Block Heater Question???

[fuseboxer]

I am going w/o a heater in Michigan on my JD4410 but plan to have alternatives if super cold. Usually if zero or below we get very little snow. But if it should happen I could plug in a ceramic heater and point it up from down under the tractor with a old blanket over the hood. I do not believe it will be necessary. I could convince my wife that it is an emergency and park in her spot in the garage attached to the house, it stays warm. That might put me in the dog house or the barn for awhile and I could sleep with my tractor! The barn has beds and wood stove but in the cold it would be miserable.

 

[Henri88]

''That might put me in the dog house or the barn for awhile and I could sleep with my tractor! The barn has beds and wood stove but in the cold it would be miserable.''

Well, there you go, use the ceramic heather and the blanket to warm you up.:laughing:

 

[RoyJackson]

But if it should happen I could plug in a ceramic heater and point it up from down under the tractor with a old blanket over the hood. I do not believe it will be necessary.

Back in 1968 when I was working as a plumber's helper (fresh out of high school), I worked at a site that is now Columbia, MD.
There were a number of diesel powered vehicles (dozers, backhoes, etc.) and frequently there would be a torpedo heater or even a small fire under the machine to get it warm enough to start.
The backhoe (a Ford) I ran had a provision on the dash to inject ether, but I don't recommend that with your Deere.

 

[classic]

this one isn't the magnetic type, it uses adhesive to adhere to the pan.. I have used a similar style heater as this wolverene on my satellite dish for about 4 years. it had always worked wonderfully....no snow on the dish. This thing gets too hot to touch in about 5 seconds after plugging it in. it sticks to the pan and is heat siliconed along the outside so its about the thickness of 8-10 sheets of notebook paper.

I too have tried the magnetic ones..they suck. I have one on my generator for the past 10 years, and it is still working, but that oil pan only holds 1-1/2 quarts of oil..... using one of them for a tractor engine would be a waste of electricity indeed.

Tell us more about heating the satelite dish.I've been fighting for years with that dam thing. Does it heat the whole dish or just where it's stuck?f

 

[Pipestone Kid]

Condensation inside the engine...specifically the oil pan and maybe the crank journals.
Foggy has a good question, actually...

Roy, think about that for a minute. Have you ever seen condensation form on a warm object entering cold air? (i.e. Your glasses when you go from a warm house into the cold--not the reverse) Plus the fact you would have to have moist air in the engine. Possible, I suppose, but not very probable.

 

[grsthegreat]

Tell us more about heating the satelite dish.I've been fighting for years with that dam thing. Does it heat the whole dish or just where it's stuck?f

My dish is metal, and it melts all the snow. Sometimes some snow accumulates on the arm, but that usually falls off. I used the Ice Zapper dish heater, and it has worked great over the years.

http://www.montanasatellitesupply.com/


My old direcway dish had the Hot Shot system that included the LNB arm heater. It also worked great. My new microwave dish doesnt collect snow as it points slightly down.

 

[greg_g]

I wanted to get a circulating water type heater like i had on my old truck, but the Kioti's lower radiator hose was already cut and had a "T" installed for the cab heater, and there was no place to add the heater.

You don't put a tank heater on a radiator hose, it's installed inline on one of the heater hoses. A circulating tank heater moves the coolant as it heats it. And because the thermostat is closed, that means this coolant movement will be in a loop through the engine block (and heater core if you've got the valve open) - by way of the bypass hose. Whatever's in your radiator will stay cold.

I just haven't had time yet to figure out which of the two heater hoses on my John Deere is the appropriate one to cut for the tank heater installation.

//greg//

 

[RoyJackson]

Roy, think about that for a minute. Have you ever seen condensation form on a warm object entering cold air? (i.e. Your glasses when you go from a warm house into the cold--not the reverse) Plus the fact you would have to have moist air in the engine. Possible, I suppose, but not very probable.

It's as the engine is cooling...that's when condensation develops.
It's one thing to pre-heat an engine, then run it for a period of time which would remove any condensation as it runs. But just to warm it up then shut it down...doesn't evaporate any moisture. That can be tough on exhaust systems too, BTW
BTW, my glasses fog up when coming inside, not going out...real PITA sometimes.

 

[Pipestone Kid]

It's as the engine is cooling...that's when condensation develops.
It's one thing to pre-heat an engine, then run it for a period of time which would remove any condensation as it runs. But just to warm it up then shut it down...doesn't evaporate any moisture. That can be tough on exhaust systems too, BTW
BTW, my glasses fog up when coming inside, not going out...real PITA sometimes.

I agree with everything you said, but if you are just warming it up with a frost plug heater, wouldn't you be warming (and later cooling) the air inside the engine at the same time? You need a difference in temp for condensation to form. BTW My point on the glasses (poorly written) is that when you go from warm to cold you get no fogging (condensation), but when you go from cold to warm moist air you do.
P.S.I dont think a preheater on a timer is going to have much effect on exhaust systems.

 

[RoyJackson]

I agree with everything you said, but if you are just warming it up with a frost plug heater, wouldn't you be warming (and later cooling) the air inside the engine at the same time? You need a difference in temp for condensation to form. BTW My point on the glasses (poorly written) is that when you go from warm to cold you get no fogging (condensation), but when you go from cold to warm moist air you do.
P.S.I dont think a preheater on a timer is going to have much effect on exhaust systems.

The exhaust system comment wasn't really related to the topic...just an aside. More on that in a bit...
Warming up the air releases moisture...as the environment cool, that moisture condenses...normally on a surface.
I don't use a block heater on my tractor, although I did on an old Chevy pickup years ago (the old 6.2 liter diesel). Always ran the truck after using the heater, so this doesn't aply to Foggy's question, exactly.

Now, back to exhaust systems...although a bit off topic. Some folks, including me, would let their vehicles idle for a period of time...just to warm them up (no intention of actually going anywhere) or keep the battery charged.
All that moisture produced by the engine heating would end up in the exhaust system. As long as one ran their vehicle long enough, or drove 5-10 miles, no problem...the moisture would be dissipated by the heat.
But a relatively short run or idle time would not dissipate the moisture...caused premature rusting in the exhaust systems. As a lot of newer systems are aluminized steel or even stainless steels, this isn't the problem it was in the 60's, 70's and 80's.
I haven't idled a vehicle in years, just to warm it up...nor do I start my tractor unless there is a need for usage. I wouldn't use a block heater either (if I had one now) just to heat the engine either. But a lot of folks did...maybe still do.
Now, for me, it's idle for 5 minutes or so, then drive with no load until everything is warmed up.