Agri Vehicles Insurance from Greenlands

Author Topic: Tractors in cold weather  (Read 6804 times)

waterhouse

  • Guest
Tractors in cold weather
« on: December 21, 2010, 04:52:09 pm »
In the cold the hydraulic controls for my loader seize up until the engine has warmed up for 20mins.   I suppose its the oil being cold but is there a quicker answer?

Also I got fuel starvation this afternoon which I assume was cold diesel struggling to get through the filter.  We aren't getting this on the cars but I use red diesel for the tractor.  Is there an additive to help?

robert waddell

  • Guest
Re: Tractors in cold weather
« Reply #1 on: December 21, 2010, 05:20:17 pm »
first what make of tractor and what age
when did you buy the diesel what you had was wax ing of the diesel  both problems are easy to overcome but answer the three points first

waterhouse

  • Guest
Re: Tractors in cold weather
« Reply #2 on: December 21, 2010, 08:34:29 pm »
Kubota L3250 certainly over a dozen years old.  The red diesel came from my neighbours brand new bunded tank so is recent and filtered

robert waddell

  • Guest
Re: Tractors in cold weather
« Reply #3 on: December 21, 2010, 08:48:17 pm »
yes but it has been -20 or there abouts i think it is only protected down to -13
you can mix kero with the diesel also mix petrol 1 gal to 10 gal of diesel to be on the safe side add some 2 stroke oil petrol is not alubricant put petrol in tank first
with the hydraulic system you could use a thinner oil IE if it is sae40 drain and refill with sae10 remember to change oil when the temp gets back to normal also check with handbook or dealer to see if this method is recommended

waterhouse

  • Guest
Re: Tractors in cold weather
« Reply #4 on: December 21, 2010, 10:13:36 pm »
Thank you.  Although it warmed up today the tank is on top of the engine and there were some inches of snow on top of that so the fuel was insulated from warming.  Adding kerosene sounds straight forward enough: I thought petrol had a low cetane number and made a bad CI fuel?

Has reminded me to get a fuel filter funnel to keep water out of the fuel.

robert waddell

  • Guest
Re: Tractors in cold weather
« Reply #5 on: December 21, 2010, 10:28:51 pm »
in europe thirty years ago it was standard practise to add petrol to diesel to stop waxing and it did work

digit

  • Joined Sep 2009
  • near Swansea
Re: Tractors in cold weather
« Reply #6 on: December 22, 2010, 07:30:30 am »
Try changing the fuel filter, and if its got a glass sediment bottle on it clean that as well. It happens to my machinery, and i'm very carefull when it comes to putting fuel in, that no dirt or water goes in the tank, but you'll still get condensation in the tank and you only need a drop of water to freeze in the fuel line to stop the engine running

waterhouse

  • Guest
Re: Tractors in cold weather
« Reply #7 on: December 22, 2010, 09:33:38 am »
Well I'm going to try your suggestions so thanks very much.

I do also remember seeing over 40 years ago at some border crossing drivers lighting fires under their trucks' engines.  I also remember getting a frozen butane gas stove to work by putting the cylinder on one of the rings.  Brought the pressure up a treat!

robert waddell

  • Guest
Re: Tractors in cold weather
« Reply #8 on: December 22, 2010, 10:32:36 am »
dint be like the Lorrie driver that had frozen fuel a passer by enlightened him of the petrol solution did not tell him mix first still not going lit a fire bellow tank result burned out artic unit

claire

  • Joined Oct 2007
  • Falkirk
    • Clairesgarden
    • Facebook
Re: Tractors in cold weather
« Reply #9 on: December 22, 2010, 02:28:38 pm »
in Canada they use these things...I have copied and pasted from my friends answer to the question ....what do you mean plug in the car??

"because vehicles won't start in intense cold, as the oil in the oilpan freezes into a block of black ice, we install block heaters to keep this from happening. a block heater is a kind of electric blanket for an engine. it provides enough heat to keep the oil in a liquid state, so the engine can turn over to start. as heat production requires a lot of electrical power, this can't be provided by the vehicle's battery without draining it, so the block heater has a short electrical cord attached to it for plugging in. this isn't needed in the summer months, so cords are generally tucked up out of the way then, to protect them. parking stalls in northern cities usually have numerous electrical outlets designed into them for this reason. it's very common (especially early in the winter) to see someone who's rushed off to work, not quite awake yet, with an extension cord dragging from their vehicle as they go, because they forgot to unplug it before driving off."

bit safer than lighting fires anyway.

I wouldn't know my new to me car is in the garage for the forseeable future anyway. unless somebody has an electric power steering motor for a skoda fabia lying about??


bazzais

  • Joined Jan 2010
    • Allt Y Coed Farm and Campsite
Re: Tractors in cold weather
« Reply #10 on: January 05, 2011, 11:08:21 pm »
I have a friend from canada and she says its pretty normall for people to just leave their cars running constantly :)

Ta

Baz

ser3dan

  • Joined Jul 2010
Re: Tractors in cold weather
« Reply #11 on: January 21, 2011, 07:21:17 am »
in Canada they use these things...I have copied and pasted from my friends answer to the question ....what do you mean plug in the car??

"because vehicles won't start in intense cold, as the oil in the oilpan freezes into a block of black ice, we install block heaters to keep this from happening. a block heater is a kind of electric blanket for an engine. it provides enough heat to keep the oil in a liquid state, so the engine can turn over to start. as heat production requires a lot of electrical power, this can't be provided by the vehicle's battery without draining it, so the block heater has a short electrical cord attached to it for plugging in. this isn't needed in the summer months, so cords are generally tucked up out of the way then, to protect them. parking stalls in northern cities usually have numerous electrical outlets designed into them for this reason. it's very common (especially early in the winter) to see someone who's rushed off to work, not quite awake yet, with an extension cord dragging from their vehicle as they go, because they forgot to unplug it before driving off."

I think our equivalant is a Kenlowe hot start unit - very nice when it's very cold outside!

hughesy

  • Joined Feb 2010
  • Anglesey
Re: Tractors in cold weather
« Reply #12 on: January 23, 2011, 09:39:44 pm »
Hadn't started our old Nuffield since about the end of November, before the snow anyway. Went to it the other day, put the battery back on, wiped the frost off and it fired up straight away just like I'd only been using it an hour before. Well impressed.

 

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