I have owned one of these tractors for 7 years, and have never had "trouble" starting mine in cold weather.
Sure the block heater "solves" the problem, and if you have $125 to spend, you can add one. Your still going to have to know how to start the tractor, when you forget to plug it in.
In that case, you just need to understand that starting one of these in cold weather, requires a different starting procedure than a normal warm weather start.
First, your glow plug time needs to be extended longer as the temperature decreases. In extremely cold weather, it could be as long as 45 seconds. Perhaps even longer, as your glow plugs get old.
You also have to consider the air density, cold air is more dense. So, very cold air means you are adding more air to your fuel mixture, making too lean to start.
To solve this problem, you simply open the throttle partway before cranking. How much depends on temperature.
On a very cold day, (single digits, or lower), mine starts right up with about 3-4 seconds of cranking, after 30 seconds of glow plug time, and the throttle opened 1/4 of the way.
Each one is going to be a little different; you need to try different combination's to determine what works for you.
If you find your still cranking after 5-6 seconds STOP, and try a different combination. Running the starter until the battery is dead, serves no purpose.
It is a good idea to have a float charger on your battery when not using your tractor, so it is putting out full cranking power in the cold. I added a plug under my dash, so I don't have to open the hood, to put the float charger on my battery.
Keep in mind, as a diesel engine gets worn, it gets harder to start, so your starting procedure may need to be modified eventually.
I have a mower with a Mitsubishi 3 cylinder diesel engine that has over 4000 hours on it. I can start it pretty easily even in the dead of winter. But, some people can't get it to start it in the summer. The only difference is technique.
