Do you regularly start your diesel tractor as maintenance?

[skyhook]

I don't know, but my trans temp gauge is pretty well in sink with my water temp gauge on my truck within 20 minutes or so.
I don't think this would apply to you too much, GManBart, you keep your machines in an insulated garage.
In a case like this, I wouldn't start my machines that often.

 

[cford36]

To add to the discussion. I don't currently have a Tier 4 engine, however, I did have a diesel truck with DPF system. Not sure if the systems are the same or not so this may or may not be relevant. The new emissions systems need to be at operating temps to function. Excessive idling will only plug up the system faster. If the system has a monitor and is not just hour based, it will be wanting to regen all the time. (At least they are not making us run DEF in tractors....yet)

 

[RalphVa]

I went on a job to Singapore when we had a 1972 220D Benz with about 200k miles on it. Went away for 9 months. All I did was to remove the battery and put it on 2 timers in series to a trickle charger. When we returned, I put the battery back in, glowed it for the required glow period, and it started immediately. Absolutely no problems whatsoever.

Our standby diesel generator gets run for 15 minutes every 2 weeks at its regular running speed which is somewheres just shy of 2,000 rpm. Otherwise, it doesn't get run much. It used 2.5 gallons the 1st year and 5 gallons (as it came on for a couple periods to generate power in that year) the 2nd year. Its oil hasn't even turned dark yet.

Ralph

 

[TomSeller]

Commercial buildings and hospitals start their diesel emergency generators on a mandated schedule.

 

[GManBart]

I don't know, but my trans temp gauge is pretty well in sink with my water temp gauge on my truck within 20 minutes or so.
I don't think this would apply to you too much, GManBart, you keep your machines in an insulated garage.
In a case like this, I wouldn't start my machines that often.

Your transmission temp gauge shows a change after you're driving, right? That wouldn't be the case if you just let it idle for a while.

Also, transmission temps are different than engine oil temps because transmission fluid goes through the cooler that is part of the radiator or it's own dedicated cooler (sometimes both...the specifics vary with the make/model/etc).

My truck is in the uninsulated part of my barn now while I'm working to finish the insulated, ultimately heated/cooled side. I have to head out in a few, so I'll try to time how long the oil lags behind the water temp.

 

[GManBart]

Commercial buildings and hospitals start their diesel emergency generators on a mandated schedule.

Many of those have pre-oilers, and I know ours actually takes a load to test the emergency/critical circuits are properly energized (27 story, fairly large building). It takes quite a while to go to all the different areas and confirm all the circuits are working....can't recall exactly, but I think it took us close to an hour last time (I was filling in for my boss and had to check some of our areas and report back).

 

[big bubba]

okay. this is one of the more interesting threads i've seen on the forum. the endless battle of empirical vs theoretical in the internal combustion arena. lots of expertise here on both camps. like several posters here, i don't have power to where i store my tractor. if i decide not to start & warm up regularly, can i just hook some h/d jumpers to the tractor battery & let my pick up idle for say 15 min, wouldn't that charge up anything needed in the idle tractor battery? or is a charger/tender needed if i wanted to avoid starting the tractor? thx in advance

 

[TomSeller]

For those starting and running for only 15 minutes in cold winter weather, I might suggest plugging in a block heater 4 hours in advance so that the engine comes up to temp faster and it benefits the moisture evaporation.

 

[buickanddeere]

15 minutes in cold weather is only going to wear the cylinder bores, dilute the crankcase oil and wet stack the exhaust.

 

[Utopia Texas]

My Ford F-150 has a digital transmission temperature gauge I can toggle up on one of the multiple dash board screens. It takes many more miles for the transmission fluid to get up to the normal 195F degrees after the radiator fluid is at normal temperatures. In other words, when initial normal radiator fluid temperatures are reached the transmission fluid is still very cold. I assume this initial fluid temperature difference works the same on my tractor, even more so since the tractor holds 16 gallons of transmission fluid.
My Tractor Capacities....
Oil sump...............2.2 gallons
Cooling System......4.2 gallons
Hydraulic system..16.0 gallons
I realize the transmission fluid is not flowing in the same areas as the oil and radiator fluid but my point is that just because the temperature gauge on the radiator fluid comes up to the normal range other parts of the engine are not close to the proper range for quite some time.