I didn't let it warm up

[RobB7300]

I didn\'t let it warm up

Well I did it. I promised myself I never would, but I got stuck in my driveway on the way out (busy day, hadn't had time to plow). So I used the tractor wothout warming it up. Started the tractor and let it run only long enough to hook the chain up to the car. I only used low speed and the car came out easy. What will be the first sign that I have broken something, or is it going to be a longevity thing. I promise I will try never to do this again.

 

[Thomas]

Re: I didn\'t let it warm up

Rob,
By letting the tractor warm up your warming up the hydraulic fluids which will flow better thru the transmission and your attachments,and will not shorten your tractor life.

I let my tractors warm up at medium speed for about 10 to 15 minutes.


Thomas..NH /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

 

[PaulB]

Re: I didn\'t let it warm up

Rob - I have had to do the same thing once or twice, in a real hurry, and used to let it bother me a lot. I now use synthetic oil, and know that if I NEED to get on and go, the oil is thin enough even at low temp. to lube fine. Fact is, unless your low oil pressure idiot light was on, by definition you had oil pressure, so I doubt you did anything bad. stop worrying, but next oil change go synthetic!

 

[Harv]

Re: I didn\'t let it warm up

Rob -

I'm sure your owner's manual has the same paragraph in the "Warming Up" section:

<font color=blue>For five minutes after engine start-up, allow engine to warm up without applying any load, this is to allow oil to reach every engine part. If load should be applied to the engine without this warm-up period, trouble such as seizure, breakage or premature wear may develop.</font color=blue>

This is probably an overly cautious statement, as is most of the manual, but of course they're obligated to cover their fannies. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

I look at it this way -- there probably isn't a person on this board who hasn't done what you describe more than once themselves. It's just human nature. Yet Kubotas keep running for thousands and thousands of hours.

IMHO, if it's not a regular event, any damage is probably too small to measure.

 

[RobB7300]

Re: I didn\'t let it warm up

Thanks Harv, I really didn't think I hurt the engine, I was more concerned with the hydraulics or the hydrostatic blowing a seal due to the cold temps. I only have about 140 hours on it so I'm sure it won't break now. Just hope I didn't shorten it's life too much.

 

[Jag]

Re: I didn\'t let it warm up

Rob - Harv is on track.. The motor was running with the oil pressure up, it did warm up some while you were hooking up the chains (which was most likely longer than you thank). Also as long as you really did not load the engine or hydrialic system like you were really going into a rock pile to move it, or trying to pull three hay wagons thru foot deep mud, it was really warming up fairly easy even if it was not setting still.

 

[RobertN]

Re: I didn\'t let it warm up

As has been mentioned, as long as you had oil pressure, and didn't load it too bad, it should be fine. If you did that every day, it would probably shorten the life, but not when it's a seldom done thing.

The other thing to think about, is how often you use the tractor. If it sat for a few days, there was probably oil still where it should be, in the journal, passages, and coating most things in the motor. if it had been sitting for a few weeks, then yes, as Harv mentioned, you need to run it for a few minutes so it gets through all the oil passages, as well as getting "flung" onto surfaces.

I think the one that is worst is when people fire up a gas engine, in a car or whatever, and as part of the starting ritual "REV" it up. That really shortens the life of the motor; no oil pressure while revving high rpm's.

RobertN in Shingle Springs Calif