Starting a Cold Deisel ??

[D7E]

I scanned quickly and did not see this brought up yet. Sorry if I missed it.
Back in the '80s I worked in the woods here in northern Maine and we had some brutal cold at times.
The skidders we used were started with either on colder mornings but when temps got way down every one used to preheat the engine blocks with their pickups. They would tap into their heater lines of the trucks and by use of quick connect fittings connect those lines to lines that were put onto the skidder. Hot antifreeze would circulate around and around for about 15 to 20 minutes,or more depending how cold, and when the pickup heater was blowing hot air again it was ready.
Hoses were disconnected and the skidder would start right up. (usually) I don't remember how they were plumbed exactly as it was not my skidder but this was very common here back then. Only thing was, no one liked to heat someone else's skidder as it would mix the antifreeze and people were **** about that. We're talking temps. down to -20 or -25 F. Colder then that most would wait a while for it to warm up a little. Holy cow my feet are cold just typing this!
Good luck. Dan.

Have seen it done with pioneer oil couplers !

 

[jrepp44]

Really great cold weather stories, we had winter last year but I slept late and missed it. :laughing:

 

[MHarryE]

Something people coming up here to MN from the south driving diesel pickups frequently get caught on is gelled fuel. A person from Peoria came up here to teach a class. He was driving his new Chevy diesel pickup. Ran fine on the way up but when he tried to start his pickup the next morning to come in to teach our class, nothing. One of our mechanics went out and checked his pickup - gelled fuel. We brought his pickup into the plant and warmed it up - started and ran just fine. We then sent him across the street to get a fillup of good old Arctic Blend. He had no starting problems for the next 2 weeks before heading back south. Fortunately his tank had been low enough that there wasn't enough of the straight No. 2 diesel left.

 

[mlauk]

Jump start the battery to keep it charged between starting attempts. Another option with the hair dryer if you can run it off of your running vehicle is shoot the warm air into the air intake tube, it's like having an intake manifold heater.

 

[JoeL4330]

I really liked the trick of circulating warm coolant via quick disconnects...learn something new here, every day.

 

[slofr8]

Really great cold weather stories, we had winter last year but I slept late and missed it. :laughing:

I really do like the cold. Not cold and wind but a moon lit cold, still, night is beautiful to me. In the winter 30F is wet and soft. -10F is dry and hard. The branches of the spruce and fir we cut would break off as the skidder hauled them to the yard and I didn't have to cut them off with my saw.:thumbsup:
Back then, while staying in logging camps, the generator that ran the camp was shut down at around 21:00. The camps slept 2 or 3 crews. (4-6 men)
You wanted a good snow so you could bank the camp. Then, and only then did the kero stove keep it warm.
Every once and a while, when it was REAL cold, you would wake up to a loud SNAP. Almost like a distant gun shot. It was trees splitting from the cold.
I'll never forget that.
Dan.

 

[slofr8]

Thought I'd add this.

 

[Egon]

Ever been in a hot springs pool when it was -30C?

You got icicles on your hair and the rest of you is deliciously warm under the water and if it's a clear night stars in the sky are just awsome. :thumbsup:

 

[kevinwak]

I scanned quickly and did not see this brought up yet. Sorry if I missed it.
Back in the '80s I worked in the woods here in northern Maine and we had some brutal cold at times.
The skidders we used were started with either on colder mornings but when temps got way down every one used to preheat the engine blocks with their pickups. They would tap into their heater lines of the trucks and by use of quick connect fittings connect those lines to lines that were put onto the skidder. Hot antifreeze would circulate around and around for about 15 to 20 minutes,or more depending how cold, and when the pickup heater was blowing hot air again it was ready.
Hoses were disconnected and the skidder would start right up. (usually) I don't remember how they were plumbed exactly as it was not my skidder but this was very common here back then. Only thing was, no one liked to heat someone else's skidder as it would mix the antifreeze and people were **** about that. We're talking temps. down to -20 or -25 F. Colder then that most would wait a while for it to warm up a little. Holy cow my feet are cold just typing this!
Good luck. Dan.

I was going to give the same suggestion about tapping into the vehicles hit antifreeze. My dad does it on his logging equipment all the time. They have hoses made up with normal pioneer hydraulic fittings.

 

[RoyJackson]

Ever been in a hot springs pool when it was -30C?

You got icicles on your hair and the rest of you is deliciously warm under the water and if it's a clear night stars in the sky are just awsome. :thumbsup:

Yeah...but what happens when you get out?