Engine heater

[Bill_B]

What is the best type of engine heater to install on a Kioti 4020? Is there a good universal option on Amazon or at TSC? Or should I be buying something from my dealer?
On my last tractor I bought the one that you cut into your radiator hose. I got it at TSC. It didn't seem to do much and after a year didn't seem like it worked at all. I bought another one and the same thing seemed to happen.
So I am thinking that may not be the best option.

Has anyone ever tried wrapping heat trace around the coolant hose for a heater? I have a brand new one that is the auto regulating type that I bought and never used.

 

[Cycledude]

my opinion forget hose heater buy a block heater.

 

[Robin Veerman]

What part of the world do you live in? Maybe the glow plugs are sufficient? I ask because I had an in-line heater catch fire right before my eyes. Thankfully I hadn’t left the tractor shed after plugging it in. I’ve since removed the heater and replaced the hose and rely on the glow plugs. No issues for the past 6 years. I treat my fuel and run a synthetic engine oil. I’m in Ontario Canada where the winter weather can get really cold…

 

[TractorTYMe]

A block heater that goes into one of the frost plugs on the block of the engine is the most efficient.

 

[RjCorazza]

I have always installed block heaters, and they have worked well for me. I bought oem heaters, but if you know the freeze plug size there are plenty of aftermarket options.

 

[Coyote_CS2220]

It depends on where you store your tractor and how cold it gets in this location.

If it is stored outside a block heater is a must, but I have found that a magnetic oil pan heater really helps as warm oil makes turn over and starting so much easier. A block heater does not warm up the oil way down in the crank case.

If it is stored inside an unheated garage/shed you can likely just use a magnetic oil pan heater as heat rises from the oil and will keep the upper engine warm too.

Magnet oil pan heater

 

[1Mech]

I recall my dad buying a '68 Plymouth Fury II must have been the early '70s , anyway, it came with a small propane powered engine heater. As I recall, it was actually a small water heater plumbed into the hoses. I don't recall if it was the lower radiator hose or a heater hose, but it worked and you didn't even need to be near electricity. The 12 volts from the battery fired a glow plug to fire the propane off. There was a small propane tank in the trunk with a shut off valve. As I recall it was made by a company called Phillips Manufacturing or something similar to that. We lived near the Twin Cities of Minnesota at the time, so we had plenty of cold in the winter!

 

[CalG]

I've been using lower radiator hose heaters for .....ever.

They work fine for me, but the thermostat MUST have a bypass "tickler".

The flow must go on!

 

[Egon]

What is the best type of engine heater to install on a Kioti 4020? Is there a good universal option on Amazon or at TSC? Or should I be buying something from my dealer?
On my last tractor I bought the one that you cut into your radiator hose. I got it at TSC. It didn't seem to do much and after a year didn't seem like it worked at all. I bought another one and the same thing seemed to happen.
So I am thinking that may not be the best option.

Has anyone ever tried wrapping heat trace around the coolant hose for a heater? I have a brand new one that is the auto regulating type that I bought and never used.

Some inline heaters have to be installed in a certain orientation.

 

[Oaktree]

I have found that a magnetic oil pan heater really helps as warm oil makes turn over and starting so much easier. A block heater does not warm up the oil way down in the crank case.

Bought one of those a few years ago, when I tried to use it I discovered the pan on my LK3054 was made of some non-ferrous material.

 

[fidowanttobe]

Coming up on the 17th winter on my Kat's lower radiator hose heater. Love it but need to plan ahead or use a timer.
That thing at times was plugged in for days on end.
Hmmmm, maybe time to shop for a spare now that I jinxed it?

 

[zpilot]

Bought one of those a few years ago, when I tried to use it I discovered the pan on my LK3054 was made of some non-ferrous material.

I did the same thing. What I do is use a bottle jack and use that to hold the magnetic heater up against the oil pan, works fine.

 

[Coyote_CS2220]

I did the same thing. What I do is use a bottle jack and use that to hold the magnetic heater up against the oil pan, works fine.

Cold humans can be ingenious creatures......

Look.......they created a 3M stick-on made of silicone for those pesky aluminum oil pans (careful on how you torque the oil pan drain bolt).

Silicone oil pan heater with 3M adhesive

 

[LouNY]

Block heaters are very good and efficient, lower radiator hose heaters work somewhat well.
The convection and circulating heaters work nicely.

However I have been thinking more and more of trying one of these;

 

[pmsmechanic]

Cold humans can be ingenious creatures......

Look.......they created a 3M stick-on made of silicone for those pesky aluminum oil pans (careful on how you torque the oil pan drain bolt).

Silicone oil pan heater with 3M adhesive

I keep this type of heater in stock so I have one if I need it. This type is very common on 99 - 06? diesel VW's.

 

[unimog_jason]

I bought an Espar coolant heater 20+ years ago for a Mercedes car I had with a diesel engine. I would park at the train station and set the timer so that it would start 30 minutes before I arrived, one of the greatest investment I made.

Fast forward, I scrapped the car, but kept the heater, it now is in my old JD backhoe. 20 minutes of running and the engine is ready to start.

I contemplated adding it to my Kioti, but there is no good place to mount it and I've never had an issue with starting it in cold weather.

I think I paid $1000 for the Espar unit, I'm sure you won't get the service life out of the Chinese unit, but for the price of one, buy 2.

Block heaters are very good and efficient, lower radiator hose heaters work somewhat well.
The convection and circulating heaters work nicely.

However I have been thinking more and more of trying one of these;
View attachment 828123

 

[319Quahog]

Cold humans can be ingenious creatures......

Look.......they created a 3M stick-on made of silicone for those pesky aluminum oil pans (careful on how you torque the oil pan drain bolt).

Silicone oil pan heater with 3M adhesive

When I lived in Alaska, we had lots of folks just smear the oil pan heaters with JB Weld to hold them on to their cars. Luckily my Tacoma at the time had a ready made insert in the rear of the block for a heater which I installed.

I had the dealer install a block heater on my new DK. Just got it Wednesday, so I still haven't traced it to see what type it is. 95% positive it is going to be the OEM freeze plug heater.

 

[Kioti Sal]

What is the best type of engine heater to install on a Kioti 4020? Is there a good universal option on Amazon or at TSC? Or should I be buying something from my dealer?
On my last tractor I bought the one that you cut into your radiator hose. I got it at TSC. It didn't seem to do much and after a year didn't seem like it worked at all. I bought another one and the same thing seemed to happen.
So I am thinking that may not be the best option.

Has anyone ever tried wrapping heat trace around the coolant hose for a heater? I have a brand new one that is the auto regulating type that I bought and never used.

Bill,
What setup did you end up choosing?

I used to plow with an old 12V cummins dodge. The block heater in that made a tremendous difference when starting in the cold, but that was a very cold blooded engine.

I just installed a block heater in my new CK3510. I've only used it twice now, but thought it worked well. Temps haven't dipped much below freezing here yet. I'm in the middle of new york state.

Anyway, I bought the kioti kit online that came with the insert, but the insert was too small. I called my dealer and he measured the kit he had and it was the same. Found a youtube video with a fellow that had a bobcat tractor and he had the similar issue. I ended up going to the local bobcat dealer and using one for a CT2035. The plug was shorter then the Kioti kit, but seemed to be pretty well made.

Kioti part #AAA247 The insert measured 1.278 inches at the base and 1.221 at the top.
Bobcat part # 7 388 933 Of course I measured this insert in mm. It measured 32.19mm (1.267 inches) at the base and 31.76mm (1.25 inches) at the top.

I'm not a machinist (obviously, i used mm for once and inch for the other). It doesn't sound like much difference, but i could slide the Kioti insert in almost the entire way in by hand. The bobcat insert took multiple blows with a hammer to get it all the way in.

Hope this helps somebody out.

-Sal