PowerTrac Cold Weather Heaters....

[SCOTCHERS]

I love my PT425...except when it gets below 40 degrees...she's a fickle little things...I've had this cold start problem with both my PT 425's going back to 2004.
Who's got the solution...I get tired of heating my garage up with my heavy duty forced air keorosene heater.
I"ve tried the magnetic heater on the side of the reservoir and that's not too effective...I'd love advice
John

 

[MossRoad]

So, let's figure this Subaru cold start out....

- Using synthetic engine oil? (I've been schooled on it lately... :laughing It pours easier in cold than conventional oil of the same weight. I've been using Mobil1 in mine since 50 hours for longevity, but it apparently is less sticky when cold, so that could help a lot with drag.
- Use starting fluid.... I've had to do it on my Kohler when below -5. Have any of you tried that in your Subarus under 40? (use with caution).
- Played with choke settings... as my Kohler gets older, I've adjusted my starting procedure. I start with no throttle and no choke. Start cranking the starter and gradually increase the choke until it coughs, then add some throttle and back off the choke a bit. Seems to work well.
- Warming the engine.... put a blanket over the engine and run a blow dryer on it for 15 minutes... I wouldn't leave it unattended for this. We use to have to pre-heat airplane engines when I worked at the airport. It was standard operating procedure, but it was in temps well below 40, where most of the Subaru owners are reporting problems.
- Use a booster battery. See if the extra amps help it crank.
- Change the battery cables to heavier ones and make sure the connectors are good.
- Heavy duty starter... there's rumors that there is a heavy duty version of the starter out there. Anyone have part numbers?

 

[MuncyBob]

While my engine is out t the shop I'm having the battery cables replaced. Not sure I can afford the heavy duty starter.
I have always used Mobile 1 from the very 1st oil change(part of the reason I am mystified at needing a valve job so soon). Playing with the choke has produced some results until it is below 30 or so then warming up the PT is the only solution for me. I don't want to use starting fluid.

 

[marrt]

So, let's figure this Subaru cold start out....

All great points and will probably help "some." I have this machine and it will not crank in cold weather. Runs perfectly otherwise. I keep it in an unheated garage. If I place one of those cheap oil filled electric radiators turned on it's side under the tank on low (750 watt setting), the tractor will start fine. But I leave the radiator on most of the time. Probably costs $75 or so per month if run 27/7. This keeps the oil at about 70 degrees when outside temperatures get down into the upper 20s at night and 40s during the day. Terry said the Kats 250 W pad heater works very well and I'll convert to that to reduce the "heating costs" by 2/3.

I also have another machine that uses motor oil for hydraulic fluid, a tow behind backhoe (DigIt brand). This machine has an 18 hp Kohler engine and a gear pump. Yesterday, it started without complaint but would barely move the backhoe or operate the hydraulics because the oil was too cold. In my mind, this further verifies the oil tank is the problem, not the engine.

 

[Frank Sorbello]

I agree with you Marrt, the oil tank is the problem and not the engine do a degree. My question is why do the Kohler engines start much easier in cold temps under the same conditions (load). I would gladly pay the extra money to buy a PT-425 with a Kohler engine. Money is the reason why PT stopped using the Kohler, not performance. IMO, the money saved by using the Subaru's is not worth the aggravation. I would pass the extra cost onto the customer. I would at the very least give my customers the option of using a Kohler.

 

[Raw Dodge]

I don't own a PT,at least not yet..they look awesome..but I wanted to chime in here.First off its unacceptable that a gas powered machine will not start under 40 degrees.. My 83 Ford 1910 diesel tractor running 5w40 synthetic starts down to -10 below that I know of without any assistance.as will both my Steiners with 25 Kohler's..my barn has no heat , I would change the hydraulic fluid to something thinner,and try 0w20 full synthetic oil in the engine for winter. There has to be a way to start it

 

[ponytug]

I have to say that I'm impressed that you guys get these engines to turn over, much less start. As Marrt noted, the hydraulic oil is a big load when it is cold and sticky. Don't forget the damage that can happen with cavitation on your pumps trying to move cold oil.

I like the looks of the Kat heaters, but I haven't done it.

FWIW: on the 1445 (Deutz)

• Doubling the size of the ground/battery/starter cables: some help
• Changing to Mobile1 in the hydraulics: small help
• New starter: Wow

YMMV. In principle, the replacement starter was the same, but it was night and day for starting, perhaps because the new one had the engine at speed in a second or two.

All the best,

Peter

 

[BobRip]

I don't own a PT,at least not yet..they look awesome..but I wanted to chime in here.First off its unacceptable that a gas powered machine will not start under 40 degrees.. My 83 Ford 1910 diesel tractor running 5w40 synthetic starts down to -10 below that I know of without any assistance.as will both my Steiners with 25 Kohler's..my barn has no heat , I would change the hydraulic fluid to something thinner,and try 0w20 full synthetic oil in the engine for winter. There has to be a way to start it

If you used oil that thin, you would have lower wheel motor torque when hot. You could change it summer to winter maybe. You can't get all the oil out, so you would be mixing the viscosties.

 

[SpringHollow]

Peter,

On my diesel, the intake heaters made a big difference on starting.

Ken

 

[ponytug]

Um... There is almost no difference between a 5W and a 10W oil when cold. The high temperature rating is the second number. So 5W40 and 10W40 have the same hot performance, and nearly the same cold performance.

The pros and cons of oil weights has been covered extensively here in the past.

The big advantage of the Ford 1910 is a little thing that we used to call a clutch. That and the fact the low gear has a top speed of 0.8mph. Of course, you have to shift 11 more times to get to a high gear that is ~1.5X the PT.

All the best,

Peter

If you used oil that thin, you would have lower wheel motor torque when hot. You could change it summer to winter maybe. You can't get all the oil out, so you would be mixing the viscosties.