Block heater or tank type heater

[Jon Obe]

Hi everyone, I'm new to the forums and just became the owner of a 2004 DK 65C with a FEL! Here in the U.P. Of Michigan it gets very cold and my tractor takes a lot to get started and I need it to feed round bales every other day. I was looking for input on what size or type of heater to use to make starting easier, if a block heater does anyone know the size and position on the engine? If a tank type what heater line should I use? The engine is a 3 cylinder Perkins 903-27t. Thanks for any help. Jon Oberlin

 

[mddorange]

:welcome:
To the forum from Alabama. I am sure it is cold and snowy up there.

 

[Jon Obe]

Thanks for the welcome! It can be very cold, it was 8 above this morning and the tractor started a little hard, had to run the glow plugs 4 times, but it is supposed to be well below zero by the end of the week and that has me concerned.

 

[farmeratheart]

Hi everyone, I'm new to the forums and just became the owner of a 2004 DK 65C with a FEL! Here in the U.P. Of Michigan it gets very cold and my tractor takes a lot to get started and I need it to feed round bales every other day. I was looking for input on what size or type of heater to use to make starting easier, if a block heater does anyone know the size and position on the engine? If a tank type what heater line should I use? The engine is a 3 cylinder Perkins 903-27t. Thanks for any help. Jon Oberlin

According to the Phillipsandtemro.com site, the Perkins 900 series of engines takes the model 3100013 six hundred watt block heater from Zerostart. As to which freeze plug to remove, only you are looking at your tractor!

Good luck.

Frank

 

[RickB]

According to the Phillipsandtemro.com site, the Perkins 900 series of engines takes the model 3100013 six hundred watt block heater from Zerostart. As to which freeze plug to remove, only you are looking at your tractor!

Good luck.

Frank

Looking at the tractor doesn't give much of an indication of how much room is behind any particular soft plug.

 

[samandmax]

tractor supply in iron mountain should be about 45 minutes from you. the inline radiator hose heater they sell will work real well.You just need to know if your hose is 1and 1half or 1and 3quarters in size. Six thousand watts, 29dollars. One year warranty. Easy to install, if ever a problem easy to replace. Some of the block heaters are held by friction which could leak. Sometimes you have to remove an item from the engine. I know it sounds crazy but I was told I should use a specific plug in the block or the heater wouldn't work because of the design of the water flow. That plug was blocked by the injection pump.
injection pump

 

[ritcheyvs]

The consensus among old Mercedes Diesel owners is that an actual block heater (that replaces a freeze plug) is the best but also the hardest to install. Even advanced DIY types recommend professional installation so it must be a real pain. On the other hand, the lower heater hose setup is fast, easy, low cost, and reversible just by replacing the hose. That is the route I'd choose if time was a factor.

 

[ericb2400]

I have heard of using a hair dryer or heat gun directed into the air intake a few minutes before starting I have never tried it but it sounds like a good idea

 

[2Buckslake]

Hi everyone, I'm new to the forums and just became the owner of a 2004 DK 65C with a FEL! Here in the U.P. Of Michigan it gets very cold and my tractor takes a lot to get started and I need it to feed round bales every other day. I was looking for input on what size or type of heater to use to make starting easier, if a block heater does anyone know the size and position on the engine? If a tank type what heater line should I use? The engine is a 3 cylinder Perkins 903-27t. Thanks for any help. Jon Oberlin

Get online & search Phillips & Temro. They make freeze plug & tank type heaters. On my NH TC45DA I have a tank type heater rated at 120V/1500watts. I had to tap into my lower radiator hose with a "T" type fitting, and then ran a hose to the tank heater, and then out of the heater to a fitting on the engine block. This unit will warm up the engine in about an hour, and then will cycle on & off according to the outside temp. It has built in thermostat which regulates that. On the other hand, I have a 4cyl Kubota engine in my standby generator which I have a freeze plug type heater from Phillips & Temro, aka Zerostart, which I bought from Amazon.com. It doesn't have a thermostat, but it's only 400 watts, and it is in a freeze plug on the back of the cylinder head. Works great! As for what samandmax posted, I'm thinking the one he described is 600 Watts, not 6000 watts. A 6000 watt/120v heater would require 50amps to run it! Anyway, you can also call Phillips and they should have a tech dept. that could steer you in the right direction.:thumbsup:

 

[Jon Obe]

Thanks for all the input, just have to decide which way to go.