'75 3000 radiator support/mounting

kswLS1

New User
Good morning folks. I have a 1975 3000 gasser that I'm starting to repair to get back in to good working order. First thing... I don't believe the radiator is mounted/secured properly. I can actually reach in there and push it back and forth quite a bit. Is there a radiator mount/support that is supposed to keep it from moving? I dug into it a few weeks ago during a thermostat and cap swap, but didn't see anything that looked missing.
If you have pictures of the part installed and/or part number that would be great. Thanks in advance.
 

Some back and forth movement is ok.
Radiators on these tractors mount to the tractor with two bolts in the bottom corners of the radiator and normally have a thin rubber pad between the radiator and tractor chassis, make sure these two bots are not loose but do not over tighten, just nice and snug.
The top hose helps to stabilize and limit the radiators movement, check the condition of the top hose and make sure it has a factory style molded hose, not a aftermarket flexible hose.
 
Ditto what Destroked said. The two bolts that mount the radiator to the frame are carriage bolts. The heads of the carriage bolts are held in place in grooves in the bottom of the radiator, so you don't want to over-tighten them and round out the slots that hold the heads in place.

Top radiator hose is critical to keep the radiator from rocking forward to back.

Tom in TN
 
DS,
Just thinking out loud here...
On a diesel with the hose connection on
the front of the head and one bend between
it and the radiator there is not much
lateral support there. On a gasser with
the hose connection on the front of the
intake manifold and 2 bends between it and
the rad there is practically none.
It's not like the Ns and maybe Hundreds
which used a straight hose and gave the
rad significant lateral support.
 
Ultradog is thinking like I am.
The lower carriage bolts are there, but the upper hose provides zero support. I've had the tractor for a year now, and for some reason just noticed how unsupported the radiator is.
I do have an idea... If you look above the water pump there is a metal arm extending toward the radiator with an elongated hole (I'm at work and I don't have pictures, sorry). I was thinking I could fab up an arm that would bolt into the existing arm and wrap up and over the top of the radiator to provide some upper support. Anyone have negative thoughts about this? I wouldn't make it fasten to the radiator, just ride over it to prevent excessive back and forth motion.
 
I just had the radiator off my 4600 yesterday. The
two carriage bolts at the bottom and the radiator
hose at the top are indeed all that holds it in place.
No need to reinvent the wheel - it's worked that way
for 40+ years. IMHO, adding a brace would be
asking to have a hole rubbed in the tank from
vibration.
 
(quoted from post at 07:50:14 08/18/16) IMHO, adding a brace would be
asking to have a hole rubbed in the tank from
vibration.
That's my fear with my "clever" invention. I'll continue to keep an eye on it, but I find it hard to believe that after all the use I've given it over the last year or so that I just recently noticed how loose it is.
Thanks for the help!
 
I found 3 of them on my parts shelves... one with a bad bearing and seal, the one from the combine (double pulley - won't work) and a good one I kept when I sold off the 5000's original engine. So it's back up and running.
 

With the top hose disconnected I can move the radiator back and forth between a half inch and a inch, gasser top hose is not as supportive as the diesel's but does have some resistance to movement. If it's moving around more than a inch check the bottom bolts to see if they're a little loose, it doesn't take much, it shouldn't have any side to side movement.
All four of my 000 series are diesel, next trip to my mil's I'll look at her 3000 gasser to see how much it's radiator moves.
 
(quoted from post at 08:42:45 08/18/16) My 3400 uses a brace to the head that ties into the shroud if I remember correctly...
My 3000 doesn't have a shroud. Should it?
If the top of the radiator isn't intended to be supported then what is the brace from the top of the head for?
 
Sorry
Fordfarmer and I met at a tractor show last
weekend. He mentioned the water pump on his
4600 was kaput and that he had a spare from
a combine but wasn't sure if it would work,
Or if he could find it.
I assumed that's why he had the rad out of
his tractor yesterday.
 

The brace from the head goes to the grill shell not the radiator shroud, other than the bottom two bots these radiators are pretty much free standing.

kswLS1: Something I just remembered, gasser engines have a crankcase vent tube coming from the valve cover that bolts to the fan shroud in two places and vents on the left side of the engine. Diesels vent tubes attach to the timing cover and vent to the right side. This vent tube helps prevent radiator movement better than the short upper hose a diesel uses.
Check where the vent tube bolts to the shroud and also check the short rubber hose and clamps that connects the valve cover vent to the vent tube, also make sure the shroud is attached firmly to the radiator.

John
 
(quoted from post at 09:26:08 08/18/16)
The brace from the head goes to the grill shell not the radiator shroud, other than the bottom two bots these radiators are pretty much free standing.

kswLS1: Something I just remembered, gasser engines have a crankcase vent tube coming from the valve cover that bolts to the fan shroud in two places and vents on the left side of the engine. Diesels vent tubes attach to the timing cover and vent to the right side. This vent tube helps prevent radiator movement better than the short upper hose a diesel uses.
Check where the vent tube bolts to the shroud and also check the short rubber hose and clamps that connects the valve cover vent to the vent tube, also make sure the shroud is attached firmly to the radiator.

John

Thanks John. The vent tube brings another issue. One day when I was bush hogging I heard a rapid clank. I shut it down and inspected and found that the fan was hitting the vent tube. I fiddled with it 'till no end and cannot for the life of me find out where the vent tube bolts in. I was trying to find a picture of the gas engine with vent tube installed, but all the pictures I find don't have the tube installed. Now that you say the tube bolts to the shroud... I don't have a shroud between the radiator and the fan. Also, my vent tube is more of a 90 degree bend (doesn't appear to be damaged) taking it from the valve cover and down toward the ground. The tube still has the mounting bracket (thin piece of metal with a hole), but that bracket doesn't appear to match up to anything.
 
Good thinking on the vent tube on a gasser.
It does help stabilize the rad. I forgot
about that.
Kwsl, some guys say you don't need a shroud
and run without them. I say Ford didn't put
Anything on these tractors for no reason and
always run them on mine.
 
Considering the crank vent tube connects to the shroud... I'd say I need it also. I've only ran the tractor a couple times since I discovered the loose tube, but it would be nice to have everything assembled as intended by Ford.
 
Been here at the dealership for 20 years. Have yet to hear of a Ford cooling fan that ate a radiator without help from a foreign object, tossing a water pump bearing, or losing a fan blade.

Have fun.
 
(quoted from post at 15:59:24 08/18/16) Been here at the dealership for 20 years. Have yet to hear of a Ford cooling fan that ate a radiator without help from a foreign object, tossing a water pump bearing, or losing a fan blade.

Have fun.

Rick, you wouldn't happen to have a picture or link to a picture of the crank vent tube properly installed would you?
 

The front of my tractor is open now because my daughter ran a round bale into the tractor while moving and bent the shroud. So, the covers are off but all of the rest of the stuff is intact. I will take some pics in a while and post them. Its a 2000 but the mounts are the same.

John
 
(quoted from post at 06:00:09 08/19/16)
The front of my tractor is open now because my daughter ran a round bale into the tractor while moving and bent the shroud. So, the covers are off but all of the rest of the stuff is intact. I will take some pics in a while and post them. Its a 2000 but the mounts are the same.

John
John, you're a gentleman and a scholar! I eagerly await the pictures.
 
John, thank you very much for the pictures! I'm glad I found out I wasn't crazy when I assumed something had to be missing since I could not figure out where the crank vent tube fastened. Mystery solved! Now on to the next mysteries (3-pt drop/raise inconsistency, fuel leaking from front, oil leaking from somewhere and temperature concerns). I'll research some more and start a new thread if needed.

Thank you all for your help!
 
(quoted from post at 07:05:16 08/19/16) A lot of support comes from the crankcase vent attachment to the shroud.

Here are the pics -







John


My 4000 was originally a gasser and I converted it to diesel, still have the gasser vent tube on it.

While you have the front off it would be a good time to weld or strap that crack in the shroud before it breaks into and gets into the radiator cores.
 

Will do. Have not had time to rebuild it. She wacked it with a 1200 lb round bale. Trucking along with a 5x5 on the bigger tractor, not able to see obstacles due to the obstruction...wham!!

How in the h*ll do you get them to slow down. What is the d*mn hurry all the time? Good kid, does a lot of work but just too much of a rush. Oh well.

John
 

I need to check with my brother, he's ten years younger and still has a good memory, I bought a 69 4000 gas about 10 years ago with a locked up engine. I used parts from the transmission to repair mine, front pto bearing went out and one of the balls when thru second gear breaking teeth off of second gear and the lower cluster shaft. We used some parts on other tractors and sold a few parts but I don't remember selling the radiator and shroud.
I just bought a new radiator this spring for my 4000SU, if that old 4000's radiator is still here I'm going to kick myself.
Lately I find myself buying parts for equipment only the get home and find out I already have them.

What I'm saying is if my brother hasn't sold it I may have a spare shroud for a gas tractor laying around if I can find it.

John
 

Cool. If not I think I can stitch this one together ok...

I just need to take the time and a BFH to start banging the shroud back into shape. It is not too bad, should bend back ok. This is a worker tractor and was rough anyway so not worried about wrinkles in the metal.

John
 

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