HST tranny's in the cold???

   / HST tranny's in the cold???
  • Thread Starter
#11  
Well not quite arctic circle, but it can be chilly. It actually makes summer more enjoyable..... not kidding. I grew up in Saskatchewan which can have stretches (2+weeks) of -25 to -30 degC anytime from November 'til April. I now live just east of the Rockies and get the 'Chinook' effect (not sure if Wyoming and Colorado get those or not) so it can be -25C today, and +15C tomorrow (no exaggeration). Then there's a melt, and it's muddy, and it feels like spring, in January!!!

A small part of me actually misses getting snow in November, and it staying 'til early May!! Weird I know, but......

IMO Christmas should be white, fall should smell like harvest and have every color imaginable in the trees, spring should have that 'spring' smell, I should have snow to push around with my 4720, and I hope my kids (when they come) will always be able to skate on the pond!!

Google maps says 1902 miles to Phoenix......

How did this become a weather forum??

-Jer.
 
   / HST tranny's in the cold??? #12  
I think you'd be okay down to about 0 degrees F. After that, I think not only the transmission, but also many seals will become hardened and more apt to fail or leak. Running the engine will not warm up hydraulic fluid very quickly. Since the main hydraulic pump is operating into an open-center system and the HST is only being circulated by the charge pump, it will take much longer to heat up the 7 to 10 gallons of fluid your tractor has. Keeping your tractor inside a heated space is the best solution. Having a heater for the hydraulic/HST fluid would be the next best in my opinion.
 
   / HST tranny's in the cold??? #14  
My JD 4110 has amost 3000 hrs on it and has plowed every winter of it's life diong just as you described , let her warm up and go easy on it , untill it warms up.
The ony problem I have had in the winter is the fenders are just about gone from the salt on the roads , I have tried everything -rinsing it off- salt away- fluid film - wd - fuel etc. But no problems with the hydro as long as the trans lines don't rust off next :(
 
   / HST tranny's in the cold??? #15  
Lone Oak that sounds like "opportunity knocking". You can make a bundle of money by forming fiberglass or plastic fenders for your tractors out that way. Or start a spray coating business where you spray coat fenders with that Rhino liner or linex before the fenders are eaten away.
 
   / HST tranny's in the cold???
  • Thread Starter
#16  
Lone Oak Landscaping said:
My JD 4110 has amost 3000 hrs on it and has plowed every winter of it's life diong just as you described , let her warm up and go easy on it , untill it warms up.
The ony problem I have had in the winter is the fenders are just about gone from the salt on the roads , I have tried everything -rinsing it off- salt away- fluid film - wd - fuel etc. But no problems with the hydro as long as the trans lines don't rust off next :(
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OK, thanks for that, appreciate it.
 
   / HST tranny's in the cold??? #17  
Treemonkey1000 said:
Lone Oak that sounds like "opportunity knocking". You can make a bundle of money by forming fiberglass or plastic fenders for your tractors out that way. Or start a spray coating business where you spray coat fenders with that Rhino liner or linex before the fenders are eaten away.
Click to expand...

Rust check them, just like we do with cars.
 
   / HST tranny's in the cold??? #18  
Actually, you should warm the tractor up for the first 10 min (at -20 to -40C) with the clutch down. You should be parking it with the clutch dogged down (should be a lever or clip to hold it down). The hydraulic pump will gently warm the fluid up some. Then drive it slow until it warms up. If the tractor squeals when you use the loader when cold,you may want to think about switching to a lower viscosity or synthetic fluid. JD does make fluid for your temperatures. A magnetic oil pan heater on the transmission housing would pretty much solve it.

The only "damage" may be if the pre-charge pump over pressures the HST filter and blows out the gasket. Kubota's had that issue (so did FNH) 5-10 years ago. Newer stronger filter housings solved it. I don't know if JD's had the issue or not.
 
   / HST tranny's in the cold???
  • Thread Starter
#19  
john_bud said:
Actually, you should warm the tractor up for the first 10 min (at -20 to -40C) with the clutch down. You should be parking it with the clutch dogged down (should be a lever or clip to hold it down). The hydraulic pump will gently warm the fluid up some. Then drive it slow until it warms up. If the tractor squeals when you use the loader when cold,you may want to think about switching to a lower viscosity or synthetic fluid. JD does make fluid for your temperatures. A magnetic oil pan heater on the transmission housing would pretty much solve it.

The only "damage" may be if the pre-charge pump over pressures the HST filter and blows out the gasket. Kubota's had that issue (so did FNH) 5-10 years ago. Newer stronger filter housings solved it. I don't know if JD's had the issue or not.
Click to expand...

What Clutch??? Mine's the tractor for Simpletons: Left foot go forward, right foot go back......

-J.

-J.
 
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