Better to idle the tractor or turn it off?

[PapaPerk]

Here is the short answer. I read an article in Progressive Farmer about 5 or more years ago. Several diesel engine builders were queried about this question , here is what Cummins and Cat answered with. Not verbatim but here is the jist.

If the engine is left to idle for more than 5 minutes shut it down:
Reasons given:
A diesel idles at a very very lean mixture which can cause it to actually cool down a good bit especially in cold weather! It causes incomplete combustion and contaminates the lube oil. There were several other reasons that I don't remember. Maybe the new engines don't have such possible issues just passing along what I read. This was the only time I had or have heard an official answer to that issue.
Hope this helps!
Greg

Hmmm I think "someone" cough cough said the same thing a few pages back.

[gregharr55]

Hmmm I think "someone" cough cough said the same thing a few pages back.

Thanks!

[Redneck in training]

I am renting Toyota diesel Landcruiser truck and it has button on the dash labeled high idle. When pressed the engine speeds up.

[Ron JD670]

This does not address the question about idle time vs shut down, but rather avoids the issue. I have a couple sheets of old 1/2 plywood and some heavy duty drop cloth/tarps I lay down on my drive or lawn to either dump mulch, planting soil, or pile pine needles when cleaning up the yard. This avoids the need to idle very long when loading/unloading material. I also sometime load my trailer if I can move it close enough and don't need/want to unload it in a hurry. Then I can park the tractor and enjoy the birds, wind, and other sounds while I work.
Best of luck
RoN

[EE_Bota]

One of my tractors blows its exhaust out the front, so if I am using the FEL but need to unload the material by hand, I turn it off if the battery has recharged sufficiently from the initial start. Otherwise, I unload anyway, but I look kind of like I am unloading something from the rear end of a skunk.

Turning it off allows me to breath easier and work pretty hard so I can get the old heart beating, and I can take the hearing protection muffs off, and that alone always makes me smile a little..getting my head out of that insulated ear vice.