Warm up question

[Surewhynot]

I have seen a few threads discussing warm up before operation of FEL and such. How long should the warm up period be and is that warm up while running the tractor or at an idle after starting?

 

[swampvol]

I crank her up, let it idle for ~20 seconds then bump the rpms to 1200-1400 wait a few minutes until the line hits the first dot, then roll...

 

[big bubba]

The manual on my M series gives warm up times for various ambient temps. the above post sounds reasonable....maybe in temps below 30 give it at least 10 min at the above suggested rpm before loading engine. bb

 

[rickster]

Winter time I start it and go in the house and have a cup of coffee.
I let it warm up 15 minutes or so.

 

[bialecki]

Without warming up the hydraulics I find the FEL very sluggish until the fluid is warmed up. Supposedly the SUDT is the best fluid to use for this reason. But to answer your question, here in CT in the winter I let the tractor idle at 1,000 rpm for about 3-5 minutes.

 

[easygo]

The above mentioned RPM is key to the warm up. If you let a diesel sit at idle it will hardly warm up in 10 minutes.

In fact I have heard that after high RPM use it is a good idea to let the engine idle for a few minutes and that helps it cool down some before shutting off.

 

[SPYDERLK]

I have seen a few threads discussing warm up before operation of FEL and such. How long should the warm up period be and is that warm up while running the tractor or at an idle after starting?

Start it. Rev to 1200. Wait for smooth idle. Idle off to your workplace using foot throttle to hold 1200. Cycle the hydraulics on the way. Work it easy at 1500-1700 until the T gauge starts up.
larry

 

[davitk]

I have seen a few threads discussing warm up before operation of FEL and such. How long should the warm up period be and is that warm up while running the tractor or at an idle after starting?

I'm fairly new with my GL3240, but have read alot here so what I do, right or wrong, is start it at 12 - 1400 rpm, let it idle until the temp gauge registers, put it in Neutral and hit the hydro pedal a couple of times. Dunno for sure, but in theory that cycles the hydraulic fluid and allows the engine to warm it up. After a minute or two, I go to work with the FEL.

Then after I have finished digging up my wife's nice lawn, back it into the barn, put it back in neutral, let it idle a couple of minutes at 12 - 1400 rpm to cool down, and shut her down.

Now I'll sit back and read the correct responses.

 

[JOELENAHAN]

I usually start my B7800 (garage kept) and go shovel the areas that I can't clear the snow with the tractor (about 10-15 minutes). The hydraulics seem to operate flawlessly.

 

[sixdogs]

Start it. Rev to 1200. Wait for smooth idle. Idle off to your workplace using foot throttle to hold 1200. Cycle the hydraulics on the way. Work it easy at 1500-1700 until the T gauge starts up.
larry

The above quote has worked the best for me over the years. Most engine wear occurs at start up. I would never work anything hard untill fully warmed up.

 

[bx24]

I will put in my 2 cents. Warm up is far more important (at least in my mind) than cool down. Get it warm, don't push things until warmer fluid has worked its way through the hydraulics (fully cycle the FEL or BH or what ever so the cold fluid in the cylinder is sent back to the tank for warmer stuff). For cool down, I personally don't worry so long as it is brought back to idle for a few seconds so that any fuel is used up (as opposed to turning it off at a higher throttle position)

For engines with turbo's, it is a whole different story because if you shut off the engine right after high revs, the turbo could still be spinning at 50,000+ RPMs. When you cut the engine, you cut the oil flow to the turbo's bearings. By letting it idle for a few minutes, the turbo fan will all but stop eliminating this danger.