COLD MN

[DML]

We arrived in MN late last week. I decided to keep all of the 180 and attachments. The movers moved it all with the household goods on the truck. The day we arrived was the first day of that "clipper" bringing snow and frigid temperatures. The movers hastily unpacked around the PT hoping it could aid in some of the moving. Alas, once they got to it, it wouldn't start. Too cold. I even bought a new fully charged battery, and ran it down trying. Finally, we just rolled it off the truck, and left it where it landed for the night. The next day I found also that my '77 Dodge van wouldn't start. A friend came out with his garden tractor and towed the 180 into the heated garage. I bought an electric heater to aid in warming. By the end of the day, I got the tractor started and used it to tow/push in the van to the garage. The next day it started right up. I changed to oil in the van to a more climate appropriate weight and will have a block heater installed later. Wind chills below zero here. They say January and February are the coldest. I cleared the drive with the 180, but it took me all day for a relatively short drive, because I had to keep taking breaks. I couldn't stand the cold!

Should I also change the 180's engine oil? What about the hydrolic oil? What weights?

 

[DHS]

Hello neighbor,

Welcome to the great north country. I have a PT-422. I use Mobile #1 10w-30 in the engine. Every time I change the hydraulic filter I make up the difference with Rotella 5w-45 synthetic oil I buy at Wal-Mart. I have not totally changed the original PT hydraulic oil. When the temperature is below 20 above zero I use a portable 1500 watt electric baseboard heater under the rear section of the tractor. I cover the rear section with a tarp and blanket. Cook for 1-2 hours and it starts. Oh, it warms up in June.

Hope this helps,

Dale

 

[Spiffy]

Let me second the welcome to the North!

I keep the garage at 35F so I don't worry about either; a few minutes of warm-up and use seems to keep it everything at operating temps. Before I got the 2445 to fit the garage though, we had a couple mildly cold nights; the diesel didn't didn't appreciate that too much; a full charge on the battery and belching black for a few cranks - she came to life. Your Robin (?) is probably a bit more forgiving, so if you let it get cold, I'd suggest something like 5W30.

I wouldn't mind chains, but the 2445 is heavy enough that it does pretty well without; if ice is your concern, I'd look at chains before bothering with weights (which may be necessary too....I'm barely knowledgable on the 2445...don't take my word on a 180! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif)

Welcome again! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[Spiffy]

Did you say wind-chill sub-0? Perhaps it's warmer in The 'Cities or you're in the some Minnesota "Banana-Belt" I'm not aware of, but after -40, the windchill is just a bonus! Actually, -20F + windchill is pretty common around here.

Maybe it's lack of preparation when it's warmer, but I seem to find the above 0F temps with a good wind have nastier bite than when it's below. Go figure. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[KentT]

When I moved to Mankato MN 11 years ago this coming January, the high for the day when I was unloading the UHaul truck was -25. It had gotten down to -37 the night before, to welcome us to town. Good thing we'd parked the truck where we needed it, since it was another week before that old International diesel ever started again... /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

I miss the genuinely good people of the upper midwest, and I miss the Boundary Waters/Quetico/Voyageurs -- but I don't miss the winters at all... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[DHS]

I grew up on a farm near Mankato and went to high school in Mankato. After 10 years of military and working at a nuclear plant on the east coast I moved to South Dakota.

I believe South Dakota has a dry cold which makes it more tolerable than Minnesota. LOL
/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
Dale

 

[Spiffy]

If you don't want to move Minnesota snow with the PT, they make snowblowers capable of the task:

Minnesota Snow Blower

/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

OK, I was serious about the potential for -40 not including the wind-chill factor, but you should be fine with the PT for snow moving! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[KentT]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( OK, I was serious about the potential for -40 not including the wind-chill factor... )</font>

For sure... there's something that I never did figure out about that cold though. Several people, including engineers, told me that wind chill has no effect on inanimate objects such as cars, etc. If that's the case, why does it make a difference in how your car starts (or won't) based on whether you parked it facing into the wind or not...

 

[MuncyBob]

WOW!!...now that's a snowblower!!!! With those sub zero temps up there I'm wondering what the attraction is...my teeth chatter too much at -20!

 

[DML]

I had cranked the heat up high in the garage to get my machines running. I just bought a thermometer for the garage and put it up a few minutes ago. It read 45 when I left the garage. I'll be titrating it down to the tolorence level of my machines. I am thinking about 34 or so.

I appreciate the recomendations on the oils. I'll probably be changing the engine oil my next day off. I do have chains. They worked well for traction. However, I must be a novice at putting them on because I can't keep them on. Two of them got bent hooks when they came off.

I don't know why wind chill would any less of an effect on inanimant objects than live ones. To put it simply, our heating systems are the same. Cold parts are kept from getting colder by warm fluid circulating through them and back to warmer parts. Heat loss occurs through evaporation, contact, and exposure. I'm wondering if I don't have some lines broken in my fingers, though!

But then we could switch it up and talk about humidity and heat indexes. High humidity sure does make it feel hotter (I lived in Pensacola, FL at one time), but it seems like it should make it feel cooler because of the moisture and increased sweat. Then again, (rambling thoughts) perhaps the high humidity prevents efficient evaporation of sweat--the actual mechanism of heat loss, which slows cooling.