very hard to start

cdaigle430 · Jan 17, 2012

I dont understand, why spend 20k on a machine and not be able to afford an additional 125 bucks for a block heater? I know its not my descision but to me 125 bucks=less engine wear, faster warm ups, piece of mind, easier on the battery, starter and all with less than a 30 minute waiting period once its plugged in.

Sure the machine will start in cold weather but why do it this way when you dont have to?

Not trying to make this political or drama-just reiterating the other side.

ray66v · Jan 18, 2012

cdaigle430 said:
I dont understand, why spend 20k on a machine and not be able to afford an additional 125 bucks for a block heater? I know its not my descision but to me 125 bucks=less engine wear, faster warm ups, piece of mind, easier on the battery, starter and all with less than a 30 minute waiting period once its plugged in.

Sure the machine will start in cold weather but why do it this way when you dont have to?

Not trying to make this political or drama-just reiterating the other side.

Seems as if your imagining an engine cranking repeatedly until the battery is at least half dead, before it finally reluctantly starts.

My tractor starts in almost the same amount of cranking time as it does in the summer. And, my batter is 7 years old.

Too many people refuse to accept these tractors will start cold, once you learn how to do it.

The only arguable point I see, is the engine wear difference. Which is minuscule. It's not going to add up to any discernible difference, especially in my case.

The engine in my tractor is going to last a lot longer than I will ever need it to.

Since you mention engine wear, what about a pre-oiler? That would greatly reduce start up engine wear, and you can use it year round. Should we all get those too? They are not expensive either. Some people think anyone who doesn't have one of those is crazy.

I don't start the tractor everyday, or live where it's really freaking cold all winter, or have trouble starting it. That's why I don't have one, because I don't need it. Not everyone who buys a GC, needs a block heater either. They should at least see if they can learn to start it first.

But, as I said before, anyone that has $125 and needs, or wants one, they have all your want at the dealer.

rjmack · Jan 18, 2012

Too many people refuse to accept these tractors will start cold, once you learn how to do it

you may have a bit of a point there, but my 2410 really is finicky at less than tropical temps.

it doesn't have to be anywhere near freezing to require preheat to spark right up, has been that way since new... added throttle or not. not sure if they have glow plugs or a grid heater. anyway, i'm glad i had the sense/money to build a dedicated heated storage for it. one winter sitting outside was probably more than enough.

Ray, i did get some 82w cfl's sent up from the states, pricey but they seem to do the job pretty good.

thanks. :thumbsup:

cdaigle430 · Jan 18, 2012

ray66v said:
Seems as if your imagining an engine cranking repeatedly until the battery is at least half dead, before it finally reluctantly starts.

My tractor starts in almost the same amount of cranking time as it does in the summer. And, my batter is 7 years old.

Too many people refuse to accept these tractors will start cold, once you learn how to do it.

The only arguable point I see, is the engine wear difference. Which is minuscule. It's not going to add up to any discernible difference, especially in my case.

The engine in my tractor is going to last a lot longer than I will ever need it to.

Since you mention engine wear, what about a pre-oiler? That would greatly reduce start up engine wear, and you can use it year round. Should we all get those too? They are not expensive either. Some people think anyone who doesn't have one of those is crazy.

I don't start the tractor everyday, or live where it's really freaking cold all winter, or have trouble starting it. That's why I don't have one, because I don't need it. Not everyone who buys a GC, needs a block heater either. They should at least see if they can learn to start it first.

But, as I said before, anyone that has $125 and needs, or wants one, they have all your want at the dealer.

Ray66,
No need to be condescending everytime I post something. The more you respond to my posts the more I come to the conclusion your just a PITA(now you can flame me). I do have a right to my opinion, and yes, I have 25 years around diesels, tractors so my opinion is an educated one. Block heaters can save wear and tear on your electrical system and engine parts this I know. $125 dollar investment is an investment with a great return for your machine.

ray66v · Jan 18, 2012

rjmack said:
you may have a bit of a point there, but my 2410 really is finicky at less than tropical temps.

it doesn't have to be anywhere near freezing to require preheat to spark right up, has been that way since new... added throttle or not. not sure if they have glow plugs or a grid heater. anyway, i'm glad i had the sense/money to build a dedicated heated storage for it. one winter sitting outside was probably more than enough.

Ray, i did get some 82w cfl's sent up from the states, pricey but they seem to do the job pretty good.

thanks. :thumbsup:

If your the only one who cold starts your tractor, you won't know for sure if it's you, or the tractor.

Sometimes one person can easily start an engine, another person can't.

I see that all the time with airplanes.

I have a friend who bought a '58 Harley as a basket case. I did the paint work for him, and he restored the bike to like new condition. The day came where he had to figure out how to start it. It took him a while, but it always starts right up for him now. I still can't start it, even on a nice day, with him standing right there telling me what to do. :confused3:

Glad the CFL's worked out for you. :drink:

ray66v · Jan 18, 2012

cdaigle430 said:
Ray66,
No need to be condescending everytime I post something. The more you respond to my posts the more I come to the conclusion your just a PITA(now you can flame me). I do have a right to my opinion, and yes, I have 25 years around diesels, tractors so my opinion is an educated one. Block heaters can save wear and tear on your electrical system and engine parts this I know. $125 dollar investment is an investment with a great return for your machine.

You made a post which disagreed with mine, asked questions, and received a response. :confused3:

Sorry you did not like the answers.

I ask that you please put me on your TBN ignore list. That way you will not have to read any of my posts.

If you choose not to, you should expect to find me willing to defend my positions, and opinions. And, I will expect you to be willing to discuss, and debate, without violating the rules of TBN.

MF RED in MT · Jan 19, 2012

It took me awhile to learn how to start my GC in our cold weather, :confused2:. My GC is stored in a non-heated garage. What I remember most when it was new, is a lot of the time I was forgetting to increasing the throttle lever enough,

. Once I developed my starting procedure for cold weather, I was not happy listening to the engine warming up,

. It sounded like some nuts and bolts were traveling throughout the engine during the warm up phase, :confused3:. I have since installed the MF blockheater, switched all of my fluids to Amsoil Synthethic, and use Power Service in the white bottle year around in my fuel, :thumbsup:. At minus 35 degrees F, I plug the block heater in for about 45 minutes, start up the tractor, and let it warm up in the garage for about another 45 minutes, :2cents:. The tractor now sounds great during he warm up phase and that makes me feel like I am doing everything within reason to protect my $$$$$ investment, :drink:. This has worked great for me, but others might not need all of this effort I put into cold weather starting, :thumbsup:

Forgot to mention that I always keep the fuel tank full in the winter and never let if fall below half full in the summer.

irvingj · Jan 19, 2012

Guess I fall into the "cheap (well, maybe not so cheap...) insurance" category.

I sprung for the OEM block heater, just to make things a bit easier on the engine during cold weather.

Yes, it was expensive compared to other types, but installation was a breeze and it fit perfectly. It certainly does make starting easier, and I suspect the engine and battery like it too....