Cold weather start, with glow plugs and block heater. Why does my tractor not start at minus 20 C?

[RalphVa]

Ray -- NAHH-HH-H!

I'll admit the battery in my '05 Jetta TDI Wagon was last replaced in Dec of 2013 (8 yrs) and is now (apparently) due for another change... but that tractor's battery is still holding up amazingly well. No plans to swap it... yet.

Today, temps were milder (starting at -2, rising to 18), and the little red beast started with no problem after running only the block heater for 2 hrs; no additional help. Fired right up for another scrape at the driveway.

Hey -- I may be cheap... but I'm cheap!

You really only need to run block heaters for about 10 minutes or so.

 

[LouNY]

Were do you come up with 10 minutes to run a block heater,
many block heaters are only 400 watts.
Even if you had a 1000 watt heater 10 minutes would do almost nothing
to a 400 pound chunk of steel and cold water.
An hour may be enough in moderate weather10-20 F,
-5 to 5F definitly a couple of hours

 

[Dmacleo]

You really only need to run block heaters for about 10 minutes or so.

generalizations often wrong.
my small GC in sub zero weather....20 minutes good figure.
the MF1532 I often use...if not plugged in all night takes 2 hours to help in sub zero. if plugged in 2 applications of 30 seconds glow plug and running fine.

 

[ray66v]

I see why he's saying that. The block heater on a GC is so tiny, it's hard to imagine it does anything in 20 minutes.

 

[Dmacleo]

I see why he's saying that. The block heater on a GC is so tiny, it's hard to imagine it does anything in 20 minutes.

in -10 weather the 4269250M91 heater brings my GC2400 temp up to just under 1/4 on gauge in 20-30 minutes. proved that many times over last week.
not sure the wattage.

 

[PILOON]

Here is a trick I've adopted.
I wired an LED night light into my block heater/tender circuit so that I simply look out the window to confirm that everything is working OK.

Now I'd also like to be able to install a remote starter like I have on my car.
Would sure be nice to enter a warm cab!

 

[RalphVa]

Were do you come up with 10 minutes to run a block heater,
many block heaters are only 400 watts.
Even if you had a 1000 watt heater 10 minutes would do almost nothing
to a 400 pound chunk of steel and cold water.
An hour may be enough in moderate weather10-20 F,
-5 to 5F definitly a couple of hours

Run them more than about 20 minutes and you're just wasting electrical energy causing hot water to flow to rad and cool it down, etc. Think it was somewhere between 10 and 20 minutes I had the lower rad heater on the 1972 220D Benz one morning in Vermont @ -22 F. Started right up after glowing about a minute.

 

[LouNY]

Run them more than about 20 minutes and you're just wasting electrical energy causing hot water to flow to rad and cool it down, etc. Think it was somewhere between 10 and 20 minutes I had the lower rad heater on the 1972 220D Benz one morning in Vermont @ -22 F. Started right up after glowing about a minute.

I am afraid that you are mistaken, I have used both block heaters and lower radiator hose heater on many engines and even the ones that are the thermo pump style. Depending on the engine block and the wattage of the heater most are going to take a heck of a lot longer then 20 minutes.
Also they would have a very difficult time getting flow into the radiator untill the engine thermostat opens at 180F or so.
You can run yours as little as you wish but you are doing inexperienced operators a disservice by spouting of that line.

 

[Rockbadchild]

yeah my massey is not much of a starter ether at cold temp

 

[metalbender]

BATTERY BLANKET... Only draws 40 watts, always on, keeps the battery at optimum power. My block heater is 400 watts, turn it on remotely at least four hrs before I need the tractor. The motor doesn't turn fast enough at cold battery capacity. Had problems when I first got my tractor, even plugged in, in a quonset. Just didn't spin fast enough.