This is the #1 best channel for these units. Well thought out and sound information. Something that a lot of folks seem to miss, is that the Briggs, being air cooled, has a fan built into the flywheel that pulls air in from the right side (near pull start) and blows out on the left, under the muffler. Blowing air in from the right is the thermodynamically superior setup. That keeps the hot air from being recirculated, and just getting hotter. Shielding the muffler is also very effective at keeping the radiant heat from saturating the engine compartment. Love your camera shots ,too.
I installed my 7 inch cooling fan in the lower left rear corner of my H12 mini excavator. I used heavy solid stainless steel wire to attach it to the intake grill. I chose this location because I'm pushing cool air into the engine compartment and this location blows cooler air on the hydraulic oil tank, the engine cylinder head and the hot exhaust muffler at the same time. These three items will be getting the hottest, so providing a cooler air flow should provide the maximum benefit. BTW - The inexpensive Amazon 7 inch cooling fans say 12V 80W but they are actually 40W and draw only 3.34 amps. For power, I did a few tests with a multimeter and created the perfect solution. I found three wires tape and stowed beneath the upper panel to the right of the seat. They are black, green and yellow in color. The black and green wires have the power that I needed to run my fan. If either the ignition key or ground stop T-handle are turned off, power is removed from the circuit. I installed a toggle switch 2 inches below the choke knob which is located on the vertical panel below the front of the seat on the right side. I configured the toggle so that it's in the down position when turned off, so that if the machine is left out in the rain, water will drain down the toggle away from the switch. The circuit is protected with the same fuse that is used for the hour meter, LED floodlight and ignition switch.
Thanks for the video, glad you were able to run the problem down, the basic briggs coil design hasnt changed much over the years. I have one of these things being delivered Friday. I plan on mounting some fans on it and maybe an external hydraulic cooler. Maybe we can share info. I considered buying a used excavator earlier this year, but the used machines with 10000 hours, oil burning, sloppy pins, leaking everywhere with popcorn welded booms are still going for 20k. Unbelievable what these folks think there worth. I decided to buy one of these instead. Wishing you good luck. Thx again
Just wanted to say great job on the videos. I’m just getting into these machines and excited about it. Stumbled upon one of your videos and really appreciate your overall demeanor, and knowledge, and ability to articulate. Thank you & keep it up!
Did the fans help with cooling? Or do you feel it necessary to add a hydraulic cooler? Thank you in advance! BTW, I ordered the drive motor guard from you. I love it! I have a Kymron YH14 and it fit just fine.
You may want to rethink running your fan off the red-handled hour-meter destroyer switch. Those fans take a lot of current, and if your battery is running low, it would be preferable to be able to run the starter motor with the fans off. Best to remove the tee-handle switch, a relic of the diesel engine.@@thegarageconnection
@@dfk8881 the fan is running directly off the battery and the engine block, the battery disconnect switch handles all of the amps when starting the machine and there’s no way the fans pull that many.
Fans like you installed draw typically 6-7A. You can read the spec off the packaging or measure it with an ammeter. The B&S 420 engine usually comes with 1 or 2 charge coils, rated at 3 or 10A output at 3600RPM. Running your fans will discharge the battery since they draw more than the alternator puts out. But don't rely on some random Utube commentor; take the current measurements yourself. BTDT@@thegarageconnection
@@dfk8881 with switch on, engine off, I’m getting a steady 4.85Amps draw on the battery, obviously peaks higher at initial startup. I’m getting conflicting information about the exact charging system run on these engines however
I'm considering cutting a large opening in the rear panel and tacking in some hardware wire for better airflow. The holes in the back panel restrict too much air flow.
9:48 On to the Bucket. I carry 8' to 10', 10" diameter logs around for cutting and splitting into firewood. Get rid of the WINGS on the Bucket! They don't hold a log even with the hydraulic thumb. Take them off. Also digs better without them.
I bought these fans. 7" inch Black Slim Fan Push Pull Electric Radiator Cooling 12V 800 CFM Mount Kit Universal . No link or youtube will delete the comment. Search the description and you will find them. I have the left side fan (viewed the rear) installed and will wire it later. Those bolts to remove the side panels are PITA. All the bolts are inside the panels. If I can't get the right side panel off, I may just mount on the rear panel to blow out the hot air. Solar Eclipse today (4/8) so taking a break, partial eclipse for me.
If you buy one of these machines, do yourself a favor and throw that disconnect in the trash. The jungle website has automotive kill switches that are all aluminum for under 50 bucks.
No, the red tee-handle switches are of good quality. I have a bunch of them, removed from 1-ton Chinese excavators. They are not needed, plus, they can be left on with engine off, ruining the hour meter. They are there as a relic of the 1-cyl diesel engine that did not have a key switch cutoff. The diesel used a mechanical way of turning it off, as part of the engine speed lever. A different key switch is required for the gas engine.@@CGreciful
I'm shocked that you can keep that battery in a good charge state with twin fans as they normally have a pretty good draw and I didn't think that briggs would put out that much when you consider the need for the starter and any other accessories...Good video, thanks...
You never want to run a circuit at full capacity. Good practice is to keep 25% head room for reliability. So with a 10amp drive, you don't want to draw more than 7.5amps continuously. Check NFPA 1901 standards 13.2.8 as a reference to the 25% head room on circuits.
@@thegarageconnectionThanks for the great videos. I am looking at adding another fan (My HT10 came with a hydraulic cooler with a fan. The 6" fans I am looking at all seem to be about 80 Watts. With a 12V system the means about 6.6 Amps. I am nervous about exceeding the charging system. I'll look forward to seeing how yours works out.
@@thegarageconnection The 12volt fan at 80 watts draws 6-1/2 amps, times 2 fans is 13A, which seems to exceed the 10A capacity of the charging circuit by 30%. Have you had any practical time to use the excavator to see the fans work and the battery remain charging? Not overloading the charging circuit? Great videos--Thanks for making them available to all of us.
I just bought a 2023 QH12 on 3/5 with free delivery on the 7th. I noticed it tends to get very hot in the engine compartment. So hot that when the fuel cap is and opened, the gas is bubbling hot. I checked the boiling temperatures, the Ethanol will boil off at 173°, but gasoline won't boil until 203° F. It also runs for only an hour or so on the fuel in the tank. I guess I''ll order a set of fans, and I've already ordered the hydraulic thumb. I paid $14,500 for it from a (sort of) local dealer, but it was already assembled. Did I overpay? I don't think so, even though the list price is $5899 and I didn't have to assemble it. It had 22 hours on when I bought it, so only used on the Dealer's lot for demo I guess. I've put 4 more hours on it. Previous list price was $9999 Last year. It is a 2023 model so it could been the $9999 when the dealer got it. From the minor rust in some areas I think it is already 1 year old when I got it.
My QH12 will also boil the gasoline and goes into vapor lock on hot days >80*. It will work well all day under 70*. Traveling under full throttle really heats it up. It takes me 15 minutes to get it from the shed to the working area, and it’s already hot by the time I start working. I will definitely add a fan.
The machine I’m buying is a Rippa 1T. It has a fan installed from the factory and not enough slots cut to add another on the same side. When I install a fan on the other side should I make it where both fans are blowing into the engine compartment or a one direction flow? One blowing in and one blowing out? I’m out of Texas so it’ll be 100 plus degrees often when I’m running the machine. Thanks for your videos, very helpful!
I uploaded a video on my modification progress. You know where to click to see it. Second video after finishing the fan mod. All that's left now is hinges and latches for the back panel.
Thanks again for video. Does the engine magneto provide enough current to support the fans as well as battery charging as well as the other electrical consumers on the machine. Wondering if you have enough reserve magneto output to support the fans, IE no battery drain when running
I’ll throw the multimeter on there and obtain an amp draw with the motor off, and then with the motor on at the battery and hopefully it’s able to charge the battery, if not it should be pretty evident
That is a very important concern, as these radiator-type fans draw a lot of current. More than is put out by a 420cc gas engine with only one coil. Most of the B&S units have 2 charge coils, but you can not assume that. You must do a current measurement with an ammeter first. Also, ducting the mechanical fan like they do in China with the 1-cyl diesels is a better solution. My Duromax engine puts out less than an amp, so I can not use the big fans.
I think this is it. 6 Inch Slim 650CFM Radiator Cooling Fans Universal Slim Pull Push 12V 80W Direct Replacement Electric Fan with Mount Kit. You know where to order them. $23 each. I ordered two. I can't put the link or youtube will delete the comment. I had to cancel my order. The vents on the QH12 are different than on the H12, so they won't work.
The fan mod is a big disappointment. It did cool down somewhat, but it can't get rid of the heat from the muffler. I still can't touch the panels around the engine because they are still too hot, I think I may have to insulate the muffler with a heat shield or something.
I put one fan on each side in a push/pull. Keeps the engine bay cooler. Also lined it with reflective fiberglass heat shield sticker sheet rolls. Also installed a cold air intake out the back and heat wrapped the muffler. Everything good to the touch now.
Air already comes in on the right side with the motor spinning and drawing air in (the pull start housing). So having a fan on the left side pulling outside air into the engine compartment helps cool off that side and that's where the hydraulic pump is as well. And having a fan blowing on that helps as well.
There is a hydraulic thumb kit on the colorful 4 letter auction site for about $350. Like I said, I can't name it or list a link or youtube deletes my comment.
That can't be can it? The specs clearly say 80W fans EACH. Your reading of 4.85A at 12V is 58W... for both? I just ordered a pair of slightly smaller 50W fans because I didn't want to push the ~180W max output of the engine's alternator. (My unit has also has cab lights, boom light, cab fan and wiper motor and running the spark has to come out of that also) If the fan maker of the model you used lied about the output and it's actually that low I might have gone with yours instead just to have a better fit on the cutouts on the chassis.@@thegarageconnection
That is what I'm going to do. I checked the voltages with the ground disconnect ON and the hour meter only gets power if the ignition switch is in the run position.
@@thegarageconnection The 16 Gauge wire in the wiring can handle 13 Amps. The 2 fans draw about that amount (12 Volta at 80Watts). No Problem. The hour meter uses a negligible amount of power.
These are ones I bought. 7" inch Black Slim Fan Push Pull Electric Radiator Cooling 12V 800 CFM Mount Kit Universal. Search the biggest online seller. I can't post a link or youtube deletes the comment.
Great video. Thinking it may be better to have the fans blowing out of the machine instead of in so you won’t be sucking dust and debris into your engine compartment.
Even if you run the fans the other way they still have to draw air in from the other chassis openings which will still draw dust and debris into the engine compartment. At least having the fans draw air from outside it will help them stay cooler and increase longevity.
