Do you regularly start your diesel tractor as maintenance?

   / Do you regularly start your diesel tractor as maintenance? #1  

NoTrespassing

Elite Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2003
Messages
2,587
Location
East Central Illinois
Tractor
Kubota 1999 L3710 HST FWA
Hey All,

I was wondering whether or not you start your diesel tractor as maintenance and if so, how often and how long do you run it?

I've had my tractor for over eleven years and average less than 25 hours of use per year. I think it had just over 400 hours on it when I bought it and I still haven't hit 700 hours yet. I store my tractor in an unheated shed with a dirt floor that isn't always dry.

My thinking is that I should probably be starting it at least once every two weeks and allowing it to get up to operating temperature. I have to admit, I don't always do that and sometimes it may sit for a month without being started.

What is your opinion?

Kevin
 
   / Do you regularly start your diesel tractor as maintenance? #2  
Get a pto generator 20KW or larger and a transfer switch so you can operate your tractor under load to warm everything up.
"Idling" does not warm up a diesel as the extra unused airflow at idle just cools the combustion chamber and carries the heat up the stack. Idling to warmup will just wear the cylinder walls and dilute the crankcase oil with unburned fuel as the exhaust ports soot up with slobber.
 
   / Do you regularly start your diesel tractor as maintenance? #3  
My tractor only sees about 50 hours a year. During summer I may use it a few times a week. Winter it depends on when we get snow as it is my main snow removal tool. If no snow falls in a given week I usually find a reason to run it on the weekend anyway.
 
   / Do you regularly start your diesel tractor as maintenance? #4  
Like you, my tractor sees low hours - 2 years and still under 100. I live about 5 miles from the acreage/barn, sometimes going out several days in a row and at other times it may be several weeks. I try to run my tractor, UTV and generator for 10 or 15 minutes once a month.
 
   / Do you regularly start your diesel tractor as maintenance? #5  
My B2400 Kubota averages about 40 to 55 hrs a year. During the winter it sits unless I need to blade snow and in the summer it will sit several weeks at a time. I have never started it up just to run it, it has never failed to start and run normally after sitting any length of time. I agree with a previous post about diluting oil etc etc.
 
   / Do you regularly start your diesel tractor as maintenance? #6  
I would run it often and under some load, certainly at elevated RPM, on a regular basis and for as long as an hour. As mentioned, it needs to come up to temp for a period of time to evaporate out moisture. Some of mine sit for a month before they get used, hasn't been an issue. But when they get used, they will be running for hours under normal use at higher RPMs.
 
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   / Do you regularly start your diesel tractor as maintenance? #7  
Sitting unused for a while doesn't hurt the machine as much as running it for short periods of time intermittently, without getting it up to temperature (which boils off condensation). Sitting is bad for the battery, so if you can find a way to keep a smart trickle charger on it, that will extend the battery life, and make it more likely to start right away when you need it.
 
   / Do you regularly start your diesel tractor as maintenance? #8  
My tractors only run when I need to use them for something.

That is the same way farmers in this area do it also. Some of the larger farmers have tractors & combines that get used maybe 2 or 3 months out of the year. They just set the rest of the time.
 
   / Do you regularly start your diesel tractor as maintenance? #9  
Interesting. I hope others will chime in on this.

Looks like I'll be changing my procedure.
 
   / Do you regularly start your diesel tractor as maintenance? #10  
Get a pto generator 20KW or larger and a transfer switch so you can operate your tractor under load to warm everything up.
"Idling" does not warm up a diesel as the extra unused airflow at idle just cools the combustion chamber and carries the heat up the stack. Idling to warmup will just wear the cylinder walls and dilute the crankcase oil with unburned fuel as the exhaust ports soot up with slobber.

I'm not to sure on this theory, check your temp gauge next time you let it idle to warm up,
being retired, I start mine in the winter every second or third day and let er run for 1/2 hour.
Move it around if I feel frisky...lol, in the summer, I don't mind letting it sit for a few weeks at a time,
but the darn thing keeps calling out to me, hello, hello, did you forget about me.:eek:
 
 
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