John Deere Cool-Gard II vs Prestone Command HD

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Since my previous cooling system post has gone south, I thought I'd redeem myself and post another question.
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It's time for fluid maintenance on my John Deere 1025 subCUT tractor with a Yanmar diesel NA engine. Of course the owners manual recommends John Deere products including Cool-Gard II coolant. But the local JD dealer wants $28.22 for a 4L jug of their pre-mix, and a local distributor has Prestone Command HD premix on sale for $8.99 a 4L jug.

Is the John Deere coolant 3 times better?

The owners manual says if JD products are not available then use a "coolant intended for use with heavy duty diesel engines," and they want nitrite free, "providing cylinder liner cavitation protection according to JD Cavitation Test Method or a fleet run study run at or above 60% load capacity, protects cooling system metal (cast iron, aluminum alloys, and copper alloys such as brass) from corrosion."

I have no idea what the last bunch of stuff means.

If they want cavitation protection then the Yanmar engine must have wet cylinder liners, but I can't actually find that information anywhere. I've only found vague references to European standards wanting no nitrites but again I have no idea what this really means.

Any coolant experts out there that can clarify all this? Thanks!
 
Thanks very much Ramblejam, much appreciated!

I would have bought the wrong one, as it's the red coloured HD Diesel Extended Life version that they're selling. The don't have the nitrite free yellow version.

I guess it's Cool-Gard II then.
 
Good tip DoubleWasp, thanks. I did some searching an it's actually stocked at a local Walmart according to their website, $27 and change for concentrate. This would be half price as the Cool-Guard II is pre-mix only unless I buy a drum.
 
Originally Posted By: DoubleWasp
I'd check on availability of Rotella Ultra ELC. Nitrite-free, with everything they want from a coolant, without the JD price tag.


Rotella Ultra ELC does not carry ASTM D7583 approval. Therefore, it would not be an appropriate selection for this application.
 
Thanks again Ramblejam! You saved me a trip. I'll get the Cool-Gard II and be done with it. At least I'll always know what engine it's for.
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So after buying this, on my shelf will be bottles in various states of fill, of:

John Deere Cool-Gard II
Havoline Conventional
Zerex G-05, concentrate and pre-mix
"Certified" green conventional (Canadian Tire)
Prestone Dex-Cool

I'm glad I won't have to worry about the FCA OAT in my 2013 Dodge Dart for another 7 years. I need more air cooled cars.
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You Canadians always seem to pay a premium on everything. I have several pieces of Deere equipment and run their fluids exclusively,and they are priced at or below the competitors, which is a bargain as the Deere fluids are superior to most.
 
I hear you Roadrunner, and completely agree. I'm always impressed with the good prices I see in the US, but now that our Canuck buck is under 80 cents US it's much less beneficial to shop in the US unless its a great deal.

I would never question using John Deere products if their prices were comparable to competitors here in Canada. I agree their fluids are excellent. It was $28 vs $9 a gallon that started me questioning things.

At least I only have change coolant every 2 years, and it's a Yanmar 3TNV not a Cummins QSX15.
 
CoolGard II specs are 6 years/6,000 hours of service life, why are yoou changing at 2 year intervals?
 
I was wondering about that. The JD owners manual states to change the coolant every 2 years, yet recommends its 6 year coolant. Are Yanmar engines particularly hard on coolant?
 
Well guess what my owners manual didn't specify? The owners manual that came with my tractor is labeled "Compact Utility Tractors, 1023E, 1026R." Mine is a 1025R which means it came from JD as a TLB, same tractor otherwise, though the engine code is different from the other two.

My manual says:

Annually--check radiator coolant freeze point and clarity of coolant.

Every Two years or 2000 hours--flush and replace coolant. Flush cooling system and replace coolant with John Deere Cool-Gard II engine coolant.

I wondered why I should check annually if I'm going change it the next year anyway, unless these Yanmar engines are somehow very hard on coolant. Mine is EPA Tier 4 compliant but thankfully it's below the HP cutoff so no DPF nor major. I'll check with my JD dealer and see what their take is on it. Very interesting!
 
So I went to the local JD dealer and spoke with both the parts guy and the service dept. They all looked a me a bit funny when I showed them the page I printed off the JD website highlighting the "good for 6 years/6000 hours" part. The parts guy deferred to the service guy. the service guy bobbed and weaved a bit then finally said to follow what's in the owner's manual and leave it at that. He said that's what they do when servicing any equipment, and said they don't leave Cool-Gard II in place for 6 years in anything. He did recommend annual coolant analysis.
 
I maintain numerous John Deere tractors at my workplace, from 25 hp to 75 hp. I've had numerous problems with the operator manual coolant capacity being incorrect. On our 4155 the manual's coolant capacity was 100% off. After several contacts with their corporate service guys they acknowledged the mistake in the manual.

I ran into the same problem this spring on our 5420. In my case, refilling the system according to the manual resulted in incorrect concentration levels. My mistrust became so bad that I bought a refractometer to verify coolant concentration. Refractometers work really well and I recommend them to everyone.

I also had the same problem on an industrial Kohler standby generator with Ford engine.

I've bumped all my tractors up to at least a 4 year coolant change on Coolgard II and might go longer if testing indicates no problems.
 
Originally Posted By: Ramblejam
Originally Posted By: DoubleWasp
I'd check on availability of Rotella Ultra ELC. Nitrite-free, with everything they want from a coolant, without the JD price tag.


Rotella Ultra ELC does not carry ASTM D7583 approval. Therefore, it would not be an appropriate selection for this application.


Given that the engine manufacturer does not call for ASTM D7583, how is this even remotely relevant, other than to keep people buying CG2 at an outrageous price to get a specification that Yanmar does not even call for?

Yanmar engines have been coming factory filled with Rotella ELC for years.

JD calling for their own spec on the coolant is no different than GM calling for Dexcool in their Honda-engined Saturn SUV's.

Beyond that, Rotella ELC definitely meets the standard of being "coolant intended for use with heavy duty diesel engines," and they want nitrite free, "providing cylinder liner cavitation protection according to JD Cavitation Test Method or a fleet run study run at or above 60% load capacity, protects cooling system metal (cast iron, aluminum alloys, and copper alloys such as brass) from corrosion."

So how in the world is it not appropriate?
 
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