Block Heaters

[Highlander]

Winter is just around the corner and I have just completed installing both the Block Heater and Hydro Fluid Heaters on my 4300 and though intimidating to look at first, I finished the job on both in about 2 hrs time. Also changed the upper and lower hoses and Thermostat as well. My big question is does anyone out there know of any operating procedures for these Heaters? Do I plug them in all the time, some of the time or just prior to useage? And will these heaters harm the equipment in any way if left on?

 

[MadReferee]

In the last week or so there was a thread here on TBN discussing this very subject. Bottom line is that the block heater takes only 15-30 minutes to do it's job. Leaving it on any longer just wastes electricity. I would guess, but I am not sure, that the hydro fluid heater is the same.

 

[prosperity]

For my tractor, and both our diesel cars, I have timers for the block heaters.

The cars are set to run the heaters for ~2 hours before we would leave in the morning.
If I am expecting to use the tractor for snow removal in the morning, I will set that timer for ~1 hour - works fine that way.

 

[BGL990]

In the last week or so there was a thread here on TBN discussing this very subject. Bottom line is that the block heater takes only 15-30 minutes to do it's job. Leaving it on any longer just wastes electricity. I would guess, but I am not sure, that the hydro fluid heater is the same.

Depends how cold it gets and what wattage the block heater is. Many block heaters are less than 1000 watts (around 600 or so is common I think, but there certainly are larger ones in some vehicles). Around here it can get cold enough that 15 minutes will barely start warming an engine. It won't hurt anything to leave it plugged in as long as you want, so I'd give it a couple hours or more if it's cold out (cold as in -20C or colder. Above that isn't really that cold )

I once calculated how much it cost to leave a car plugged in for 12 hours, assuming (if I remember correctly) a 650 watt block heater. It worked out to something like 25 cents. That was a number of years ago, so it could have doubled or more by now, but that still isn't too bad.

You are right that a hydro fluid heater is basically the same as an engine block heater, but the one I almost bought for my 990 had a much longer element, to stick farther out into the fluid I guess. It could well take more current than the engine block heater as well since it has a LARGE mass of fluid and cast iron to warm up.

 

[KennedyDiesel]

Remember that the oil in the pan is going to be dead cold. I prefer oil pan type heaters, but my 3720 pan design doesn't allow me to add one. Then again, I typically park inside at 62°f unless out in the field...

 

[JDManCam]

In the last week or so there was a thread here on TBN discussing this very subject. Bottom line is that the block heater takes only 15-30 minutes to do it's job. Leaving it on any longer just wastes electricity. I would guess, but I am not sure, that the hydro fluid heater is the same.

We leave the block heater always pluged in cold weather. I get impatient and dont like to wait for the glo-plugs.

C.B

 

[pat32rf]

When I ordered my 4300 I included both heaters but when I got the unit I soon found that the tranny heater was located in just the right place to catch every branch that I drove over while being in a spot that was also real messy to reach while parked in a foot of snow. Scratch the tranny heater idea.
The cord for the block heater was routed behind the FEL supports and only the plug stuck out from the plastic cover making it a bare-handed job to plug it in. At -30C the wattage was low enough that you HAD to leave it plugged in all night.
The next summer I installed a large lower rad hose heater and ran both cords to a plug that stuck out from under the front of the hood. This plugs into an extension cord fed from a switched outlet. The switch is in the kitchen. Flip the switch, put coffee on, have breakfast and the tractor is ready to start. By the time I shovel the porch, dry the seat(the seat switch is disconnected so I can start it from the ground) etc the tranny is warm. I back out so the heater cord just falls to the ground if I forget it.

 

[3720_Owner]

Pat32rf - as my kids would say - that is way cool. Maybe that is what my kids use to say .. but either way, that is a great set-up. My JD hat is off to you.
Steven

 

[CAgnoli]

I thought that I read on here somewhere that the Hydro heaters should not be used for more than an hour or so at a time, as it could potentially burn the fluid? is that right?

My Diesel pickup gets plugged in when I get home from work, and unplugged when i leave for work, I was going to do the same thing with my Tractor, but don't want to damage anything. (I had the dealer install an ext cord for the block and trans heater so they are using the same plug....)

Any comments before I plug them in for twenty plus hours at a time?

 

[Highlander]

First time tested.............we had a low of minus 8 degrees F and wind chill of minus 20 F so the night before the storm I plugged in my 4300 in anticipation of plowing the snow the next morning. Turns out I was the last to plow snow this time as all my neighbors had their driveways plowed before I even started but none the less, the Block Heater worked very nicely when I went out to start the engine. Within 5 minutes the temperature guage started to move and was in the normal range however the needle was a bit lower than Ive seen it run most likely due to the ambient temperature. The hydraulics however seem to be a bit sluggish and seemed to improve within 15 minutes of cycling the bucket curl, raising and lowering the loader and the 3ph. Overall I am pleased and thankful I installed both the heaters and I can vouch for a much improved starting sequence during the very coldest of days.

 

[rmonio]

I've had my block and hydraulic heaters installed for several years on my 4600, Highlander, and they have really been a timesaver for me. I'm sure you'll find that the money spent on plugging them in (mine have been sometimes overnight) is well worth it.

-Bob

 

[Egon]

I have always wondered why a block heater makes the engine easier to turn over and start yet the engined oil is not warmed??

 

[Dusty]

The engine oil is warmed as a result of the block becoming warm. The reason that they start easier, is that with cold everything shrinks. When it gets warm, the metal expands and allows the engine to turn over easier. When I lived in NH, some winter mornings were so cold, that I would have to take a shovel of hot coals and put it under the engine oil pan. Once you heard the oil start to "crackle" you knew it was warm enough to start. That usually took the better part of a half hour or more. My old '55 Chevy wasn't used to the cold having originally come from the South. When I purchased it, it didn't even have a heater in the passenger compartment. It was what is known as a heater delete car. I had to get one from a junk yard and install it. That was a real pain, but I learned a lot from the experience. One, of which was to always check any rust free Southern car to make sure it had a heater! I wish that I still had that car today.
Dusty

 

[Egon]

Would not everything shrink or expand in the same relationship be it hot or cold?

 

[Dusty]

I would say that the relationship would be different. Different metals expand and contract at different rates. In the hypothetical engine block it might be iron and the connecting rods aluminum and the pistons steel. The bearings are made of a babbitt composition material, etc. All these items will expand and contract within the engineering limits to allow for starting at all temperatures, but it is the cold that is actually that will inhibit the combustion process from happening fully at the lower temperatures. That is why they bang and run rough when first started when extremely cold and smooth out as they warm.
Dusty

 

[gemini5362]

Ok since I live in Arkansas and Dusty posted about heaters in Arkansas I dont have much experience with block heaters. But I do have a question. The pipe heaters that you tape to your pipes to keep them from freezing have a thermostat on them. You just leave them plugged in and when the pipe gets below a certain temperature the heating elements turn on. Do block heaters not have the same setup ?