[dieselenthusiast]

I've had a few people ask that I post some updates, so I decided to start a separate thread.

We have a 10K Equal-i-zer hitch that is 15 years old. It was looking pretty bad, so I had the hitch, sway bars, and shank blasted and powder coated. I also purchased new hardware. Here are a few pictures.

 

[Loki223]

Powder coating is strong, but when subjected to impacts tends to brake off in many large pieces, rather then scratch like paint. But you might be able to match that with a rattle can for touch up once it starts chipping

 

[dieselenthusiast]

I had a few grab hooks and clevis mounts blasted and powder coated, at least the ones that are topside. I left the bottom backing plate/clevis mounts zinc chromate plated. The bottom receiver hitch backing plate with clevis came powder coated black. Even though the shackles will mostly stay in the tool box, the blue looks out of place. So, if I get bored, I might paint the shackle pins John Deere yellow. The yellow pins will also be easier to find if I were to drop them.

 

[Loki223]

When they powder coated those did they do just a blast and powder coat, or sand blast, primer, then powder coat? i've noticed the cost difference to primer material is minimal in terms of powder coating but often times pays off in the long run.

I would definitely paint the clevis and pins over powder coating, while the powder coating can last longer, the paint will be easier to touch up over time. I know my local feed and ranch store has JD yellow in rattle cans readily available, so would be an easy weekend/hour project to get them hung and painted. Any threaded material shouldn't be powder coated, as the powder coating thickness can interfere with the threads. generally you'll see the threads taped off, but with paint the paint will wear off more easily on the threads so it won't be as much of an issue, just something to keep in mind when painting or coating stuff.

Although now you'll either need to take the tractor out this weekend to get the new shiny's dirty, or clean the whole thing so it's all shiny again. It's nice how close a good powder coater can match paint these days

 

[dieselenthusiast]

When they powder coated those did they do just a blast and powder coat, or sand blast, primer, then powder coat? i've noticed the cost difference to primer material is minimal in terms of powder coating but often times pays off in the long run.

That's a good question. I'm not sure.

I would definitely paint the clevis and pins over powder coating, while the powder coating can last longer, the paint will be easier to touch up over time. I know my local feed and ranch store has JD yellow in rattle cans readily available, so would be an easy weekend/hour project to get them hung and painted.

I keep John Deere Green and Yellow spray paint on hand, so that's what I plan to use on the pins.

Although now you'll either need to take the tractor out this weekend to get the new shiny's dirty, or clean the whole thing so it's all shiny again. It's nice how close a good powder coater can match paint these days

The shop that does my blasting/powder coating already had John Deere Green powder coat, so that worked out well.

 

[dieselenthusiast]

We've had lots of short commutes on our 2015 EcoDiesel over the last 4 weeks. I've had zero issues with the stock AGM battery (May 2015 truck build date), but I was curious how charged the battery was. Sure enough, the battery was low. It took about 7 hours or so to get it back to fully charged. I'm glad that I checked it.

 

[Loki223]

That's a good question. I'm not sure.



I keep John Deere Green and Yellow spray paint on hand, so that's what I plan to use on the pins.



The shop that does my blasting/powder coating already had John Deere Green powder coat, so that worked out well.

If they didn't spec a primer, it was probably just straight powder coated. Not really an issue or anything, but adding primer is minimal, and produces a better long term product. So maybe in the future be sure to ask about having them primed prior to powder coating. The key to powder coating is in the prep, like everything else. As long as they did a good job on the sand blasting, the powder coating should hold on pretty good. Just be warry of anything suspected to take impacts or torsional stress as that can cause the powder coat to start flaking off as it is a rigid covering. Anything that will have torsional stress or impacts should be painted, and it is more flexible, and easier to touch up

 

[dieselenthusiast]

I had a little mishap when removing the rear wheel on the tractor. I boogered up the first few threads on the lug bolt and hub. I couldn't get the thread chaser started on the front side, so I came in from the back. I used a little engine oil for lubrication and slowly worked it back and forth until it threaded through. The new lug bolt threaded with no problems.

 

[Loki223]

Always convenient to have a set of taps laying around. a while ago i got the pleasure of showing my DW how convenient they are to have ready to go instead of going to replace a part or hardware

 

[Babin Farms]

Glad to see that your tap sockets came in handy for ya

 

[dieselenthusiast]

If they didn't spec a primer, it was probably just straight powder coated.

I just talked to the guy who owns the shop. He said there's no reason to use primer if blasting down to bare metal. Perhaps it's the type of powder he uses, but he claims that applying straight to the metal has the best adhesion.

 

[dieselenthusiast]

Always convenient to have a set of taps laying around.

I don't use them often, but they come in handy. Mine are actually thread chasers, which clean and straighten the threads. They are not typical taps that shave metal.

Glad to see that your tap sockets came in handy for ya

Good memory! I just bought those tap sockets around the holidays. They work really well. There's an o-ring that holds the tap in place. Here's the YouTube video that sold me on them.

 

[the man in black]

I need to get me a set of thread chasers. Where'd you get those?

 

[dieselenthusiast]

I need to get me a set of thread chasers. Where'd you get those?

Mine are ARP. If I remember correctly, I found the best prices on automotive websites, but I would also check eBay and Amazon. There's nothing cheap about ARP, so I don't blame you for wanting cheaper thread chasers. If you're interested in ARP, here are part numbers that will aid in searching: The Official ARP Web Site | Thread Cleaning Chasers

 

[dieselenthusiast]

I found myself wanting a few more tie-down points on the trailer, so I installed 8 double stud anchor plates. The plates come with stainless screws that thread into stainless swage nuts. I also added stainless nylon insert lock nuts for added security.

 

[dieselenthusiast]

The EcoDiesel with the Big Horn trim level has known issues with high coolant/oil temps under heavy towing loads, especially on mountain passes and long steep grades. I've had my truck derate twice (both times on mountain passes) towing near maximum capacity.

To remedy this problem, I swapped to a high flowing grille. The Big Horn grille has a textured backing with small holes. The Honeycomb grille is wide-open and allows a significant amount of air flow to pass through. I miss the look of the Big Horn grille, but the black honeycomb insert with chrome surround doesn't look too bad since the side steps and tow mirrors are also black.

Here are some before and after pics:

 

[gsbrockman]

What amount of dovetail does that trailer have? Reminds me of my 16+4 10.4K Sure Trac I previously owned.

 

[Babin Farms]

The EcoDiesel with the Big Horn trim level has known issues with high coolant/oil temps under heavy towing loads, especially on mountain passes and long steep grades. I've had my truck derate twice (both times on mountain passes) towing near maximum capacity.

To remedy this problem, I swapped to a high flowing grille. The Big Horn grille has a textured backing with small holes. The Honeycomb grille is wide-open and allows a significant amount of air flow to pass through. I miss the look of the Big Horn grille, but the black honeycomb insert with chrome surround doesn't look too bad since the side steps and tow mirrors are also black.

Here are some before and after pics:

You should probably pull the radiator & oil cooler and clean it. You’d be amazed by how much crud gets built up. I thought I did a good job of keeping the old 6.5 radiator blown out bud decided to pull it, degrease & steam clean it and it was nasty dirty Afterwards my temps stayed in check with no issues

 

[dieselenthusiast]

What amount of dovetail does that trailer have? Reminds me of my 16+4 10.4K Sure Trac I previously owned.

I'm not sure how much length or drop is in the dovetail. The trailer is 83”x16' and 10,000 GVWR. It's a good height for getting the tractor/backhoe loaded and unloaded. The backhoe will drag if the nose of the trailer is a little too low, so the dovetail does help for that application, at least with the factory ramps.

 

[dieselenthusiast]

You should probably pull the radiator & oil cooler and clean it. You’d be amazed by how much crud gets built up.

The radiator on the EcoDiesel is really easy to pull, so that wouldn't be a problem. The oil cooler isn't near the grille, so it stays pretty clean. Here's a picture of the oil cooler mounted to the engine: