I have a six year old 4720. I have found that if I do not pump the hand throttle it will start much better in cold weather. Leave the hand throttle all the way up until it starts then give it enough throttle to bring the RPMs up to normal idle speed. If it doesn稚 start right away, I cycle the glow plugs again and retry.
I think that when I pump it, it gets too much fuel in the cylinders and acts like it is flooded. Maybe the glow plugs can稚 get hot enough when cold fuel is squirted into the cylinders at low temperatures.
I am fairly SURE that "pumping" doesn't do anything.
It isn't like the old style carbs, there is no "pumper" per se.
I set my governor hand control to a hundred or two hundred RPM above idle just before I shut down.
I don't have kids meddling or playing on it between uses, so that hand control stays pretty much where I leave it (-:
Starts right up every time - still no recurrence of the little issues I had before the bus bar clean up, so I'm putting it all down to that.
Couple of things about block heaters;
The side of the {Cummins based 42 HP} engine has a screw in block plug that appears to be pipe thread (reasonably sure about that, but do check the thread).
If you drain the radiator down some and take that plug out you will see that it could be replaced with a thread in heater between cylinders 2 and 3.
This is about as direct as you can get to placing the heat where it will do the most good.
The "awethentik" Branson block heater goes in there, but there is almost certainly a lower co$t alternative from your fave discount parts house.
It takes a 1/2 inch socket drive, use maybe a 3 inch extension on your ratchet handle, take the plug to the hardware store to match up the thread.
If you don't want to go in there and do it that way then a lower hose heater can work, but DO align it to the hose before you take anything apart or drain any fluid.
Mark the hose while it is still there on the tractor, two cuts, allow for the gap, about 1 1/2 inch IIRC.
The piece you cut out can be slit and wrapped around the "back" of the heater body for a bit of extra insulation and chaffing protection.
This is less direct and less efficient than an in-block heater, a lot of the heat goes to the radiator, which by definition is a heat dump.
