Five Minutes to Warm up a Tractor???

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Harold_V
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Re: Five Minutes to Warm up a Tractor???

Post by Harold_V »

BadDog wrote: Holding the key in heat for 30 seconds is way more frustrating.
Heh! While I realize this is about tractors, not trucks, my Dodge Cummins will start instantly, regardless of temperature (as low as single digits F), and without preheat. Not that I prefer doing it that way, but I've done so a few times when I absent mindedly got in and hit the key. It runs poorly, but it starts, and stays running. Fortunately, it lives in a heated garage, and we generally have warmer temps, typically above freezing, so long as we have rain. Clear skies? That's when we get the cold temps.

Kubota tractor? My little 6100 does require preheat. I suspect compression is too low for it to ignite, even when it's warm outside. Starts just fine without preheat if it's been running, though. I made a wide key from stainless so it was easier to hold in the preheat position. Old, arthritic hands get tired, dontcha know!

H
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BadDog
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Re: Five Minutes to Warm up a Tractor???

Post by BadDog »

My B2150 is much the same, but it came with a key with about 2" cross section. What I want to know is why nobody has marketed (to my knowledge) fast glow plugs for a Kubota. I recently bought "fast heat" glows for the TD I've put together for my next desert truck (finally found the body/chassis and can get started!!), but have found nothing for a Kubota. But like yours, I suspect mine is cantankerous starting because it's lost compression, but it runs great once it lights, so no imminent rebuild is in my plan at the moment. I've also got a cool little old school B7100 I want to make a project of, if I ever get around to it.

And I took my Duramax through a blizzard and at or below zero at night. It has a heat cycle of maybe 5 seconds, and lit off without complaint after sitting in a hotel parking lot over-night, but I gave it a roughly 10 minute warm up before putting it in gear. I was most worried about fuel gelling, but the Stanadyne I was running apparently held that off. Going further OT, my daughter and SIL lived in Fairbanks AK for 2 years (Army). I can't imagine living there. Even with heating pads on oil pan and both batteries, and a block heater, he still had to crank his 6.5 TD a few times at night, or it wouldn't start in the morning. That was for roughly 2 months or more in the winter, lows were just over -60*F lows at night. After the first winter he sold it and got a gasser.
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steamin10
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Re: Five Minutes to Warm up a Tractor???

Post by steamin10 »

Good practice to me dictates some warm up is a good idea.

I have my Ford 350 and the IH 7.3. It has an auto timer that sets the glow plugs for a start. I never had any issue with the system. the Case/Mitsubishi has a stupid pilot thing I never go by. In summer the glow plugs is not needed, but shortens the crank time to only a few rounds and its lit. In winter, cold starts are tougher, with several tries before it stays lit. Cold weather below freezing is a definate warm up period. once there is heat in the engine at all, it warms the fuel in the pump and the exhaust cleans up, but stays visible in cold weather. In zero weather, I add a quart or so of gas to the fuel, 5 glalons, and it starts and runs much better. If the weather warms, I add fresh diesel to capacity for fear of running too hot. Likewise I will run the Ford with one tank spiked with a gallon of gas for cold starts and full diesel in the other.

The small amount of gas raises the heat value a bit for startrng, but mainly cuts the waxiness of the road fuel we get around here. A neighbor had a D model Mercedes, that he kept beyond all reason. after he died, I found that he had furnace oil tanks in his garage, and thats what he ran on. Furnace fuel usually has a lot of wax left in and it wont run well in winter, at least in an engine, so he taught me to spike the fuel for cold weather.. It is totally illegal to avoid the road taxes in this manner, and dyes in the fuel will show off road fuel being off color, so dont do it.
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