Cold Weather tricks

[PatH]

Mine may have been an extreme case but it virtually would not start below 40 degrees F. It would not fire until the hydraulic oil was warm enough to allow it to turn-over very fast. I tried the following with very little success before the new coils.
1. magnetic heaters at various mounting locations.
2. starting fluid.
3. battery charger on full time when not running.
4. "Hotter" spark plugs.
5. Heavy duty Robin starter.
6. 5W-30 Mobil 1 oil for hydraulic fluid (ouch was that expensive).
None of that was very helpful. Placing magnetic heaters directly on the pumps would normally get it started at temperatures slightly below freezing. Since replacing the coils I have had no problems starting it near 0 degrees.

While I realize that you may not have coils with the bad serial numbers, if the tractor sounds like it is turning over fairly well and the plugs are wet from fuel after some cranking it must be inadequate spark. That means the coils or the spark plugs. If you've already tried new spark plugs I'd think it would worthwhile to try the new coils. I think the coils are especially suspect on the Robin as they contain electronics that vary the timing for "easier" starting. If something in there is failed it could likely make for the more difficult starting.

 

[MossRoad]

-5 here this morning. Went out to the shed at 6:00am, set the throttle to about 2/3 and the choke to full, turned the key and the engine spun a few times then the starter started slowing down /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif .... thoughts of this thread immediately popped into my head. Then about two more turns of the starter, it picked back up and the engine fired right up /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif. I think the battery is getting weak. I'll throw a charger on it for a few hours tonight and permanently hook up the trickle charger to see if I can get the battery to last through the winter.

 

[Charlie_Iliff]

<font color="red"> and permanently hook up the trickle charger to see if I can get the battery to last through the winter.
</font>

MR - Advice you probably don't need. I recommend care in selection of a trickle charger. For years, I had one on batteries used on a boat lift, and found that it slightly overcharged the batteries and ruined them. Charge management electronics make a trickle charger more expensive that a transformer and some diodes, but less likely to overcharge. I've actually gotten better battery life mistreating them: letting them sit until needed and then boosting if necessary.

 

[Trev]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Charge management electronics make a trickle charger more expensive that a transformer and some diodes, but less likely to overcharge. I've actually gotten better battery life mistreating them: letting them sit until needed and then boosting if necessary. )</font>

Ut oh. Now that's interesting...

I just put a new battery in my JD4300, and have a "Battery Tender" hooked up to it because I thought they were supposed to extend the battery life.. in addition to making sure you always have full cranking power for those ultra-cold days.

http://www.batterystuff.com/battery/deltran/battery_tender.htm

Did I make a mistake?

Tks,
Bob

 

[Egon]

Trev:

The only mistake you made is not moving to a climate where frost is unknown. But then; depending on personal preference, that may not be a mistake either.

Egon

 

[bubenberg]

Mr. M.R. this looks like it is going to be another one of those long ones, like you started in the Stone Ages of Internet and Power Trac.

have to concur with Charlie, if i charge the batteries too often they last 18 month, otherwise the see the fall season or beginning of the winterseason of the third year ... but at times i get too **** and have that battery charger too often out there doing it's thing. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

[Trev]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Trev:

The only mistake you made is not moving to a climate where frost is unknown. But then; depending on personal preference, that may not be a mistake either.

Egon )</font>

Egon, trust me.. I've made a LOT more mistakes than just that! I'm slowly working my way through the list of all possible mistakes.. and am up to the J's now. I'd post the list, but it's too big. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Bob /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[MossRoad]

What I have is trickle charger that I used on my motorcycles for many years. I'd hook it up in the fall and let it sit all winter. Any nice day that I wanted to take the bike out, the battery worked just fine. I have also used it on cars and trucks in storage and it seemed to work well. I'll try it out and let you know how it does.

As it is right now, I think the battery in the PT is about shot. I fully charged it last week and have only run the tractor about 3 times since. I'm just hoping to get it through the winter and then replace it with the largest CCA battery that I can find that fits in there. I might also look into sheilding the battery from the engine heat with some type of insulation/shield. It gets very hot in there in the summer and that can't be good for it. I like the new design like Paul's much better.... If I only could have waited 2 years... /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[Egon]

Is there any chance you can locate the battery in another position? The cables can be extended.

Egon

 

[MossRoad]

Not a chance. This thing is packed tight. The only place to put the battery would be outside the engine compartment or up on the top of the engine cover. The new design does not have this problem, as I think they used my model year as a test bed to work out the bugs! /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif hee hee. Still love it, though. Great little machine. Keeps getting better with each re-design. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif