block heater

[Egon]

Egon....You may or may not know this but, the wind has no effect on temperature. In other words, the iron on your tractor does not "feel" the cold wind chill. Only us humans do.

If the temp is zero and the wind is blowing 40mph, the temperature is still zero

Oh yes, I'm fully aware those facts.


But; the cold wind, blowing on a tractor that is heating up takes away some of that heat essentially making the heater less efficient. Takes a little longer for all the fluids and metal to heat up.

Given the right cold temperatures and wind speed it could logically take away heat as fast as it is generated!:thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

[Reverend Blair]

Wind will cool down anything more quickly because it increases the heat loss. So while a tractor fender will be the same temperature as the ambient temperature without he wind, a tractor engine/cooling system will cool off more easily in the wind, will warm up more slowly, and the block heater will have less effect.

By the way, we cover the front of our vehicles here in the winter.

I use a battery blanket on everything air-cooled, since they don't have block heaters. Just wrap them around the engine as best as possible, and plug them in for an hour or two before starting. Makes all the difference on earth.

 

[HSSC]

The first thing I bought for my tractor was a block heater. It was one of the few things the original owner didn't have on the tractor. It was a Calfornia tractor so "whats a block heater". Any time is good before start up but a good hour or more is better.

 

[MF1652]

Everyone i know would dissagree with that . Keeping a tractor behind a bale stack or in a barn makes a huge difference to starting and always factor in wind chill .

It may seem like it makes a difference, but it can't. Inanimate objects can't feel wind. Our bodies keep warm by putting out a layer of warm air around our skin. The more hair you have on your body, the better you are at keeping that warm air around your body. That's why we wear layers in the cold. That's why animals in the actic climates often have a lot of hair. Windchill is the rate at which the wind wicks that layer of warm air away from your body. The faster the wind, the colder you feel because your body can't keep up with the wind by leaving that layer of warm air around your body.

 

[flyingcow]

Hi All Just Wondering How Long You Guys Keep Your Block Heaters Plugged In I Have A International Tractor That I Just Got And Thought I Would Plug It In To Make Sure It Worked When I Plugged It In It Started To Make A Sizzling Sound Which I dont Know If Thats Normal Or Not But Appeared To Heat Up So I Left It On For A Couple Hours And When I Checked It The Valve Cover Was Warm and Antifreeze Was Warm Is That All The Longer It Takes To Heat Up Temp Outdoors Was Around 28 F Thanks For The Help

if everythings working right..2 hours usual. If below -10 f or colder, longer. As posted earlier, if I have to get up early, plug in when I go to bed. This is what I do for my trailer truck. 11 gals of oil and 10 gals of anti-freeze. The block heater works, and do the same if i ever left my tractor outside. The coldest my garage gets, might be 20f, and yes I'm spoiled!

I have had a V-8 perkins(145hp) MF1155, plugged in at -40 below. Hooked battery up to pickup before starting. Just to be safe. Never a good thing to get behind starting a piece of equipment.

 

[picker77]

Dang, I feel for you guys. Under those conditions I'd have to forget the block heater, buy a compass, start driving in a direction opposite from where the needle points, and keep going until I was sure I'd never, ever need a block heater! :laughing:

 

[Don87]

It may seem like it makes a difference, but it can't. Inanimate objects can't feel wind. Our bodies keep warm by putting out a layer of warm air around our skin. The more hair you have on your body, the better you are at keeping that warm air around your body. That's why we wear layers in the cold. That's why animals in the actic climates often have a lot of hair. Windchill is the rate at which the wind wicks that layer of warm air away from your body. The faster the wind, the colder you feel because your body can't keep up with the wind by leaving that layer of warm air around your body.

It not only 'seems like' it makes a difference, but 'it does'.
In the wintertime, if I park my tractor trailer with the nose into the wind(at 10 below), it won't start. If I put the nose away from the wind, it will start.

Wind plays a big part in the starting.

 

[flyingcow]

It not only 'seems like' it makes a difference, but 'it does'.
In the wintertime, if I park my tractor trailer with the nose into the wind(at 10 below), it won't start. If I put the nose away from the wind, it will start.

Wind plays a big part in the starting.

+1 big time. If at possible keep the vehicles out of the wind. Common sense for us in the north.

 

[Ford tractor]

Hi All Just Wondering How Long You Guys Keep Your Block Heaters Plugged In I Have A International Tractor That I Just Got And Thought I Would Plug It In To Make Sure It Worked When I Plugged It In It Started To Make A Sizzling Sound Which I dont Know If Thats Normal Or Not But Appeared To Heat Up So I Left It On For A Couple Hours And When I Checked It The Valve Cover Was Warm and Antifreeze Was Warm Is That All The Longer It Takes To Heat Up Temp Outdoors Was Around 28 F Thanks For The Help

At 28F (positive, right?), all you need is 15-20 minutes. Modern tractors should start with out any aid down to 0F pretty easy. Sure, it's easier on them if you warm them up first, but not required.

 

[milkman636]

It may seem like it makes a difference, but it can't. Inanimate objects can't feel wind. Our bodies keep warm by putting out a layer of warm air around our skin. The more hair you have on your body, the better you are at keeping that warm air around your body. That's why we wear layers in the cold. That's why animals in the actic climates often have a lot of hair. Windchill is the rate at which the wind wicks that layer of warm air away from your body. The faster the wind, the colder you feel because your body can't keep up with the wind by leaving that layer of warm air around your body.

Cooling of inanimate objects is accelerated by wind in the same way that cooling of people is accelerated by wind. Why does blowing on your soup helps it to cool faster? It is exposed to a greater volume of cool air in a given amount of time, it is able to give up more heat to the increased volume of air. Why do you think there is a fan on your radiator? It helps the inanimate water to cool faster than it would without one. The fan is "wind chilling" the radiator.

 

[OkieDave]

Cooling of inanimate objects is accelerated by wind in the same way that cooling of people is accelerated by wind. Why does blowing on your soup helps it to cool faster? It is exposed to a greater volume of cool air in a given amount of time, it is able to give up more heat to the increased volume of air. Why do you think there is a fan on your radiator? It helps the inanimate water to cool faster than it would without one. The fan is "wind chilling" the radiator.

Yes and no. Wind chill on skin is related to evaporation of moisture in the skin--as water (liquid) evaporates, it removes heat. No matter how dry your skin feels, there is still water present to evaporate.

Your engine block has no water to evaporate into free space the way your skin does. Still, as the block warms, it warms the air around it. If the air is still, that "bubble" of warm(er) air will draw less heat from the engine than cold air (rate of heat exchange is proportional to the difference in temperature). Blow away that warmer air and replace it with cold and you'll lose heat faster, resulting in a lower block temperature and longer preheat times.

 

[flyingcow]

If i took 2 identical vehicles, and the temp is -10f with a 10mph "breeze". Parked one with it's nose into the wind, and parked the other tucked up close to a building, protected from the wind, the one in the open will start harder and take a little longer to throw heat from the defroster.

 

[7snakes]

What is difference between starting my gasoline vehicles without a block heater and the diesel tractor with? What is it about the diesel that the engine likes preheat?

 

[flyingcow]

just a guess...but gas motors fire with a spark, diesels' do it by compression, it's nice to plug in the engine for a little extra help.

 

[Mace Canute]

What is difference between starting my gasoline vehicles without a block heater and the diesel tractor with? What is it about the diesel that the engine likes preheat?

Diesels ignite the fuel strictly with heated air. Compressing the air in the cylinder quickly causes the temperature to rise and ignition will occur once the temperature has risen to the auto ignition point of diesel...about 410 F. If the low initial temperature of the air combined with the surrounding metal surfaces leeching heat out of the compressed air result in keeping it's temperature below 410 F, the engine won't start. Anything that increases either the initial air temperature or the metal temperature of the cylinder or both will help the diesel engine start.

A gas engine starts when a spark plug ignites a flammable mixture of air and gasoline. The flash point of a flammable liquid is the lowest temperature at which there will be enough flammable vapour to ignite when an ignition source is applied and since gasoline has a flash point of about -45 F, theoretically it should start at any temperature just above or higher than -45 F. It often happens that it doesn't. I believe it's because the gasoline vapour surrounding the spark at the spark plug tip isn't between its lower and upper limits of flammability.

 

[7snakes]

That'll explain it. Thanks.:thumbsup:

 

[brokenot]

Cooling of inanimate objects is accelerated by wind in the same way that cooling of people is accelerated by wind.

Cooling of inanimate objects is accelerated by wind, but those inanimate objects do not get "colder" than whatever the ambient temperature is. So if the weatherman tells you it's 10F outside, but with the "wind chill" it's -10F, go outside and attach the most accurate temperature measuring device you can find to whatever inanimate object you're talking about. The temperature you read will be whatever the actual ambient temperature is....assuming it's been sitting there long enough to cool off to that ambient temperature level.

Wind chill absolutely does not apply to inanimate objects. If you park a tractor or vehicle, wind will make it cool down faster, but under no circumstances will it get "colder" than whatever the ambient temperature is.

And the whole "wind chill factor" thing is all about the temperature feeling colder than it actually is.

On another forum, a guy dared me to do something after I posted up a wind chill chart. According to him, the wind chill factor is actual, and that inanimate objects very much do see/feel those actual temps. The chart I posted had a bunch of temperatures and wind speeds listed. At 35F and with a 60 mph wind, the wind chill "factor" is 17F. So basically the guy dared me to drive my truck down the road at that ambient temp going 60 mph. He was convinced that if I had straight water in the radiator, that 17F "factor" would turn it to ice......barring the thermostat opening and ruining his theory, of course.

I'm still giggling about that.

I'm in North Dakota. No stranger to cold or wind, or getting things started in the cold. We typically spend a hour or so per day when it's cold getting stuff up and running for customers.



;-)

 

[JDGreenGrass]

Cooling of inanimate objects is accelerated by wind, but those inanimate objects do not get "colder" than whatever the ambient temperature is. So if the weatherman tells you it's 10F outside, but with the "wind chill" it's -10F, go outside and attach the most accurate temperature measuring device you can find to whatever inanimate object you're talking about. The temperature you read will be whatever the actual ambient temperature is....assuming it's been sitting there long enough to cool off to that ambient temperature level.

Wind chill absolutely does not apply to inanimate objects. If you park a tractor or vehicle, wind will make it cool down faster, but under no circumstances will it get "colder" than whatever the ambient temperature is.

And the whole "wind chill factor" thing is all about the temperature feeling colder than it actually is.

On another forum, a guy dared me to do something after I posted up a wind chill chart. According to him, the wind chill factor is actual, and that inanimate objects very much do see/feel those actual temps. The chart I posted had a bunch of temperatures and wind speeds listed. At 35F and with a 60 mph wind, the wind chill "factor" is 17F. So basically the guy dared me to drive my truck down the road at that ambient temp going 60 mph. He was convinced that if I had straight water in the radiator, that 17F "factor" would turn it to ice......barring the thermostat opening and ruining his theory, of course.

I'm still giggling about that.

I'm in North Dakota. No stranger to cold or wind, or getting things started in the cold. We typically spend a hour or so per day when it's cold getting stuff up and running for customers.


I agree.



;-)

I agree with you.

 

[pitt_md]

Egon....You may or may not know this but, the wind has no effect on temperature. In other words, the iron on your tractor does not "feel" the cold wind chill. Only us humans do.

If the temp is zero and the wind is blowing 40mph, the temperature is still zero.

Not sure the point your trying to make. Yes the temp is still what ever it is with out the wind BUT - The more cold air you move across a warm surface the more heat is dissipated. If your trying to heat up your tractor it will take longer if the wind is blowing 40mph.

 

[D7E]

Not sure the point your trying to make. Yes the temp is still what ever it is with out the wind BUT - The more cold air you move across a warm surface the more heat is dissipated. If your trying to heat up your tractor it will take longer if the wind is blowing 40mph.

Absoluteley ...so harder to warm and start !