Robbin 22hp Engine

[Skalini]

Ernemat's
Your posting is encouraging, I have 640 hr's on my p.t. 418 no problem's
on the robin's engine so far.

Trackks9, a guy like you probably just has the magical touch. You tree farmers usually have a step up on us average joes. Plus you have Mike Stein to call for advice.

 

[Trackks9]

Hey Steve, welcome to the forum, lot of good info. here, Ernemat's is the
guy when it come's to lot's of trouble free hrs. how many hrs on your P.T.

 

[brainhat]

Hello everyone!

I joined because I really got a kick out of the post started this thread. It's winter, and we just had a lot of snow in the Northeast (Connecticut). I have a PT-422 that I bought new in 2000. A few years ago I moved to a neighborhood with a common dirt driveway. The neighbors have been arguing over who should take care of it since time immemorial. I bought the plow attachment, which took care of the immediate problem . The blade is terrific; I can clear the whole street in no time at all.... but starting the Robin engine is like kneeling in rice. It's almost a day now since I first cranked it over. I'm still waiting for it to start and most neighbors have already cleared out their driveways.

The PT-422 is in a 40 degree garage. Getting it going is a ritual that alternates between putting it on the charger and throwing a tent over it with a heater underneath. The battery's been through h***. It's probably time to replace it, but I don't know how to do that without removing the muffler(?). Funny, bolts fall out of the Robin engine by themselves. But I'm certain that if I try to remove the muffler, I'll snap something.

 

[Trackks9]

since you purchased your P.T. in 2000, is this your first issue with cold weather
start's? If your P.T. is the same as mine, you do have to remove the muffler to
replace the battery. being in a 40 degree garage, I am surprised your having starting
problem's

 

[brainhat]

The tractor sat in my ex-wife's garage for several years, and until the last few, I hadn't even looked at it in cold weather. Now I fight with it every time it snows. And I guess 40 degrees is optimistic--could be 35. Ironically, last night I pulled out a generator I hadn't used in probably ten years. Same cold garage, it started on the second pull! Any warnings about taking the muffler off? Thanks!

 

[Marks481]

Aim a space heater at the hydraulic tank. When it warms up a bit more, it should make your engine much easier to start.

 

[SpringHollow]

I assume you have tried new spark plugs - they can make a difference in poor conditions.

Ken

 

[stray]

when i replace the battery on my 422 i thought i would have trouble with the muffler but it came off and on with no problem.

 

[brainhat]

Thank you all for the advice. I have kept up with maintenance; the plugs are new last summer. Maybe the real issue is I lack patience waiting for the hydraulic oil to heat up. Between my first post and this one, I took a few measurements of the outside of the oil tank with a Radio Shack infrared thermometer. At 45 degrees, I ran the battery down trying to get her to start. About an hour ago, when the hydraulic oil (and the engine) reached 60 degrees under the tent I'd made for it, the PT-422 fired up with the first turn of the key! Sixty degrees is the magic number for me from now on.

-Kevin

 

[ernemats]

I have a 422 purchased in April 2000 with the Robin engine with about 1,600 hours on it and still the original battery. It has been starting on the first try every time I use it, it is kept in an unheated garage and our outside temperatures have been in the low twenties. No heat used to start or warm it up and have not put the battery on charge. I usually turn the lights on for about a minute to warm the battery up some give it full choke, about 3/4 throttle and it has been starting right up. If it gets down to around 10 degrees or lower I put a magnetic heater on the hydraulic tank for 4-6 hours before trying to start it.

 

[BobRip]

Kevin. I have the same problems on my 422 year 2000. I keep it in the heated garage (always above 50) and it works fine. I think it is simply that the starter must turn the engine and 4 hydraulic pumps with cold oil in them. It is unusual to have an engine tied to that kind of load when starting. Put multiple magnetic heaters on the engine, oil reservoirs and pumps. I have not tried this (because of the heated garage), but it has got to help.

 

[Rod in Forfar]

Not all Robins are hard to start in the cold. My last golf cart had a 9hp Robin twin in it. When I first got it, it would start, run about 100 feet, and then remain stalled until a thaw. A guy in Minneapolis told me the solution: twist the crankcase drain tube so that there is no trap for moisture. From then the EZ-Go worked well all winter, starting in sub-zero temperatures and running all over the Rideau Lakes without difficulty.

My 2004 Polaris Ranger TM has an 18 hp Robin engine. It gets 0W40 synthetic engine oil and one grade of plug hotter than the original. I have had a few starting issues with it, but it's usually pretty good in very cold weather. It's never let me down while ice fishing. That leads me to conclude there must be a bad connection somewhere I can't find, because the failure of the solenoid to activate the starter seems to be related to heat.

With 500 hours on the Robin engine, I have found I like the thing's good natured rhythm and its durability in a wide variety of applications including 8 parades in the last year and 40 hours of spraying.

 

[washita]

after reading all the posts, here is my 2 cents: 2007 425-25hp robin, the motor is a love/hate relationship. the motor would not start below 40 degrees, then I reconfigured the exhaust system, now it starts on first attempt at 20 degrees, any temperature below 20 degrees requires a second battery to help start it (correct cranking speed) personally I feel a relief valve in the hydraulics would help cold weather starting. the value per dollar spent, this tractor is a good investment. I wish it had electric start like my snowblower.

 

[BobRip]

Not all Robins are hard to start in the cold. .

It's not the engine, it's the application. PT should have found a way to disconnect the pumps from the engine during start, or some other solution for hard cold start.