4340c and the cold weather

[citytransplant]

It then moves from the column "Work" to the column "Play". FFLF (Female Fun Limiting Factor) rules will then apply.

Early in my tractorin' career, I made a significant mistake by breaking out into a huge grin while doing "work" on the tractor. It was then that I learned that a tractor should never be positioned such that a wife could observe head-on, the husband-tractor-operator's face. The attached photo shows what I found when I returned home from work the following day.

She ain't been the same gal since.

 

[bota7800]

This is not meant as a flyby Montana insult, it is a serious question. (I came to this forum because I am thinking of getting a cab tractor):

Is this kind of cold starting performance common with Montanas? We have had much colder temps here than "the teens " and my small tractor started up OK. I just had to heat the glowplugs for the max recommended of 15 seconds. The starter had to crank a few extra revolutions and there was more black smoke than usual.

 

[chzhead]

This is not meant as a flyby Montana insult, it is a serious question. (I came to this forum because I am thinking of getting a cab tractor):

Is this kind of cold starting performance common with Montanas? We have had much colder temps here than "the teens " and my small tractor started up OK. I just had to heat the glowplugs for the max recommended of 15 seconds. The starter had to crank a few extra revolutions and there was more black smoke than usual.

Here in the Missouri Ozarks, I have used my 4940 in the winter, when the temperature was as low as single digits and it started with no problem, provided i let the glow plugs warm up first. I do hve the fuel winterized though. if not, trying to start it would have been a different matter.

Its an open cab too, I just make sure I have on boots, gloves and coveralls and am good to go.... Compared to growing up in northern Wisconsin, working outside on a sunny 10 degree day is a piece of cake.

 

[Maka]

Hello Bota,

The problem is not the tractor. The fuel gelled it would appear in the original posters post. We were in the negatives last week and we have no problem starting the Montanas. Good luck to you.

Maka

 

[WEJ]

If you want to see how the Montana handles winter.... Just click on my video below!!!!


YouTube - Snowblowing and Four-Wheeling

 

[uphere]

I get minus 30 degrees (of course that's in that dam celius!) up here quite often and I have just plugged in the coolant heater, turned the glow plug for awhile and let her rip ... she (2740) complains a little but only for a few seconds (come to think of it, if the other girl would only complain that long I'd be doing well!).

I'm running 10W30 oil in her (actually IHC diesel oil) in the winter and it seems to work fine.

 

[Tul01]

We are in the middle of a pretty good deep freeze up here, the last couple nites it was down to -32C( about -40F I think) with winds in the 40 mph range. Both days I was up at 5:00am to snow blow the drifts. We have a recirculating coolant heater which I plug in when its this cold (with the wind chill the temps are below -50!) and our tractor 5740c starts like it was summer. The hydraulics complain for a bit but I let it warm up for a bout 1/2 hour (also lets the heater take the chill out of the cab). Within an hour of snowblowing I have to take my jacket/touque off in the cab as it is getting too warm. One thing I have found though is that even with the tractor warmed up, if you haven't used the hydraulics for 10-15minutes on the loader, you have to give it a good warm up through the range of motion before it speeds up because the oil gets so stiff sitting in it. I probably could look at switching to synthetic, but I don't know if that would be too thin in the summer? I don't have the facilities to be changing out 15 gallons of trans/hydraulic twice a year. What we have is working and I don't believe in fixing whats not broke!

 

[uphere]

I hear ya (in Ontario) ... but once they warm up they tend to do just fine - I agree the hydraulics are a little stiff (and this winter I've had my loader joystick freeze solid - fixed it thanks to advice from Maka) and it maybe the fluid. My IHC runs HyTran which works well in all weather - not sure I can use it in the Montana?

The only other problem I've had so far this winter was a antifreeze leak at my coolant heater - no big deal. I have been surprised as to how good the R4 tires (not loaded but with a rear blade on) have been given the amount of snow I've seen!

Even though I doubt they tested these tractors in minus 50 degree weather(at least not in Korea!) they get a good grade from me.

 

[chinawall]

You can get a magnetic KAT at Northern Tool. They're on the WEB.
Goood luck.