Starting a tractor in extreme cold temperatures

[07wingnut]

You mentioned that after the first start attempt, the battery starts getting weak, in spite of the battery tender being used. It might be because at the temperatures you are experiencing, the battery output is probably less than half of its rating, and at that temperature, it won't take a proper charge, either from the tender, or from the tractor generating system. Cheap fix, buy a battery blanket to keep the battery warm, and leave it plugged in all winter. I believe they take about 50 to 60 watts, not a large hit to the wallet for purchase, or electrical consumption.

 

[SylvainG]

The battery is new from last year. The starter didn't start to slow down after the first crank cycle but after about 5 tries, it did bog down when cranking. That's when I called it a day and waited until it was warmer. At -20C, it started on the first crank. I didn't want to fully drain the battery and not have any juice when it was warmer. The battery is oddly positioned at the front, behind the front grill and the wing nuts holding the grill in place were frozen so I would have been unable to jump start it if I would have drained it.

 

[priberc]

IMO......Ditch the 300w "heater" I had one in my tractor and unless I left it plugged in all the time [literally 24/7] right from shutting the tractor down it did nothing at all. These will not "thaw out" an engine and were never meant to. Look at getting a really block heater like your car or PU has. One that fits into one of your frost plugs.
I read you have fresh 10w/30 in it now look for 5w/30 or 5w/40 and run that year round. This will help the engine turn over a bit faster making starting up easier/faster. The lower the first number the lower the pour point ,the thinner the oil is. Look at your owners manual it should give you some options for oil and the temperature ranges the manufacturer recommends for each

 

[SylvainG]

Thanks. I'll look for a block heater. That one came with the tractor when I bought it last year. Regarding the oil, the owner manual doesn't mention anything below 10 grade. For below freezing, they only recommend 10W, 10W30 or 10W40. That's why I went with the 10W30.

I'll check if the pan is made of steel or aluminum and get a magnetic one if made of steel. Seems like the easiest route. BTW, my car is a Tesla so nope, no block heater there ;-)

 

[pmsmechanic]

I'll check if the pan is made of steel or aluminum and get a magnetic one if made of steel.

So I buy stick on ones off of Amazon. 250 watt for roughly $20.

 

[nknelsen]

"I have a 300W heater on the cooling line.....".
I don't know what you mean by having a heater in a cooling line.
The heater should be in the block to warm the coolant in the block and the walls of the cylinders. It will heat the cylinder walls and reduce the oil viscosity locally to make cranking the engine easier. It will also help start the combustion process by warming the walls of the cylinder. I would talk to the dealer's parts department and see if they have one for your tractor. Most OEM's have a block heater for this purpose and since you are up in Canada where cold weather is the norm, your tractor should have come equipped with one.

A coolant heater is quite effective if working properly. It heats and circulates the coolant through the motor. If coolant is effective to remove heat from the engine then it's also going to be effective to reintroduce heat to the inner workings of an engine.

Some believe that a coolant heater is better then a block heater. I do also believe that it could be better and more efficient, the problem that I have with them is the belief that anything with an electric circulation pump rarely runs trouble free for long. A block heater rarely quits working in my experience.

 

[LHF2019]

Thanks. I'll look for a block heater. That one came with the tractor when I bought it last year. Regarding the oil, the owner manual doesn't mention anything below 10 grade. For below freezing, they only recommend 10W, 10W30 or 10W40. That's why I went with the 10W30.

I'll check if the pan is made of steel or aluminum and get a magnetic one if made of steel. Seems like the easiest route. BTW, my car is a Tesla so nope, no block heater there ;-)

https://www.google.com/search?q=coolant+line+heater&rlz=1C1OKWM_enUS988US989&oq=coolant+line+heater&aqs=chrome..69i57j0i10i22i30.5178j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Is this the style your talking about? No experience with those. Looking at your wattage difference you need a little more.

This is what I have on my 4 cylinders and you should have no reason to use different oils. 2 hours -10F and the tractor will start with no additional help. 5 hours and it is melting snow off the hood.

https://www.fleetfarm.com/detail/kat-s-circulating-tank-heater/0000000047511

 

[RalphVa]

Should start with about 1/2 turn of the crankshaft if glow plugs, etc. are working correctly. Even our old 220D did this at -22 F in Vermont sitting outside.

If you're using that 15w40 goo, it won't crank very fast though.

 

[oosik]

I'm retired and have no duties that require starting my tractor in such cold weather. Besides - when it's that cold - I don't want to be out in the cold either.

However - contrary to my better judgement - I've started my M6040 a couple times with temps down as low as -20F. I ALWAYS have a battery tender hooked up in the winter. Nothing else.

The tractor will fire right up. It coughs, grunts, blows smoke for a few seconds - then smooths out and runs fine. I use PS white jug in my diesel fuel - year round.

If I had animals that required daily maintenance -
- battery tender
- lower radiator hose tank heater
- cabbed tractor

This would be a more economical alternative to a heated building/barn.

JMHO ......

 

[IndyJay]

Thanks. I'll look for a block heater. That one came with the tractor when I bought it last year. Regarding the oil, the owner manual doesn't mention anything below 10 grade. For below freezing, they only recommend 10W, 10W30 or 10W40. That's why I went with the 10W30.

I'll check if the pan is made of steel or aluminum and get a magnetic one if made of steel. Seems like the easiest route. BTW, my car is a Tesla so nope, no block heater there ;-)

He probably should have specified Synthetic. Something like Rotella T6

 

[Oaktree]

Should start with about 1/2 turn of the crankshaft if glow plugs, etc. are working correctly. Even our old 220D did this at -22 F in Vermont sitting outside.

Sheesh, mine won't start that fast when it's 50 out.

One old school trick I haven't seen mentioned yet was putting a droplight with a 100W bulb under the hood, maybe a moving blanket over it if it's parked outside. Not as effective as a block heater obviously, but it helps.
It's something you'd want to do well ahead of when you need to use it.

 

[check]

Well, my 2009 Kubota BX25 with the original OEM battery has only failed to start once, and even then I plugged in the block heater for a while and it started. Stored in an unheated garage. This winter we have had a lot of cold, usually below 0°F. We’ve even had windchills down to -40!

 

[5030]

Well, my 2009 Kabota BX 25 with the original OEM battery has only failed to start once, and even then I plugged in the block heater for a while and it started. Stored in an unheated garage. This winter we have had a lot of cold, usually Below 0°F. We’ve even had windchills down to -40!

You are way past the life expectancy of your starting battery. I'd be replacing it if I were you. That ancient jar is sulfated for sure. Borrowed time.

 

[Patches]

Sheesh, mine won't start that fast when it's 50 out.

One old school trick I haven't seen mentioned yet was putting a droplight with a 100W bulb under the hood, maybe a moving blanket over it if it's parked outside. Not as effective as a block heater obviously, but it helps.
It's something you'd want to do well ahead of when you need to use it.

I know I'm dating myself, but we did that in the 50's. Put the light bulb by the battery and cover them. Most electrical systems were 6 volt and while they would crank seemingly forever, they didn't crank very fast even when warm

 

[Lockport]

Full synthetic oil, AGM battery, key on until the glow plug goes out, don't try to start but key on again. 20-40 secs in total and you need a block heater. That's a hole punched into a coolant corridor on the Daedong engine and a 1200-1500w heating element threaded into it. Talk to your nearest dealer. At -35C I'd likely plug that in and leave it until it warmed up. How much are you really saving? -20C with above configuration and you'd get away with a couple hours. Is it inside, at least, out of the wind?

I had a 2011 Bobcat CT235 (CK35) for about 8 years s above and it never failed to start in all the years I owned it.

Good luck

 

[the old grind]

1) Wind chill affects only heated objects, so a parked engine will never be colder than ambient temp.
2) Call 'em freeze plug holes but their purpose is to hold cores together when a block is cast. If 'plugs' come out when coolant freezes the block is already toast. That said IMO it's a best place to install a heater, partly because ...
3) A closed thermostat will impede convective flow from a hose heater. 'Both' could be a very good idea.
4) Many post millennium OM's specify 10w-30 for most operating situations. 15w-40 may be spec'd or work well for old, worn engines or high Summer temps but many of us don't get/keep ours up to temp when plowing in the coldest weather. (I block radiator and oil coolers in temps <20F)

My Kioti Mechron just plain runs 'cold' and starts poorly. A temp sensor may prevent glow cycles when it and coolant is warm but the block cools off during intermittent shutdowns. All too often I must keep the key in star/glow position or it won't stay running, and with temps in the +40s F. Can't be good for the starter, but often has to be done. Nature of the beast, it seems, and has been this way from day one. I bet I'm not the only owner who's dealt with this.

My plan and suggestion is to add an 'override' button to energize the glow plugs when the starter is released to get all cyls to fire at startup, vs timed cycles that usually cut out too soon. Know your wiring if doing so and be sure the button/switch is tied in properly to the relay and not the plugs themselves. I'd add a diode 'just in case' to prevent back-feed to starter, computer, or 'safety controller' circuits common to post 2k tractors.

 

[jacspath]

It is a diesel which means that it has no spark plug. The way it fires a cylinder is because at the higher pressure in a diesel cylinder it gets hot enough to fire the fuel/air mixture. So in cold weather, you just need to find a way to crank it longer between having the glo plug on. Each turn over of the cylinders actually warms up the combustion chamber. It takes a bit longer, but the cylinder chambers will eventually get quite hot and the glo plug then has a chance. Get a good battery charger with a high capacity [at least 50 amps] switch on it which you can hook up in low temp weather so you can do more cranking than you describe and it will get going.
Also, that grey smoke is likely just unfired fuel being expelled. No problem.

 

[panamaguy]

So for two weekends in a row, I was unable to start the tractor with temperature around -35C. Had to wait for the temperature to be a 'mild' -20C for it to start.

I have a 300W heater on the cooling line and installed last weekend a battery tender. The heater is turned on for about two to three hours prior to the attempts at starting it. The tender stays 24/7.

What I do is 4 cycles of 8 seconds glow plug and try to start it. At first, because of the battery tender, it turns pretty good but fails to start. Grey smoke comes out but that's it. I do a few more cycles of the glow plugs and it still fails to start. I crank for about 5 seconds each time. After about 5 or 6 attempts, battery is having difficulty turning the engine so I stop and let the temperature warm up. At -20C, after about 3 cycles of the glow plugs, the engine fires no problem.

What's the trick to start a diesel engine in such extreme temperatures?

Thanks

All good but remember the oil in the pan is as thick as honey when it is that cold. Buy a strap on oil pan heater so when it does start the oil can pump to where it should be
Remember heat rises so it will also help heat the block.

 

[JsJs]

So for two weekends in a row, I was unable to start the tractor with temperature around -35C. Had to wait for the temperature to be a 'mild' -20C for it to start.

I have a 300W heater on the cooling line and installed last weekend a battery tender. The heater is turned on for about two to three hours prior to the attempts at starting it. The tender stays 24/7.

What I do is 4 cycles of 8 seconds glow plug and try to start it. At first, because of the battery tender, it turns pretty good but fails to start. Grey smoke comes out but that's it. I do a few more cycles of the glow plugs and it still fails to start. I crank for about 5 seconds each time. After about 5 or 6 attempts, battery is having difficulty turning the engine so I stop and let the temperature warm up. At -20C, after about 3 cycles of the glow plugs, the engine fires no problem.

What's the trick to start a diesel engine in such extreme temperatures?

Thanks

1974 JD 2130. -37 this past Sat. the thermal preheater is broken (no glow plugs) batteries are kept by a solar panel .5 amp. full synthetic oil (Amsoil) I plugged in a block heater for 30 minutes, the slightest shot of starting fluid into air breather and as soon as it rolled over she fired

 

[CJONE]

The immersion heater for the Kioti is a 400 watt unit and you have to use a spacer sleeve so the element does not contact the block. Kats has the kit. I run 15-40 in mine and have no starting issues until below zero then I plug it in. Use a 5w-40 syn for temp extremes and a stick on heat pad for the oil pan. They are flexible silicone and will form to the bottom of the pan and attach with silicone adhesive. OR just stick a 500w halogen under the pan for 30 min or so if it is really cold. You normally don't need a battery heater until you see sub -30F below. I have had all of my diesel trucks start unaided at 30 below as that is not uncommon at the cabins in Ontario [when we could actually get there] with 5w-40 and good batteries. CJ
Oh, and I did replace the glow plugs at 1200 hours as I had 2 going bad on the ding dong diesel!