Benefits of block heater even if engine start without one

[Billrog]

Using a timer on my backhoe's for many yrs. now to have the block heater come on a few hrs. before use preferably 2 or 3 hrs. melts the snow right off the hood and the heater starts putting out sooner to get some heat in the cab. I don't need a timer on it now because I no longer plow snow contract with it every day so when called for a water leak or other emergency I then plug it in for an hr. or 2 before leaving. At -10 or colder I also had a car warmer inside the cab on a timer to warm up the glass to avoid condensation that took a long time to get rid of otherwise even with a squeegee .
up north where my son lives it's not uncommon for some to use magnetic heaters on their hydraulic tanks or transmissions using a generator. - 40 or colder every thing really stiffens up the equipment would take hrs. to warm up not mins. When hydraulic pumps and motors cost thousands of $ you soon learn how to take care of them. He has to 1/2 million $ processors & down time is very expensive.

 

[Danny C]

There is NO question pre-warming an engine, especially a high compression diesel engine, in cold weather via a block heater increases the longevity of the engine itself and especially the battery and the starter motor. Turning over a cold diesel engine with molases like oil is very hard on cinder walls, batteries and starter motors. Piston expansion due to rapid heating is normally greater than that of the engine block (more mass heats slower), this causes added friction and wear.

Gasoline engines operate at a much lower compression (almost half) than diesels, thus making them easier to turn over. They also tend to reside in cars and most people trade their cars fairly frequently and thus don't care about the long-term effects of cold starting.

Tractors on the other hand, tend to have a much longer term of ownership with many being owned for 40+ years. With this being the case, most tractor owners look to do what they can to prevent long-term damage caused by cold-starting tractor engines.

With all that being said, damage and wear has a direct relationship with how often the engine is started and how long its allowed to warm up before operation.

 

[BarnieTrk]

Now I'm wondering if anybody makes heaters for transmissions and hydraulic fluid...

I'm thinking about one of these: Wolverine Oil Pan Heaters for Cummins Marine Diesel Engines

Either the Model 9 or the Model 18.... ?

BarnieTrk :thumbsup:

 

[3930dave]

I was pretty sure hydraulic heaters were available....

Hydraulic heaters maintain fluid quality and consistency: sponsored article | Other Technologies content from Hydraulics & Pneumatics

Those go up to 12kw, but unless you own a dragline, you probably don't need that much heat.

Rgds, D.

 

[skyhook]

I'm thinking about one of these: Wolverine Oil Pan Heaters for Cummins Marine Diesel Engines

Either the Model 9 or the Model 18.... ?

BarnieTrk :thumbsup:

Battery warmers would be about the same, I would think.

 

[RalphVa]

Don't see too much benefit on a tractor. Best help would be a heater on the hydraulic system.

The Washington Post had an article recently that said warming an engine more than 30 seconds is exceedingly wasteful. I agree. I start them up and gently use them until they're warmed up, pretty much using them normally until "normal" on that day was running something at full or PTO throttle.

A good 5w30 or 0w30 diesel oil would do better for it in cold weather starts than warming it up. Actually, unless you live way south, the xxw30 is all you need. If you run for long periods of time in 85 F + temperatures at high loads, then maybe you need xxw40.

Ralph

 

[yankeerider]

One thing not mentioned here is that a tractor that started just fine without a block heater last winter might not this winter. I ran into that situation last year. Although I easily diagnosed it as a bad glow plug, having a block heater would have allowed postponing the repair until the weather got warmer. I just finished installing a block heater principally for "insurance" if I need to use the tractor on a particularly cold day this winter and in winters to come.

Sent from my iPad using TractorByNet

 

[Danny C]

Ralph, no offence, but Virginia doesn't know what cold is!

 

[woodchipper]

Dave, I am sorry, but I could not say what brand, as there in no more sticker or tag on it anymore. If you go to your local auto parts store, see what they have to offer you. As you know, in the mordern consumerism days we are living in, the thicker your wallet the better the product!

What brand of inline coolant heater do you use woodchipper ?

I'm curious because I tried one many years ago on a car - that one worked really well, but burned out by the end of the first season.

Rgds, D.

 

[BarnieTrk]

I was pretty sure hydraulic heaters were available....

Hydraulic heaters maintain fluid quality and consistency: sponsored article | Other Technologies content from Hydraulics & Pneumatics

Those go up to 12kw, but unless you own a dragline, you probably don't need that much heat.

Rgds, D.

Dave,
That is a good article; thanks for sharing it!

There was a point mentioned in the article that I'd like to repeat here:

"Typically, hydraulic fluid heaters have a low watt density, approximately 10-12 WSI. This prevents the fluid and/or the heater from being damaged while heated."

I've heard about folks having oil heaters (especially dipstick types) that: a) actually burned the oil, producing a tar material on the dipstick; and/or b) boiled the oil, boiling off some of its properties/ingredients. My takeaway from that is: DON'T overheat hydraulic fluid/motor oil. For those of us exposing our hydraulic and motor oil systems to temperatures below 30*F, we could take some strain off of our oil/hydraulic pumps by adding a bit of warmth to the oil prior to operation; but just don't over do it.

I like the idea of a small battery warmer too - but I think those are intended for climates colder than I typically see. If I was at or below 0*F consistently, then I think one would be beneficial to extending the life of my battery. If I was to think of one, I would also consider NOT over warming my battery to prevent evaporating out its acid solution. Usually, if it is less than 0*F and I want to warm my battery, I simply put my battery charger on it for 10-20 minutes and that'll put enough warmth into it to keep from staining it. :2cents:

BarnieTrk :thumbsup:

P.S.
Refering again to the quote - Would someone please tell me what WSI is?