For those with block heaters

[whitenorth]

If you you can turn the power to the garage from the house
then plug the tractor in the garage and then 2 or 3 hours
before you want to use the tractor turn the power back on

willy

Wish it were that simple. I have freezers in the garage and the garage is heated. Wish I had room to put the tractor in the garage. Built it as big as I could afford but, when are garages ever big enough? Plus, that would mean I'd have to get up in middle of the night to turn it on as I'd need to blow out the drive way so that the wife can get to work in the morning. A timer would give me a few more hours of uninterrupted sleep.

 

[newbury]

Other factors to take in account - oil, fuel.
With the "new" synthetic oils 0W-30 is common, that flows a lot better than what I ran back in 1967.
Diesel fuel is known for gelling at low temps. Make sure you have it properly "winterized", keep a few gallons of kerosene on hand. A warm block doesn't help if your fuel does not flow.

 

[whitenorth]

Other factors to take in account - oil, fuel.
With the "new" synthetic oils 0W-30 is common, that flows a lot better than what I ran back in 1967.
Diesel fuel is known for gelling at low temps. Make sure you have it properly "winterized", keep a few gallons of kerosene on hand. A warm block doesn't help if your fuel does not flow.

Oh yeah, BIL told me all about gelling and to "winterize" it. Been reading up on that also. Already have cans that are prepped and sitting in the garage. The tank in the tractor I'm told by the dealer I bought it from has already been treated. It will also be topped off after each use so that the tank has as little air in it as possible for any length of time.

 

[chris the wrench]

I use an outside Holliday timer for my trucks and tractor. Around zero f i set for about 3 hours, 20 below f i set for 5. Colder than that, i stay home and any snow can wait.

Nothing scientific about my timing, just seat of my pants calculations.

My 2006 5.9 cummins takes about 3x as long as my 2022 6.7 to warm up if i dont plug em in.

 

[LHF2019]

I think anymore most diesel is treated for winter and gelling is rare unless you live in the extreme cold. I have never treated mine but then again I buy bulk. See 0* all the time. I only know of one gelling issue in 40 years and the cure was to go back to field an hour later and pickup where I left off.

 

[TractorTYMe]

I use this Wyze Outdoor Wifi managed outlet for my block heater, I can program it for when it turns on automatically and off for set time.

Wyze Plug Outdoor | Best Wi-Fi Outdoor Electrical Outlet & Smart Plug

Wyze made the best Wi-Fi outdoor smart plug and electrical outlet. IP64 Weather Resistant, made for outdoors.

www.wyze.com

 

[Topzide]

WiFi timers are the way to go for block heaters. I have one that I use for my RAM, and can set it to come on at certain temp and time. If it's not that cold during that time frame, it won't come on. Really helpful when I'm the DW's tow truck! She leaves at o'dark thirty, and I have the block heater to start when it's needed to get on the road quick!

 

[newbury]

just seat of my pants calculations.

Yeah, I remember going by "seat of the pant calculations."
If I got in the truck and it was real cold the vinyl seat would be rigid, but would flex under my butt, that would require an hour or so of block heater. When it was REAL COLD it would maintain the folds like wood. That meant a long time to warm up.

 

[whitenorth]

I use this Wyze Outdoor Wifi managed outlet for my block heater, I can program it for when it turns on automatically and off for set time.

Wyze Plug Outdoor | Best Wi-Fi Outdoor Electrical Outlet & Smart Plug

Wyze made the best Wi-Fi outdoor smart plug and electrical outlet. IP64 Weather Resistant, made for outdoors.

www.wyze.com

Thanks for the link. Like the fact that it has 2 plugs. Can it be set to on go on at certain temps like Topzide can do?

WiFi timers are the way to go for block heaters. I have one that I use for my RAM, and can set it to come on at certain temp and time. If it's not that cold during that time frame, it won't come on. Really helpful when I'm the DW's tow truck! She leaves at o'dark thirty, and I have the block heater to start when it's needed to get on the road quick!

The turning on based on temp seems like a good idea. What brand is it that you are using?

 

[Topzide]

It more of what the app can do, not the plug. I just have a 2 channel outdoor wifi plug. Means it has 2 independently operated plugs. The app has scenes that allow me to set what temp to come on at. I use 1 channel for block heater on my RAM and the other for a battery maintainer. If I know I'll need the tractor, get it plug in the same way with another setup.
I'm using the Smart Life app on Android. Hope that helps.