Cold starting a PT422

   / Cold starting a PT422 #11  
I'm thinking about switching all of the oil out to Amsoil. A lot of people swear that it makes a difference.

Don't do it unless you can get it for the same price as a good name brand synthetic. There's just no benefit to it. Snake oil marketing. :cool2:
 
   / Cold starting a PT422
  • Thread Starter
#12  
I have a friend that sells it. We get it for the same cost as any other full synthetic at a regular store. I don't think that Amsoil cures cancer or anything like that, but I do believe that it's a high quality product.
 
   / Cold starting a PT422
  • Thread Starter
#13  
And thanks for the detailed response as to how you start yours. I appreciate it greatly.
 
   / Cold starting a PT422 #14  
Now let's talk pre-heaters....

I was around airplanes for the first 26 years of my life. Many friends parents had airplanes, two were aircraft salesmen and owned FBO's at local airports. I worked for those folks at two different airports for 6 years from high-school through tech school, so I've pre-heated my share of aircraft engines in winter. Aircraft engines are air cooled. So are gasoline powered Power Tracs. So this should be an easy cross-over. :confused3:

Aircraft engines had to be pre-heated in cold weather. If they didn't, they stood a very good chance of trying to start, popping a few times, you'd think it would start, then it would just crank and crank and crank and never start. What would happen is the first time it popped, it condensed a bunch of moisture out of the fuel/air charge and that moisture coated the cold spark plug electrodes, shorting it out, then freezing on the electrode, thus the term, frosting the plugs. The ONLY solution was to pre-heat the engine for quite a while to get it warm enough to melt the frost. Or, you could pay the mechanic to remove the plugs, clean them, and pre-heat the engine and try it again. So, NO ONE would ever try to start their engines without preheating them in very cold weather.

So what's the best way to pre-heat a Power Trac when you have no AC power to run an electric heater, be it forced air or glue on heat pads on the hydraulic tank?

Propane fired 12V blower heater cart and some thermal blankets to hold the heat in.

Engine Preheaters – Flame Engineering

Now, these are expensive, so there should be some sort of less expensive, yet safe, propane alternative, I'd think.

Here's a milkhouse heater with some thermal ducting, but its 110V.
Inexpensive and effective engine preheater pre-heater w/ photos - VAF Forums

Here's a cordless heater that says 5-6 hours of runtime off of a charge and uses propane tanks. Less than $200.
HEATSTAR-F1439 | Acme Tools

Here's another cordless one from Northern Tool for $160. This one looks interesting.
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200485166_200485166

I'd think if you put a thermal blanket (fireproof) over the engine/hydraulics and pointed this thing in there, you could get some heat in there. Just be sure not to cook the gas tank on the tractor! :eek:
 
   / Cold starting a PT422 #16  
Up until this spring I had a Robin 22hp in my PT425. I can tell you unless you preheated it, she wouldn't start below 40 f. I used to drape a tarp over it and use a propane fired torpedo heater aimed at the hydraulic tank for a good 20 minutes to warm up the hydraulic oil. A couple years ago Terry sold me an electric heat pad that gets rtv siliconed to the hydraulic tank. It gets very hot fast. That also worked great.
The other day the wind chills were in the single digits. I am happy to say all I did was choke it and she fired right up with no preheating at all. Sure glad I put a Kohler in it.
 
   / Cold starting a PT422 #17  
I went to 10w50 synthetic oil. I don't think it made any difference. If you look up the cold weather flow characteristics of the oil, there is no difference 0/5/10W oil.

I think MossRoad's suggestions of battery cables are about the easiest low tech solution. I'm not a fan of ether, but if you need it, you need it.

All the best,

Peter
 
   / Cold starting a PT422 #18  
if you have a well insulated building and put rigid insulation on the ground for 8' all around the building (can be below grade a little) with no floor insulation in the building, it would not surprise me if that bought you 10 - 20°

Ken
 
   / Cold starting a PT422
  • Thread Starter
#19  
Thanks again everyone for the comments. I appreciate them all.
 
   / Cold starting a PT422 #20  
Speaking of jumper cables, make sure your battery cables are in good shape. Pull the connections off the battery, clean them well. If they are the type that pinches the cable in a clamp with some bolts, remove the bolts and inspect the stranded wire. Mine looked good until I removed that clamp. The stranded wires were green with white powder. I cut off an inch, stripped down to good, clean copper and put new ends on them. It made a noticeable difference in starter cranking power. Corroded cables... yoy!
 

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