To idle to not to idle

[BlackRaptor]

Hey guys,
I've been thinkin about this one for a couple days now.
I've always been of the mind set to idle a diesel vs turning it off.

So my rule of thumb is if the tractor is going to sit for less then 10 minutes while i'm loading something up i'll just idle it vs turning it on and off.
I know on the big diesel engine it's better for them to just run vs being turn on and off a lot.

What do you guys do idle of start and stop them a lot like you would a gas engine.

[Soundguy]

Both my diesel tractors, a Nh 7610s, and a ford 5000.. i do pretty much like you do.. less than 10m of idel I'll let her run vs turning off.

soundguy

[ShookFarm]

Idle it for short periods. The wear and tear from startup on a motor is a bear in the long run. Ask the railroad, tug boat or any diesel operator, diesel motors are not made to startup and shutdown repeatedly.

Any motor, gas, diesel, lp, you name it, suffers from a lack of startup lubrication - residual lubrication notwithstanding. You also have issues with head gaskets and the heat up cool down cycles over the life of these beasts. A couple minutes of idling here or there won't cost that much. Diesel motors get exceptional mileage - don't let the cost of fuel scare you into operating too conservatively.

[davefr]

Originally Posted by ShookFarm

Idle it for short periods. The wear and tear from startup on a motor is a bear in the long run. Ask the railroad, tug boat or any diesel operator, diesel motors are not made to startup and shutdown repeatedly.

But don't ask UPS!!

I agree with the "leave it run" for mega diesel engines like on a locomotive or ship but not for farm tractors.

If anyone knows the economics of letting small diesel engines idle vs. restarting them it would be UPS with a fleet of more then 200,000 vehicles and an increasingly large portion of them being diesels. They always shut down and restart even for a couple minutes and it's all been highly analyzed for best ROI.

[ShookFarm]

I don't disagree, for them they obviously believe it is in their best interest to not idle. Though there may be more at work than the pure cost of operation. Most all of those trucks are stick shift, they are parked in well traveled areas so the liability cost of one of them taking off and running over someone while unmanned is probably of greater concern than the fuel and maintenance. This is pure conjecture, but taken from the point of view of our litigious society.

Also, have you ever taken note of how ineffeicient their vehicles appear to operate? I have personally been in the local UPS depot a number of times and a good number of UPS' trucks have significant blow-by issues. The smoke and soot clouds the depot for some time. Standing start from my place of employment, same issue. Those trucks smoke to high heaven.

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Deere recommends not to idle their engines.

[Fred Deere]

Originally Posted by Kyle_in_Tex

Deere recommends not to idle their engines.

I turn my little 3005 off if I am going to be off it for even 3 or 4 minutes.

[Ken Cunningham]

Doesnt idling cause carbon build up? Ive read posts on here about stuck rings due to carbon build up supposedly from excessive idle.

Any body use seafoam, i read on the bottle that i saw in the store that it helps with stuck rings.

[tjkadar]

"Avoid Idling Engine

Allowing engine to idle at low rpm uses fuel inefficiently, and can cause a buildup of carbon in the engine.

If tractor must be left with the engine running more than three or four minutes, minimum engine speed should be 1200 rpm. "

This is directly from John Deere's owner manual for the 5425.

[BlackRaptor]

Hmm interesting.
Kinda flip flops everything i thought i knew about diesel engines.