductible.

Thats why Ive kept my mmm on as much as I have. Ill get a skid plate soon. Your 80 series would be under warranty or at least KTAC insurance.