Cold Weather Starting

[PointyHairedBoss]

Hi - my first post:

I have a tractor in my future, between 35 & 45 HP, HST, loader, cab, front mount snowblower. I'm thinking either Kioti or Kubota. I'm located near Parry Sound, Ontario & one of the primary uses will be to keep my 1/2 mile driveway clear of snow. It is not uncommon to get below 0F temperatures so cold weather starting is very important. I've been reading a lot of posts & reviews & noticed that cold weather starting problems were mentioned a few times for Kioti (not for Kubota).

I know you can plug in a block heater on cold nights but to complicate my situation, I'm off grid & don't have the capacity to leave heaters running. A quick warm up using a heater in the morning (1/2 hour or so) would be acceptable, but good cold weather starting would be better.

All you cold weather operators - any comments?

 

[nybirdman]

I have a L4240 Kubota..live in way northern NY,on the border with Canada..similar weather;my tractor always starts up..coldest weather...I have a block heater but seldom use it.Tractor is out-doors(cabbed).:thumbsup:

 

[studor]

I store my Jinma indoors but unheated. I have an inline coolant heater that I plug in for about fifteen minutes to half an hour and it starts when I turn the key. The engine has glow plugs that work ok but I prefer the heater. Unless it is a really finickity diesel, warming it up to above freezing should get it to start

 

[6thgpSF]

I live in the great state of Kansas and it gets pretty chilly here in the winter.with the thermostart and decompression my little Yanmar always starts. russ

 

[davkir]

They start and run much better in cold weather with synthetic lubricants.

 

[PointyHairedBoss]

I run Mobil Delvac 1 in my VW diesel Jetta & changed my Deutz powered generator to the same oil so I'm a big fan of synthetics, especially for cold weather operation. Do Kubota & Kioti have an official position on using synthetics in their equipment? I tried to get approval from Honda for using synthetic in my ATV but Honda doesn't officially approve. After reading a few newsgroups I switched to Amsoil 0-40 motorcycle synthetic with no problem. And it starts much better in cold weather.

By the way, I appreciate the comments regarding tractor starting in cold weather but what I am really interested in is if there is a consensus as to which starts better in cold weather - Kubota or Kioti.

 

[sweettractors]

The intake pre heater is good if you dont have access to electric. In addition, the colder climate you are in, the lower viscosity engine oil you would probably use. Maybe 30 in the summer and 20 in the winter. Some New tractor manufacturers have suggested that, or multi viscosity, in the past. I have had new Kioti's come in while the temps were below 0 F and they had been breezed out coming from Wilson, NC across the mountains on a flatbed carrier. Never had one to fail to start to offload the truck. I cannot speak to Kubota. Ken Sweet

 

[Thomas]

I turn on blocker heater least an hour before 15F..just little extra help for glow plugs.

 

[NSBound]

I park indoors, no heat, no block heater - started every time all last winter, but the coldest it got was -18C. I always gave the glow plugs a double dose - don't know if that helped, it just may have!

 

[Steve_Miller]

I have a CK30 Kioti and it is stored in an unheated shed and it has nevered whirled for more than two or three seconds before starting. I'll give it the double dose of the glow plugs in the winter but it hasn't even given me so much as a hiccup yet. Cold starts down to minus twenty celcius. Three winters so far.

Steve
Nova Scotia

 

[bp fick]

We live at the 45th parallel and -10F is common, night after night.

The Kubota fires up on the first crank. Glow the plugs 8 counts. Stop. Glow them again for 8 counts and bang. Starting is no problem.

But the hammering is awful!! They don't sound very pleasant for awhile. I agree with the low viscosity synthetic oil for winter, a 5w-40 syn? I used Kubota 10w-30 dino last winter. Probably won't use that next winter.

 

[CurlyDave]

Living off-grid can be challenging.

The safety police will be on me in a second or two, but a very effective way to warm up an engine is to start 3 charcoal briquettes in a small stainless steel pot (look at the local thrift store) and once the flames from the starting fluid have died out, push it under the engine.

15 minutes later it will start like a champ.

 

[doall]

Living off-grid can be challenging.

The safety police will be on me in a second or two, but a very effective way to warm up an engine is to start 3 charcoal briquettes in a small stainless steel pot (look at the local thrift store) and once the flames from the starting fluid have died out, push it under the engine.

15 minutes later it will start like a champ.

good idea, I have used charcoal on a piece of tin to thaw frozen water pipes, but never thought about that.(Yes sub freezing is very common in north Mississippi)

 

[Sweden-Art]

Living off-grid can be challenging.

The safety police will be on me in a second or two, but a very effective way to warm up an engine is to start 3 charcoal briquettes in a small stainless steel pot (look at the local thrift store) and once the flames from the starting fluid have died out, push it under the engine.

15 minutes later it will start like a champ.

That way was very common here in Sweden in the old days, even the army vehicles was preheated that way.

 

[E/S]

i lived off grid for 18 years, my 245DT Kubota never failed to start with -20 at night and never getting above freezing during the day. No block heater or starter fluid, I did use fuel additive to prevent gelling. Never stored in side.

E/S

 

[crusty 1]

Go with syn. oil.Easy to start and fast to lube the bearings.In nMn. we can see temps minus 40,40 degrees colder than your freezerDave

 

[rd_macgregor]

I have a Kioti DK45SC. The first winter I plugged in the heater a few times. I decided that was too much trouble, since the tractor starts right up just fine without it...of course it seldom gets much below 0 F here in PEI...
BOB

 

[American Bulldog]

It is more the fuel than the tractor. I have gelled up my Deere a couple of times. It was definitely not the tractor's fault.

If you don't need something so big, you may want to look at something that uses gas. Gasoline is a lot less temperamental in the winter.

I just bought a Ventrac 31HP water cooled gas tractor. Really nice setup. They have a nice cab and snowblower package as well. I obviously haven't tried the snowblower stuff yet, but the mower is the best I have ever had. This engine would certainly do well in the cold.