Let it run or off and on

[logan97]

while doing various chores around the Homestead much of the time I will need maybe 5,10,15 minutes to accomplish a task. Should I leave the K B7800 running or turn it off and re-start it. In the long run is it better,worse, or does not matter to the Engines well being?

[whistlepig]

while doing various chores around the Homestead much of the time I will need maybe 5,10,15 minutes to accomplish a task. Should I leave the K B7800 running or turn it off and re-start it. In the long run is it better,worse, or does not matter to the Engines well being?

This has been discussed in the past. For me 15 minutes or less I leave it running. If the wind chill is -25 degrees and I'm in the middle of the pasture a half mile from the house I leave it running all the time.

[BruceWard]

My B21 seems to get warmer after I turn it off. I tend to let it run at idle so the fan continues to cool it.

[kuboman]

If you are going to be less than 10 min between chores I would leave it idle at an increased rpm to keep the temp up and stable. Anymore than 10 minutes and the fuel wasted out ways any saving on starter motors etc.

[Thomas]

10 mins or more I shut engine down,when temp below 30F or so I like to keep engine running.

[Cami]

@BruceWard: Some reading I did (Four Stroke Performance Tuning by A Graham Bell) suggested that coolant temperature increasing after an engine stops is normal.

There's the issue of cylinder wash....I have nothing to back this up but it's generally accepted that diesel engines stand up to excessive idling better than gasoline engines do on account of cylinder wash, isn't it? On the subject: I once heard a fellow from Caterpillar say to avoid extended idling but if an engine needed to be left running for extended periods, to "bump the rpm's up a bit"

For me, a big part of it is how hard it is to start the equipment and how hard the engine was working in the minute leading up to the stop. If it needs a lot of cranking I'm more inclined to idle the engine for short stops and if it's been working hard I'll let it idle for a minute or two before turning it off.

My Chevy welding truck kicks over in an instant and I have no issues with killing the engine for the shortest breaks.

Of course, on cold days....

[RadarTech]

One other thing to add to the equation of thought...

If you are unlike most of the members here and your tractor sits all alone without use for a week or 2 or 3... then when your using it, those extra minutes idling can be a good thing to keep the battery charged..

alot of starts can drain it,, but an extra 30 minutes of run time over the day can help..



J

[TripleR]

Mechanical issues aside, I just can't get comfortable dismounting a tractor while it is running. I realize it can be done safely, but old habits die hard or in some cases not at all.

[SPYDERLK]

Mechanical issues aside, I just can't get comfortable dismounting a tractor while it is running. I realize it can be done safely, but old habits die hard or in some cases not at all.

I can certainly see that, esp in cases of precarious parking or mobile implements left running. In the cold light of day tho I have to consider the times we use tractors to apply stationary power without a bit of worry about the tractor itself doing anything unpredicted. -- PTO gen, pump, hay elevator, wood chipper, post driver, ... etc. How can this be any different than getting off a parked idling tractor? Quality of the parking job is the only thing I can see.
larry

[TripleR]

I can certainly see that, esp in cases of precarious parking or mobile implements left running. In the cold light of day tho I have to consider the times we use tractors to apply stationary power without a bit of worry about the tractor itself doing anything unpredicted. -- PTO gen, pump, hay elevator, wood chipper, post driver, ... etc. How can this be any different than getting off a parked idling tractor? Quality of the parking job is the only thing I can see.
larry

Oh, I didn't say it made sense nor that it couldn't be done safely, just that in my 60's, having spent my formative years and later on old iron without much in the way of safety features, it is just hard for "me" to feel comfortable doing it.

It doesn't bother my sons a bit as all they have ever used is modern equipment with brakes that actually work, safety switches etc.