What are your tractor winterizing tips/lessons learned.

[edrobyn]

This will be my first winter with a tractor in many years and my first ever with a diesel. I live in Tennessee so our winters are not quite as harsh as our northern neighbors but it can get pretty cold here in January. My tractor is located on another piece of property about 20 miles from my house so I won't be using my tractor very little or perhaps at all for about 3 months. The tractor stays covered in a small shed which is enclosed on three sides. There is no electricity in this shed for a block heater. What would you recommend I do to store/protect my tractor during the months of non use?

 

[toxicjeeper]

Most importantly for myself is getting the inline coolant heater in and having a means of plugging it in..but it gets real cold here and you mentioned not needed to start it for a few months...so secondly make sure your diesel tank is full( less likley to get water in the fuel via condesation)..I would also look at some kind of rodent deterrent if it is going to be sitting for that long...

 

[grsthegreat]

Personally if it were mine, and being left sitting for 3 months, id pull the battery and place it on a trickle charger at home in the garage. Id keep the diesel topped off and thats about all i would do. you have it under cover and thats the best thing to do.

 

[edrobyn]

Would you recommend an additive to the fuel maybe like Sta-bil?

 

[Gordon Gould]

Personally if it were mine, and being left sitting for 3 months, id pull the battery and place it on a trickle charger at home in the garage. Id keep the diesel topped off and thats about all i would do. you have it under cover and thats the best thing to do.

What he said. :thumbsup:

If you do go out and run it make sure you give it enough of a workout to get it well warmed up and any condensation dryed out.

 

[Soundguy]

yep.. 3months of cold and no power or use?

take battery out and top off at home.. bring back when you need it. fuel fuel tank with something like power service white bottle in it... make sure you run it some like that to get the power service into the pump and injectors / lines.

make sure she is serviced and have no water in any of the 'oil' sumps... and make sure your coolant is up to snuff for the expected cold you are gonna get.. same with water ballasted tires.. make sure they are ready for the freeze...e tc.

for a starting aid on diesels.. I'd stay away from ether and use wd-40 instead...

if needed..

soundguy

 

[jonyyuma]

Most of it has been mentioned above. This year I added" install bag of mothballs under the dash and add small sack of fabric softener sheets under the hood". After a Pack-rat Totally ruined the wiring Harness on my Chevy hunting truck, I shutter to have it happen to the Kubota? I am planning a Mouse bucket too, as I cannot keep up with the De-con.

 

[bigbull338]

as my tractor is used year round i dont do any winterizing more than normal things.

 

[JDgreen227]

as my tractor is used year round i dont do any winterizing more than normal things.

Something I learned the first winter I removed and stored my 7-Iron mower deck, CLEAN THE UNDERSIDE BEFORE YOU STORE IT, not in the springtime. I was too lazy to powerwash the underside the first fall I stored the deck, by the time spring came around the grass had hardened to the consistency of concrete, even with a power washer and a turbo nozzle it took forever to clean it. Doing the job in the fall takes a third of the time!!! TAKE HEED !!!!

 

[bigbull338]

yes if your storing a mower deck its smart to wash out from under it an on top of it.mine is a fullsize farm tractor.