I checked the anti-freeze freeze protection on the Bobcat and the tester only registers 10 degrees Fahrenheit - not nearly good enough for our area. Then I noticed the sticker on the machine that says it contains Propylene Glycol anti-freeze. The usual anti-freeze tester won't work on that, so the protection may or may not be adequate. One option is to buy a Refractometer tester to test the Propylene Glycol. Another option might be to drain the system and replace the coolant with Ethylene Glycol antifreeze. If doing this, how does one get all the old coolant out of the system? Are there any drain plugs low down on the Kubota engine block? And where is the drain plug on the rad? What have others done - changed to Ethylene Glycol or remained with the Propylene Glycol? Thanks for any help.
Bobcat's "special" antifreeze is PG. PG has a higher freezing point when comparing the same ratio of EG with water. It also has poorer heat transfer. You could get some testers for the PG if you want to keep it simple. If you would rather switch to EG, you can flush the system out by finding drains and/or the lowest hoses to remove and flush with water, run engine, drain, repeat until clear. Then refill with EG, run engine and check freeze point.
some engines have a drain plug/petcock on them, some dont. if it does, it will be on the rear side of the engine as you open the tailgate nothing on the radiator itself. :drinkup
The Kubota 3800's don't have drains on them, you have to remove one of the hoses off the engine oil cooler on the side of the block. Get a pair of needle nosed vice grips and some hose and try not to get wet.