Warm Up Time

[rider9403]

I have a hyro tran. on my tractor (DX45). My question to you all is what is enough warm up time in cold weather below 30 and many times below 0?
I usually let the tractor idle for 10 min to 15 min. Should I let it idle more?

 

[9973720wb19]

I have a JD 4720 hydro. and I purchased the tech. manual for the engine. I noticed it said not to allow the engine to idle more than 5 mins. stating "if the engine is going to idle more than 5 mins, turn it off" I thought this was kind of short. it claims more will cause build up. reading more and between the lines, it appears they don't want you put the engine under very much load until it's warm.

Just telling you what the books says...What i do is let it idle for 5 mins. and slowly drive it to where i need to work...that's a good warm up.

 

[kevinj]

I have a hyro tran. on my tractor (DX45). My question to you all is what is enough warm up time in cold weather below 30 and many times below 0?
I usually let the tractor idle for 10 min to 15 min. Should I let it idle more?

I warm up till the temp gauge is about 1/2 of normal then light use till warm.

 

[Chilly807]

I generally start mine and increase the idle to about 1200-1300 for 5 minutes or so before I put it to any real work. As soon as the temp gauge is reading somewhere near normal, it's ready to go. Mine isn't hydro.

Sean

 

[merrickvilleguy]

My manual (mf1635) says the same thing (to not idle too much) ... so to warm it up I just give it a slow drive up and down my road till the heat comes up, then its good to go for heavier load

 

[TripleR]

I warm mine up at 1200-1500 until I have two bars on my heat gauge.

 

[CompactTractorFan]

Here is my procedure:

#1 Start tractor at about 1/2 throttle
#2 Wait until it stops smoking and engine sounds normal
#3 Pull out of garage and park tractor
#4 Run at 1/2 throttle for a minute or two
#5 Proceed to job site and start light work...

 

[RalphVa]

I start my HST tractor and immediately put it to use at temperatures as low as about 10 F. Just don't rev it to "PTO" speed right away, but it is started up with the throttle set to get about 1,200-1,500 rpm. I usually keep it below about 2,000 rpm until it gets fully warmed up.

The local JD dealer recommends use of the low vis hydro fluid here in Virginia. If you used the higher vis stuff, you probably need to let it warm up some more.

If you run an HST in temperatures much below about 0 to 10 F, I'd be in favor of getting a warmer for the HST. Just a small heater placed underneath the HST oil reservoir area for an hour or so before startup ought to be enough. Be probably more economical and safer (for the engine) than letting it sit and idle for a long period.

Ralph

 

[AKfish]

I have a hyro tran. on my tractor (DX45). My question to you all is what is enough warm up time in cold weather below 30 and many times below 0?
I usually let the tractor idle for 10 min to 15 min. Should I let it idle more?

Does the manufacturer have a transmission heater option for your tractor?

For less than $60, I installed a heater element for my Hydro transmisson.

I plug both the engine heater and the tranny heater in whenever it's gonna be in the teens. Piece of mind and I don't have to worry a great deal about "operating temps" cause the gauge is generally where it's supposed to be right out of the blocks!

AKfish

 

[RoyJackson]

Since my 4400 has a folding ROPS I have to lower when I park it, my warm up time consists of pulling out of the garage, raising the ROPS, smoking a cigaret while looking over the machine for loose fasteners. All told...5-8 minutes.
Then I start, but pretty light work for a few more minutes.

Worked for me the last 10 years (except for the folding ROPS part).

 

[Mousefield]

I have always warmed my tractor up before using it, even in the summer. Of course in the winter it gets a few more minutes. As mentioned in other posts I start mine for a minute in idle and then up the revs for a few minutes to the 1,300-1,400 level. Think it may be more important if you have a HST transmission like I do.

 

[bigbull338]

i crank my tractor an let it warm up at idle for 3 or 4 mins or less.then i raise the loader an rear hay forks.then i rev to 1500rpms then go to work.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

I have a JD 4720 hydro. and I purchased the tech. manual for the engine. I noticed it said not to allow the engine to idle more than 5 mins. stating "if the engine is going to idle more than 5 mins, turn it off" I thought this was kind of short. it claims more will cause build up. reading more and between the lines, it appears they don't want you put the engine under very much load until it's warm.

Just telling you what the books says...What i do is let it idle for 5 mins. and slowly drive it to where i need to work...that's a good warm up.

This applies to a "hot" tractor I think you will find.

If one has a FEL the answer is simple. Do not put it in gear if it is too cold for the FEL to lift enough to clear the ground.:thumbsup:

 

[Gary Fowler]

My LS is not hydro but it does have an oil temp light that stays on till the hydraulic oil gets warm. I keep the motor below 1500 RPM till the light goes out but since I wont be out on my tractor if it is below 20F it is not a real sensitive issue, I crank it let it idle for a minute or so while I check the instruments, parking brake, gear, range etc then I lift the FEL, back out of the shed at 1200 RPM and run it slow till my temps get to normal then what ever I want speed from then on. It only takes a few seconds for the engine to level out at 20F which is the lowest temp that I have used mine. Any colder than that and I figure I can wait till weather warms up to do the work. I dont have to worry about clearing snow etc in -? whatever temps in Bismarck. Both vehicles are 4 wd so I dont worry about clearing the driveway. Have to worry more about whether the highways are passable than my drive way

 

[Jay4200]

I have a hyro tran. on my tractor (DX45). My question to you all is what is enough warm up time in cold weather below 30 and many times below 0?
I usually let the tractor idle for 10 min to 15 min. Should I let it idle more?

FYI - my manual states to start up the tractor then throttle up to PTO speed to warm up. I don't crank up to full PTO speed (even when I'm running the PTO ), but I'll run maybe 2/3 PTO speed while warming.

I'd say 5 minutes is plenty - what you are warming up is the transmission fluid anyway. Once your transmission is operating correctly and your tractor moves without any significant delay when you hit go, you should start working it, IMHO.

JayC

 

[wvpolekat]

I can't say that I have ever warmed mine up. Maybe 20-30 seconds while I do a quick walk around and get my gloves and hat on. I don't have a thermometer in my garage, but the snow generally doesn't melt off the blade and tires. I don't know that I would ever leave it running in my garage because the exhaust of the tractor points right at the cat door that leads into the house.

That being said, I have never seen any delay in the HST or loader. The 3ph is sometimes a bit sluggish. Generally, I will run it at or just off idle to back out and get turned around to start clearing the driveway. Since the driveway is downhill, I can plow it at those speeds.

After the driveway, the temp gauge has come off "C" and I put it in high, pour the coals to 'er and run it up to the governor to plow the road (2600 RPM). Unless someone wants to talk, it stays there until I pull back into the garage, generally 30 min or so.

I have noticed that the hood gets hot enough to melt snow and steam when I have been working it hard. I suspect that is more a function of the muffler being right there than engine heat.

 

[rider9403]

Thanks for the input guys. I'll let the tractor run for abiout 5 min on the really cold days and less on the cold days. :thumbsup: A remote starter would be nice.:laughing:

Mark