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kinghunter 
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Joined: 30 Jan 2010
Location: Kansas/Missouri
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 Topic: Leave running in cold weather
Posted: 11 Feb 2021 at 11:53am |
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Would it be better to leave tractor run in sub zero weather than start it every morning? Going get cold this weekend in Missouri and hate starting tractor up cold in mornings. No heated shop to leave it in. Anyone ever leave one run?
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Ed (Ont)
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Location: New Lowell, Ont
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Posted: 11 Feb 2021 at 12:18pm |
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Seems like overkill to me. How cold is it going to get??
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Fantrum
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Joined: 02 Feb 2021
Location: Missouri
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Posted: 11 Feb 2021 at 1:00pm |
@Ed (Ont) Not as cold as you, from the sounds of it! Ha!
I'm in Missouri and my low is currently -2F over the weekend, high of about +5F.
@kinghunter Get yourself a nice gas tractor and it wouldn't be a problem. :D While I'm sure you could let it run overnight, I do agree that it seems to be overkill. I'm assuming so, but have you considered installing a block heater? They're relatively inexpensive from what I've seen.. My gas 190XT has one.. But I really couldn't tell you why.
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steve(ill)
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Posted: 11 Feb 2021 at 1:29pm |
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throw two tarps over the top and a couple bricks on the ground to cover it.. Set a 1500 watt heater under the tractor, or a salamander heater ( for 30 minutes) of you have that
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Like them all, but love the "B"s.
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steve(ill)
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Posted: 11 Feb 2021 at 1:32pm |
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i have also restarted a tractor at 10 PM and let it run for 15-20 minutes to warm up... Throw a tarp over it to keep the wind off, and then restart at 6 am. Better to set for 7-8 hours than 24.
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Like them all, but love the "B"s.
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Tbone95
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Posted: 11 Feb 2021 at 2:31pm |
Why no block heater??? So simple and effective. We put ours on Christmas tree light timers, set to come on about 2 hours before chores. Could leave it plugged in constantly better than letting run.
You don't say gas or diesel or even model of tractor, but, letting a diesel run idling that long has it's own set of problems (washed cylinder walls for instance).
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kinghunter
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Posted: 11 Feb 2021 at 3:39pm |
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It’s a 8010. Block heater I guess is weak. Not getting motor up like used to. Was just pondering. I’ve left my peterbilt run never shut it off when up north. Thought might be easier on everything to just stay warm. It’s times like this when weatherman says -9 for low I wish I had my wd running.
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jaybmiller
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Posted: 11 Feb 2021 at 3:43pm |
Big problem is when(and it will..) die about 10 minutes once the Zzzzzzs come. Then it'll kill the battery,burnup the coil,hopefully NOT start a fire.
My diesel A-C forklift took 6 tries to get going after 3-4 'subzero' days in a row( only tarped). I did put the battery charger onto it to 'topup' the batteries BEFORE I started it. My gas rider/snoblower to 30-40 seconds to come alive(had sat 2 weeks) in the brrr cold. If this is a 'musthave' running tractor, it really needs a shed or good tarping AND a 'smart' battery charger connected 24/7.
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3 D-14s,A-C forklift, B-112
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TomC
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Posted: 11 Feb 2021 at 5:37pm |
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I have a barn but no heat, I tarp mine with tarps and put a milk house heater behind the loader in front of the bumper, turn the heater on a couple hours before I need it and it pops right off.
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caledonian
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Posted: 11 Feb 2021 at 5:51pm |
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use a 180 diesel every morning to feed cattle. We have had several mornings already with 10 to 18 below temperatures and 2 or 3 more to come. I plug it in for about 3 hours early morning. Starts with no problems. Use winter blend fuel and conditioner Howes at same time . Its in a non heated shed. Engine heaters are money well spent.
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Steve in NJ
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Posted: 11 Feb 2021 at 6:26pm |
If the engine heater in it is weak, install a new one. For a Diesel sitting out in the cold, (even in a shed) can't beat a block heater. Once the new block heater is installed, fire up the motor, let it go up to almost normal operating temp, then shut it down and plug in the heater. That will keep it relatively warm all evening and should fire right up come the morning... HTH Steve@B&B
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39'RC, 43'WC, 48'B, 49'G, 50'WF, 65 Big 10, 67'B-110, 75'716H, 2-620's, & a Motorhead wife
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FREEDGUY
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Posted: 11 Feb 2021 at 6:36pm |
Sadly, I never dreamed Missouri would/could that cold  . In a pinch, we aim a 55,000 btu torpedo heater sitting on a 55 gallon barrel aimed at the block of the XT for a half hour (no block heater at all) and then hit the start button  . Stay warm this weekend  .
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kinghunter
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Posted: 11 Feb 2021 at 7:27pm |
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I shouldn’t said it’s not in a shed. All my tractors have a stall in a lean-to. Was trying to avoid turning wrenches in this weather. My luck in this weather a simple changeover will be disastrous. Im going try the torpedo heater idea in mornings aimed at block with tarp. Block heater gets it luke warm but not like my others. New heater is on its way but won’t get till next week. Thanks for all ideas. Torpedo is set up just got go out plug it in.
and as far as the wd. I’ve hooked it to a generator and let it purr once for 7 days added gas and checked oil every 6 hours. Bird built nest in by fan and wife hit starter last year to mow yard and throwed one blade through hood and other trashed rad. Havnt gotten to it yet. When it warms up it will get fixed ASAP now.
Edited by kinghunter - 11 Feb 2021 at 7:32pm
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PeteMN
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Posted: 11 Feb 2021 at 7:28pm |
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How long a cord is the block heater plugged in to? You want as short a cord as possible to get full power to the heater. I just plug in the block heater on our 8010 for an hour or so before I need to use it. I wouldn't leave a tractor running all night. Maybe just start it and let it warm up before you go to bed then shut it off and throw a tarp over the motor to hold some of the heat in.
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Travis2766
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Posted: 11 Feb 2021 at 9:24pm |
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Don’t forget to put some anti-gel in the fuel, spent my morning de-gelling at -15 today.
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190XT Series III, D17 Series IV, D15 Series II, All Crop 66 and a whole mess of equipment.
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Marlyn nwia
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Posted: 11 Feb 2021 at 10:04pm |
torpedo heater with a short piece of 10 in metal stove chimney pipe with a 90 degree elbow directed up to warm the oil pan. Works great!
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Les Kerf
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Posted: 12 Feb 2021 at 6:37am |
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Winter of '68 we had six feet of snow on the ground and then it cleared up and went to 40 below zero here in Idaho. County called my Dad and asked him to plow out the county road to the highway; he had to build a fire under the old D2 cat to get it started, no way was he going to shut it down. It ran steady for a week around the clock idling all night long until he finally got the road opened up.
Several of my friends worked in the Wyoming/Montana/Dakota oil fields during the 80's-90's, they would idle their pickups around the clock when out on the drilling rigs. This is also common practice in Alaska.
If it absolutely MUST run in the morning, don't shut it off; do set the idle up faster than normal.
If it is NOT a matter of life/death, then by all means fiddle around with whatever means necessary to save a few dollars worth of fuel
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Fred in Pa
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Posted: 12 Feb 2021 at 8:53am |
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With todays oil ,if you are not going to be running it enough in cold weather to install a block heater ,just keep a good turn up in it , and good electrical system . If you are always going to set up a torpedo heater then u have electric to run a block heater .
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nonetheless ,still dead.
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Tbone95
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Posted: 12 Feb 2021 at 10:48am |
 Les Kerf wrote:
Winter of '68 we had six feet of snow on the ground and then it cleared up and went to 40 below zero here in Idaho. County called my Dad and asked him to plow out the county road to the highway; he had to build a fire under the old D2 cat to get it started, no way was he going to shut it down. It ran steady for a week around the clock idling all night long until he finally got the road opened up.
Several of my friends worked in the Wyoming/Montana/Dakota oil fields during the 80's-90's, they would idle their pickups around the clock when out on the drilling rigs. This is also common practice in Alaska.
If it absolutely MUST run in the morning, don't shut it off; do set the idle up faster than normal.
If it is NOT a matter of life/death, then by all means fiddle around with whatever means necessary to save a few dollars worth of fuel
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Well, you're talking very extreme conditions and circumstances. The copper mines in the Copper Harbor area of Michigan left their equipment plugged in at all times when not in use, kept the engines warm, which made for easy starts, but also had some other benefits.
Personally, I don't think the OP's situation is that extreme. We've been feeding cows everyday from September to June with a tractor since the 80's. None of the tractors used ever have had any engine trouble. Most winters we have spells of -teens for a few weeks, and sometimes even colder, cows still need to eat. A good block heater should do the trick just fine.
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Tbone95
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Posted: 12 Feb 2021 at 10:49am |
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I'd give your battery cables and clamps and posts a real good looking over as well.
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Krazy Karl
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Posted: 12 Feb 2021 at 12:29pm |
Travis2766 wrote:
Don’t forget to put some anti-gel in the fuel, spent my morning de-gelling at -15 today. |
If you haven't put in the anti-gel yet your too late.
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Leon B MO
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Posted: 12 Feb 2021 at 5:53pm |
One more thing to attend to, fuel filters, water separators. I've been using my 7060 with grain cart to load trucks, the fuel filter froze up on me the other night, but it was my own fault. It had not been changed in a while and froze up at the inlet. It still has the old glass filter. When I took it off the inlet was a frozen peg from base to filter. Put a torpedo heater on it, a new filter and she's been running fine since. After the old filter thawed out, I dumped it out, the nasty stuff that came out out, yuk. I couldn't expect it to run at 10 degrees. I do use a timer on my block heaters as said above, the best way to go if your block heater is working. (On a side note my brother leaves his 7.3 run all night when he deer hunts and sleeps in the cab till 5am and my 7020 ran for 120 hrs at 2200 rpm pumping water with a "Murrphy Switch") If fuel consumption is not an issue, and you feel confident in your tractors water and oil stability, let her run but not at an idle. It also keeps the trans/hyd fluids warm unlike a block heater. MY 2 CENTS. hey you fellers up north, CLOSE THE DOOR. Good luck kinghunter. Leon B MO
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Uncle always said "Fill the back of the shovel and the front will take care of itself".
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Dakota Dave
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Posted: 12 Feb 2021 at 6:23pm |
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About 15 years ago we had a couple weeks of 20 to 40 below. My dienes sat and ran from the time I went to work till I left to go home 12 hours later. As soon as I got home the block heater got plugged in. I have an idle up switch sets the idle up to 1000 rpm. Buy good winter fuel and I add stanadyne cold weather to it. It's not good to let them idle at low idle for long periods they tend to soot up. They have to run fast enough to keep the exhaust warmed up. Our military trucks that sat and idle pedal all day had lots of problems. If you could get them out on the taxiway and make a couple fast passes they'd blow all the carbon build up out and run good again. We'd usually do it on night shift. Looked like a shower of sparks trailing the truck after a couple passes they'd run great again and stop shooting sparks out the tail pipe
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Travis2766
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Posted: 12 Feb 2021 at 6:24pm |
Krazy Karl wrote:
Travis2766 wrote:
Don’t forget to put some anti-gel in the fuel, spent my morning de-gelling at -15 today. |
If you haven't put in the anti-gel yet your too late. |
So don’t bother putting any in? If it runs by all means put some in the tank!
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190XT Series III, D17 Series IV, D15 Series II, All Crop 66 and a whole mess of equipment.
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victoryallis
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Posted: 12 Feb 2021 at 6:42pm |
Good heavens fix the block heater!!!
My 8050 hadn’t been ran in a month. Plugged it in for couple hours and off she goes. Tuesday night in the single digits plugged in 6080 for 45 minutes and she’s purring.
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FREEDGUY
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Posted: 12 Feb 2021 at 6:52pm |
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steve(ill)
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Posted: 12 Feb 2021 at 7:12pm |
Allis use to sell HD41 dozers to RUSSIA to work in Siberia... Tractors would run 24 /7 NEVER shut off.. Told us the fueled them and even changed the engine oil while refilling at the same time.. Operators stayed in the cab all night sleeping with the tractor to make sure it was operational the next morning.... Of course they had an INCENTIVE... Superv told them if the tractor STOPPED and they could not get it going the next morning, they were WALKING back to MOSCOW. 
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Like them all, but love the "B"s.
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DougG
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Posted: 12 Feb 2021 at 7:16pm |
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Id think itd be ok to let run all night , not at idle around 1000 rpm,s and not every night- if it would gell up the Red bottle 911 will that get that going very simple, some of those 301,s get crancky under 30 degrees, when it gets this cold you do what ya got to !
Edited by DougG - 12 Feb 2021 at 7:16pm
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kinghunter
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Posted: 13 Feb 2021 at 12:37am |
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First I want to thank everyone for there opinions. Maybe I worded it wrong. I can get the tractor started. But I thought if I left it running it would be easier on the hydraulics and everything else. Im very confident in my equipment and fix all leaks. The block heater deal I didn’t realize was weak until this cold snap. One is ordered but of course won’t be in until after it starts warming up. If it’s in the 30’s the heater will allow it to start. It just seems hard on it to start every morning and night in these temps to feed with. I got the torpedo set up to turn on in the morning so I’ll try that method. Just want to say thanks again for everyone’s opinion. Was mainly looking for what would be less stressful on hydraulics. Engine so forth.
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RMD
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Posted: 13 Feb 2021 at 10:27am |
I use a small ceramic heater (but still is 1500 watts) set to blow on the engine with the tractor under a tarp overnight when I know I'm going to have to start the tractor in very cold weather.
I also have one of those magnetic heaters that sticks on the oil pan, but I haven't used that in years - the ceramic heater seems more effective.
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