Starting diesel tractor in cold weather

rlneal · Jan 6, 2018

Yesterday afternoon I went to give the cows a bale of hay (a round bale). It was about 18 degrees here in Kentucky. I have a 1985 IH 684 diesel parked in a pole barn. I plugged the tank heater in, came back about an hour later and it would turn over slowly but would not start. Pretty soon, the battery would not turn it over at all. I gave the cows some square bales and then went and got the battery charger and put it on for awhile. I unplugged it before going to bed. It was still charging at a 4 amp rate, according to the meter on the charger.

So, I have two questions. How long should I plan to leave the heater plugged in before trying to start it at lower temperatures? I realize that battery capacity is seriously degraded in lower temperatures, that is why they are rated with "cold cranking amps". But, would it have been ok to leave the battery charger on overnight? Would it harm the battery?

The pickup is having difficulty starting lately (it is gas) and I plan on putting the charger on it for awhile before starting it this afternoon. Just to warm up the battery.

Peter 315 · Jan 6, 2018

Plug the heater in for 2 or 3 hours , If you get a battery Tender or battery minder you can leave it on all the time, if the battery is old or weak the cold does a number on them

Oldpath05 · Jan 6, 2018

Whats a ("I plugged the tank heater in")?

deserteagle71 · Jan 6, 2018

If it's 40 degrees or colder my John Deere 2020 refuses to start unless the heater is plugged in. But an hour is all it needs - touch the upper part of the engine after an hour with the heater plugged in and it feels nice and warm. Fires right up then.

fried1765 · Jan 6, 2018

Oldpath05 said:
Whats a ("I plugged the tank heater in")?

"Tank heater"...is a small 120V electric water heater, installed in an engine coolant hose.

George2615 · Jan 6, 2018

Agree with the others. Plug in the heater for at least a couple hours and get a battery tender that you can plug in and leave on all night to keep the battery up to par. Also, if you have been getting many days of below freezing temps you may want to add a diesel fuel additive the prevents fuel gelling. Nothing worse than firing up the tractor and driving 50 yards from the barn only to have it quit running because the fuel gelled up.

3930dave · Jan 6, 2018

rlneal said:
Yesterday afternoon I went to give the cows a bale of hay (a round bale). It was about 18 degrees here in Kentucky. I have a 1985 IH 684 diesel parked in a pole barn. I plugged the tank heater in, came back about an hour later and it would turn over slowly but would not start. Pretty soon, the battery would not turn it over at all. I gave the cows some square bales and then went and got the battery charger and put it on for awhile. I unplugged it before going to bed. It was still charging at a 4 amp rate, according to the meter on the charger.

So, I have two questions. How long should I plan to leave the heater plugged in before trying to start it at lower temperatures? I realize that battery capacity is seriously degraded in lower temperatures, that is why they are rated with "cold cranking amps". But, would it have been ok to leave the battery charger on overnight? Would it harm the battery?

The pickup is having difficulty starting lately (it is gas) and I plan on putting the charger on it for awhile before starting it this afternoon. Just to warm up the battery.

It's good PM to get the battery CCA tested. Many auto parts shops will do it for free. They may be able to do the truck one in parking lot, and should have an in-store tester too.

2 or 3 hours block-heater use should be enough down your way, esp. if the tractor is out of the wind. If battery is getting weak, throwing a heavy tarp over the engine may help keep the heat local, and get more heat into the oil pan too.

If jump-starting the tractor doesn't get the starter spinning faster, it may need to be rebuilt.

Rgds, D.

jk96 · Jan 6, 2018

George2615 said:
Also, if you have been getting many days of below freezing temps you may want to add a diesel fuel additive the prevents fuel gelling. Nothing worse than firing up the tractor and driving 50 yards from the barn only to have it quit running because the fuel gelled up.

Looks like the ops tractor is gas not diesel.