Any piece of equipment will break if it gets used, that's part of the game. I don't buy the theory that steel is weaker or more brittle in cold weather, been working with it all my life and never seen anything to convince me of that. I do believe rapid heating caused by engines starting and or running hard, and mechanical systems operating causing heat do cause distortion and can cause stress cracking or part failures. I do think all mechanical systems work harder in cold weather. Oils and Grease are harder and offer less lubricity. Engines work harder, pumps work harder, pressures run higher (thick oil results in higher hydraulic operating pressures), hoses are stiffer, wires are stiffer. I have witnessed more breakdowns and maintenance costs in winter. At my paying job we work regardless of weather, it is not un-common to spend 2 hours in the morning getting equipment running and warmed up to run. That in itself seams like a huge waste to me. On our farm the only equipment we use regularly if its below 0f is the loader tractor to feed out and clean out. That gets parked inside (seldom below freezing) and plugged in. If we didn't work below freezing temps we would be out of work 3 months a year or more though. Here at the farm, as long as its above zero we go to work as needed. I do start the equipment 30 to 60 minutes before I need it to circulate and warm the fluids before we use it.
