Should I install a block heater?

   / Should I install a block heater? #41  
Just because the coolant is warm(which is all the block heater does), doesn't mean your engine oil is warm(which sits in the pan below the block), /QUOTE]

Put your hand on the oil pan and check it. The heat gets distributed quite well. Also take note of the cranking speed of a cold engine and one which has had a block heater on.

The Hydro oil is another mater.

Inanimate objects that have reached ambient temperatures are not subject to wind chill. Wind chill is the rate at which heat is lost not the actual temperature.:)
 
   / Should I install a block heater? #42  
Inanimate objects that have reached ambient temperatures are not subject to wind chill.:)

So true, I don't think many people understand that. When it is 0F ambient and windchill is -20F, your engine only thinks it is 0F when starting. Philip.
 
   / Should I install a block heater? #43  
Here in Southern Illinois the winters don't stay cold for long periods of time but it does get really cold and snowy some of the time. My 3830 had a block heater installed at the dealer before I brought it home. The dealer told me I didn't need it, and I guess I don't have to use it for it to start, it just sounds better to me. I hate the excessive clatter like an engine with no oil in it. For my piece of mind it was well worth the $50. And I make sure the hydro oil is warmed up before I start the snow removal operations. I want my tractor to last longer than me, that is why I use a block heater.
 
   / Should I install a block heater? #44  
Just because the coolant is warm(which is all the block heater does), doesn't mean your engine oil is warm(which sits in the pan below the block), /QUOTE]

Put your hand on the oil pan and check it. The heat gets distributed quite well. Also take note of the cranking speed of a cold engine and one which has had a block heater on.

The Hydro oil is another mater.

Inanimate objects that have reached ambient temperatures are not subject to wind chill. Wind chill is the rate at which heat is lost not the actual temperature.:)
I can't, I don't have a block heater.

I mainly posted this because some of the wording I was seeing in a few of the posts led me to believe that there may be some that are 'starting and going' without a proper 'warm-up' due to the use of a block heater.

Edit: Some are using timers, and or swtches to activate block heaters for an hour or so before use, in that type of situation, the oil won't heat much(if any).
 
   / Should I install a block heater? #45  
Just because the coolant is warm(which is all the block heater does), doesn't mean your engine oil is warm(which sits in the pan below the block), /QUOTE]

Put your hand on the oil pan and check it. The heat gets distributed quite well. Also take note of the cranking speed of a cold engine and one which has had a block heater on.

The Hydro oil is another mater.

Inanimate objects that have reached ambient temperatures are not subject to wind chill. Wind chill is the rate at which heat is lost not the actual temperature.:)
That was a subject of another thread a while back, and I rank that one right up there with this thread:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/owning-operating/215952-preventing-tractor-back-flip.html
 
   / Should I install a block heater? #46  
   / Should I install a block heater? #48  
I'd rather stick my tongue on a flag pole in sub-zero weather, than revisit windchill "banter":licking:
 
   / Should I install a block heater? #49  
An enclosed garage or shop will not be the same temp as outside. Even plywood has an insulation value. Warm objects build a layer of warm air around them, blowing wind replaces that warm air and will cool things off much quicker (think of blowing on a cup of coffee).

My garage will be about 20 degrees warmer in the mornings and evenings if the doors are closed than the outside temp and usually equals the high for the day on the cold winder days. If it's a sunny day and there's no snow on the shingles it'll get about another 10 to 20 degrees warmer.

I've had lots of cars and trucks that I've put over 200,000 miles on that were left outside in the winter and never had a block heater on a single one of them. I figure if I can get a daily driver through a month where the temp rarely breaks zero without any problems then I figure I must be doing something right.

It's much easier not using an installed block heater than wanting to use a block heater you didn't install.
 
   / Should I install a block heater? #50  
A word of advice to those that have block heaters.

Just because the coolant is warm(which is all the block heater does), doesn't mean your engine oil is warm(which sits in the pan below the block), and it doesn't mean your hydraulic oil is warm.

The hydraulic oil needs to be warmed also(especially in a hydro machine), or serious damage can result.

I only mention this because sometimes people have the misconception that since the engine starts easy, we can start and go. Such is not the case.

Kubota (and I assume other manufacturers) clearly state in the owners and shop manuals suggested warm up times at various temperatures. The colder the ambient is, the longer suggested warmup. I like that warmup. I can get my cocoa and graham crackers.:licking:

I even warm up my tractors in the summer (to allow the a/c to cool down the cab).:D

Not to stray too far from the subject but, I work on large diesel engines part time. On stationary diesel gensets, they start at full rated load and rpm becaue they have to assume the load with minumum interruption. Normal start sequence is about 15 seconds after utility dropout.

It's a hoot to start a V12 Caterpillar twin turbo genset. You toggle the master start switch to on, watch the panel lights go from red to green and when the last one goes green, she starts and immediately throttles to rated rpm (usually 1500 for a 4 pole head). The twin 10" exhaust stacks blow some serious smoke and it's off to the races......

....they all have on board integrated oilers that bring the oil pressure up to rated psi (45 pounds or better) prior to start. Most, but not all also have block heaters however, it's the oil pressure that's important. Most will cold start with no block heat so long as the starting batteries will provide enough amperage or there is enough air pressure and/or volume in the pressure tank to spin the air starter if its air start and quite a few are, however, they won't start if there isn't sufficient oil pressure.

To that end, in the winter, I run a lighter grade (5-40 Rotella) instead of the 15-40 Rotella I use in the summer and I dead crank the engine (with the manual shutdown pulled) until the oil pressure light goes out and then I push in the manual shutdown and start the engine. That way, I'm assured that the oil galleries are full and pressurized and the overhead has lubrication.

I've never had an issue with a dead crank even in the coldest weather but I do make sure my batteries are fully charged, the terminals are free from oxidation and the batteries aren't old. Batteries get weaker with age. About 4 years is tops and time for a new one.

Diesels all cackle when cold. Some cackle all the time. A 1693 Cat sounds like it has ball bearings inside the cylinders, warm or cold. The cackle is actually combustion and the noise you hear is a result of the combustion chamber shape and the base compression ratio.

I want to hear that rattle. It means it's making power.
 

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