Do you regularly start your diesel tractor as maintenance?

[ultrarunner]

Good plan to at least have a once over...

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

. . .
Swathers are a good example 1997 machine worth around $20'000 but runs for 3-5 days a year ..the rest spent sitting under a tree with no battery !

D7E, what type of crop are you cutting in that picture with that swather? Just curious.

 

[buickanddeere]

The different power plant that I work at either have two or three backup diesel generators (depending on whether they are a one or two unit plant) and they the coolant at normal operating temperature at all times in case they are needed. They startup and go to full rpm and then go to full load so there is no time for them to warm up. I believe they have the oil circulating also but am not sure on that.

On ours the DC lube oil pumps have the bearings lubed under pressure before the engine cranks over. It's seconds from a tripped electrical bus to a synchronized standby generator.

 

[wmonroe]

On ours the DC lube oil pumps have the bearings lubed under pressure before the engine cranks over. It's seconds from a tripped electrical bus to a synchronized standby generator.

That is probably the same for the ones I was talking about. I don't work on the diesel generators just find them very interesting so have tried to learn a little bit. The cloud of black smoke is very impressive when they start up, but it clears pretty quick and just a little bit can be seen when running under load. I can't remember the exact specs but I 1500kw is what sticks in my mind.

 

[BarnieTrk]

Oops!

 

[BarnieTrk]

... I have ever seen rust on the inside of a casing was on machines that have sat for long enough to let the oil coating dry off the casing and internal parts above the oil line. It can happen quite quickly in areas where there is significant temperature variation ... and take them for a ride in the snow. They get heated up nicely, I get to look around my place, the housings, bearings, and surfaces in the machine are recoated with oil, the battery gets recharged nicely... All very worthwhile outcomes. My $0.02 worth.

I have also seen the rust inside an engine that IR spoke of..... it's UGLY!

My :2cents:,
I think one way to reduce the potential for this UGLINESS from occurring is to use a good quality motor oil that has good 'cling' qualities, providing a oily film to be maintained on the metal surfaces INSIDE the engine, above the drainback 'oil line'. It reduces / prevents the 'dry start' situation. At my workplace (oilfield drilling & service equipment) we have many diesel-powered pumps, swivels, generators, draw-works, etc. that may or may not sit for three months without starting. Our chief mechanics require that not only does the equipment gets quality motor oils/gear lubes at service intervals, but ALSO get a dose of LUCAS oil additive at their recommended ratio. The mechanics claim the LUCAS additives add the 'cling quality' to many of the lubes and reduce the 'dry start' metal-on-metal contact. Products

I don't sell the stuff, but over the last 40 years, I've tried many of the 'snake oyls' without any noticeable improvement. I started using the LUCAS additives just before going to work at my present workplace and was surprised to see cases of gallon jugs of it there. So I asked the mechanics about it and they confirmed my findings - it's GOOD SHYT!

I don't start my stuff every week or month, but I do start & run it at least every two months. I am also with the butch that uses a block heater for at least an hour prior to starting. If I haven't run the tractor within a month, I attach a battery tender to the battery to ensure it's charge is maintained. I start and let the engine idle for 10 minutes @ 1000 RPMs, then work or at least drive the tractor around the yard. This allows the wheel and transmission bearings, gears, seals to get turned & lubricated. I operate/cycle each hydraulic system to allow fresh oil to get to their respective cylinders & seals, purge through each hose, etc. I also turn on/operate all the lights - to ensure they still are working as they should. Regarding my ol' seasonal truck, I also operate his windshield wipers & heater fan for a minute or so - also just to ensure they are in working order.

Lastly, I start and run my portable air-cooled power (7.5K) generator every other month. I shut off the main power breaker at the house and let the generator power the joint for about an hour. It (and the wood splitter) has 5w-30 full synthetic motor oil and LUCAS ethanol stabilizer in the gasoline.
BarnieTrk :cool2:
"Your mileage may vary"

 

[BarnieTrk]

What about running a woodsplitter all day at close to idle speed ? BAD??? or ok ? on the engine

My dad runs his wood splitter just off idle too - without any apparent issues......but then he is the LUCKIEST guy I know! :confused3:

I assume your wood splitter is air-cooled, correct?
I assume it does not have an oil pump on it, correct?
If it is indeed air-cooled and without an oil pump, then I would not recommend you run it just off idle. I'd guess your owner's manual would not recommend it either.

My reasoning is based on the operation of my air-cooled engines. An air-cooled engine is cooled but the air moving throughout the shrouding directing it over the cooling fins. The air is moved by the fins on the flywheel. The unit is designed to stay cool at normal operating RPMS. As I recall, air-cooled engine manuals suggest that you run it just off idle for at least one to three minutes then move it up to part throttle for a moment, then 90-100% full throttle for normal work load operation. Then when ready to shut off, remove the work load, allow it to run at 90-100% full throttle for one to 5 minutes depending on the outside temps & amount of work load it's been under; this will allow the fanned air to cool it back down prior to shut down. Once it's cooled some, then move the throttle down to just off idle for a moment, then shut down. If you get a loud POP! from the exhaust when you shut it down, it is telling you you didn't let the fan cool the engine enough prior to shut down!

The second reason: No oil pump means the crank, connecting rod, piston rings, etc. all get lubrication via a 'splash system'. So, if you operate your wood splitter just off idle, the lubrication isn't being splashed around as much as it could/should be....so pick up the RPMS!

Which also brings up another point: Because it is a splash system, if the motor oil level is not up to the operation level - if it is low on oil - it will not splash as much as it is designed to splash and will not be lubricated as it should be. As my GrandDad would say, 'I don't care what brand of motor oil you use, just make sure you have enough of it!"

For this same related reason - remember to keep your wood splitter engine level, so as not to be on too much of an angle preventing the motor oil from being splashed as it was intended to be.

BarnieTrk :cool2:

 

[houstonscott]

Yep...Just look at the folks mining in Alaska and the Yukon....their equipment sits for months, and left with no battery tenders, block heaters, etc....if they were running into problems every Spring you have to think they would do something about it.

Places in Alaska that have to run in winter never shut down their machines. HS

 

[GManBart]

Places in Alaska that have to run in winter never shut down their machines. HS

You checked with all of them? Wow...good research!

 

[GManBart]

For folks talking about water temperature versus oil temperature, I did something of a test on this yesterday. My work truck (2014 F150) has both coolant, and oil temperature gauges. It was about 45*F when I left to drive home, and the engine had been off for many hours. I used the dash clock, so it's not exact, but good enough for discussion purposes. It took 9 minutes for the coolant temperature to get to it's normal spot on the gauge. The oil temp gauge was still either on the peg, or just very slightly above it at this point. It took another 11 minutes for the oil to get to it's normal spot on the gauge, and I was driving an average of 70mph the whole time. So, 20 minutes of a decent load before the oil got fully up to temperature. Consider that it's a 5.0L V8 gas engine, and not a more massively constructed diesel, and it's pretty obvious that 10-15min of idling wouldn't get the oil up to temp, much less hold it there long enough to burn off moisture. A tractor engine is going to be even worse because they put out so little heat while idling, have much larger/thicker engine blocks and cylinder heads, and usually a higher oil capacity...none of that works in your favor when you're trying to get them up to temp.