Chinese radiator

showcrop · Oct 6, 2010

Any one have experience with the Chinese radiators? At 1/3 the price they are obviously not as good, but does it make sense to spend $1500 more on a twenty year old tractor? This tractor will hopefully work for another fifteen years and won't have a fan clutch fall apart again.

Chris (WA) · Oct 6, 2010

As much as I prefer to buy American it makes it awefully hard to when there is so much price difference on something for an old tractor.
The cheaper radiator is probably built of lighter gauge materials and may have less cores. This will affect its strength and ability to cool as well as its length of life.
I would say a lot depends on how hard you work the tractor.If it is used for heavy tillage, baling, chopping and other heavy work that you must depend on the tractor to do at full throttle all day, go for the better radiator.
If it is only used for light work and as a show tractor the cheaper rad should do fine.

C.R. · Oct 6, 2010

I wonder if it will fit?

Anonymous-0 · Oct 6, 2010

1/3 the price, 1/3 the quality....Your choice.

730d se · Oct 6, 2010

If you further consider just how low pried they are before greedy Americans add their loafty markups, it will make sense why they are nothing more than junk.

BCnT · Oct 6, 2010

i bought one to replace the original in my '51 8N...its better than the rotted out orginal...will it last as long? i doubt i'll live long enuff to complain.

showcrop · Oct 6, 2010

I hate to think of where I would be in life if I thought for a second that any decisions were one tenth that easy.

Dean · Oct 6, 2010

I have experience with Chinese parts, including radiators, only for vintage Fords.

My experience is that most of the Chinese parts are kinda, sorta right and kinda, sorta fit.

Quality control is nearly non existant.

Dean

dhermesc · Oct 6, 2010

That beats the not even close, won't ever fit even with a hammer quality I got on my LAST new Ford.

Sad after driving Fords my entire life and even coming home from the hospital in one, I'm now the proud(?) owner of a Kia Sedona. At least it aint a Jap car.

ericlb · Oct 6, 2010

if the tractor its for is a non working tractor, [ a trailer queen or gets in a parade 1 or 2 times a year], and you dont mind reworking a new part so it will actually fit in the tractor it was ordered for you can use it, but if your tractor is a worker gets used everyday or at least 3 or 4 times a week , dont, spend the money and get the one that is supposed to be in there, like everything the china man makes its a cheap copy and wont last very long under hard field use

Richard from SE AZ · Oct 6, 2010

When I had the engine rebuilt on my 2n, the mech that did the work called me and told me that the whole top of my radiator had come off while putting it on. I wanted it back(he had it for a year)so I ordered one of those chinese ones. He had to make it fit and it worked. The thing I didn't like was that the filler neck was so long that the radiator cap was about 1 1/2 inches above the hood. Turns out that only the filler neck had come off my radiator. I solderded it back on and replaced the odd looking piece of junk.

cannonball · Oct 7, 2010

check this place, have not used them but they claim exact fit...

http://www.ineedparts.com/auto-parts/radiators/tractor-radiators.html

Bus Driver · Oct 7, 2010

I bought one for a 1999 Toyota. Fitted perfectly with no issues at all. Temp gauge is constant at the same temp as before.

Chinese radiator

showcrop

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Chris (WA)

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C.R.

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Anonymous-0

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730d se

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BCnT

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showcrop

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Dean

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dhermesc

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ericlb

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Richard from SE AZ

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cannonball

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Bus Driver

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