What's wrong with Canadians?

[RoyJackson]

I did the small fire under my Dodge Dakota oil pan 20 years ago when we had a cabin near town of Wawa and we had walked in from snow plowed road a half mile to spend the weekend ice fishing. On the Sunday when we walked out it was minus 40 degrees Farenheit ( same in Celsius by the way ) killed the battery trying to start it, Walked back to cabin with battery to warm it up near woodstove and recharge with generator. Then 2 hrs later we walked out again, but brought a frying pan and kindling and started small fire under the oil pan for 40 minutes then connected the battery and with a passerby trapper's truck giving a boost too, she started barely , ran on 4 of the 6 cylinders until we got to Wawa and donut shop to warm up. Oh and that minus 40 was actual ( luckily no wind blue skies however) So what's wrong with us Canadians ? Were resourceful and maybe a bit tough and maybe even a bit nuts , but we like it that way . Oh and the weather forecast for that weekend was wrong, it was supposed to be only a balmy minus 20 F .

I got no complaints about most of you...

 

[ovrszd]

stored inside a heated portion of a structure, just enough sq. ft. to park the tractor in.
Has worked for me for decades.

So then the tractor isn't starting in zero degree weather??

 

[Snobdds]

I know how to start a tractor in 0* weather...we know others do not, though..

Thanks for all the good suggestions

 

[ovrszd]

I've heard of that but never seen it in operation. What type of hose arrangement would they use to accomplish this without slobbing a bunch of antifreeze on the ground?

I've saw several. All but one used hydraulic quick couplers. The one used manual knob valves and barb fittings pushed into open hoses.

 

[PILOON]

stored inside a heated portion of a structure, just enough sq. ft. to park the tractor in.
Has worked for me for decades.

Mine is always outdoors and it was -23C overnight.
I did one cycle of glow plugs and it fire up within 3-4 revolutions and out to plow/blow that abundance of dandruff.

Guess my CUT is acclimatized to Canadian colds, EH!

 

[Dftodd]

Yes, some are Dftodd . . . sad, us kids (brothers and sisters) got up every morning at about 4 or 5 in the morning to take care of the critters and then got on our bikes to go to school about 2 1/2 miles from our farm.

High school was 12 miles down the mountain in another town, so I didn't walk. Elementary school was 5 miles across town.

I did have the bus drop us off at the bottom of the hill (1/2 mile 10 percent grade in a couple spots) since it cut 45 minutes off the bus ride home in the winter. Intersection was a 4 way stop. And in winter the bus had to get a running start and run the stop sign to make it to the top of the hill

Spring and fall our stop was number 3 on the route since they could make a left turn when they approached the intersection. Then make another left once they got back down to the bottom of our hill. In the winter they had to hit it straight on. So they would end up dropping off about 3/4 of the bus before they got back around to our road.

 

[Torvy]

Just heard on my way home that it will be bitter cold. Might get all the way down to 19. The average High where I grew up will be about 10 degrees over the next 5 days. Growing up, bitter cold would have been reserved for 20 Below Zero.

Of course, around here when the low is 32 people are covering their faucets and plants due to freeze warnings.

While wind chill and heat indices are real things, they don't make any sense in the context they use. Not sure if it is for click bait or for political gain, but sensationalized weather is a thing.

 

[MAX-24-Dean]

So then the tractor isn't starting in zero degree weather??

I heat the tractor storage area to about 35 degrees F (sometimes a little warmer than that). Don't know if any of my previous tractors had problems starting in colder weather than the storage temperature (35 F) as I have never stored a tractor outside. It was just the way my Grandfather did it, dad did it, and I just followed suit. I do know My Mahindra Max will start at minus 1 F as the heat was left off one night this winter on accident. Not what I had planned though, as it starts easier at 35 degrees.

 

[Egon]

I did the small fire under my Dodge Dakota oil pan 20 years ago when we had a cabin near town of Wawa and we had walked in from snow plowed road a half mile to spend the weekend ice fishing. On the Sunday when we walked out it was minus 40 degrees Farenheit ( same in Celsius by the way ) killed the battery trying to start it, Walked back to cabin with battery to warm it up near woodstove and recharge with generator. Then 2 hrs later we walked out again, but brought a frying pan and kindling and started small fire under the oil pan for 40 minutes then connected the battery and with a passerby trapper's truck giving a boost too, she started barely , ran on 4 of the 6 cylinders until we got to Wawa and donut shop to warm up. Oh and that minus 40 was actual ( luckily no wind blue skies however) So what's wrong with us Canadians ? Were resourceful and maybe a bit tough and maybe even a bit nuts , but we like it that way . Oh and the weather forecast for that weekend was wrong, it was supposed to be only a balmy minus 20 F .

Answered question on how to start an engine in cold weather. Many of us have had that expierience.

 

[metalbender]

My older daughter married a California guy. Never been to a cold climate. They came for Christmas on year. was around -25 when they landed. His comment going to the truck " not too bad" On the way home I opened his side window, had him put his hand out. Next comment "#@%^& is that cold" Welcome to Canada and WINDCHILL my boy.