When do you use the block heater on the tractor

[Diamondpilot]

What type of heater does evryone use? I had a in line heater on the bottom radiator hose, but am thinking of a oil heated dipstick. The reason being I had to replace my radiator and the new one wouldnt allow for the adding of the heater the hose is too short.

Worthless. I have one you can come get.

Chris

 

[Diamondpilot]

You can attach a magnetic block heater(s) anywhere it will stick. Not as good as a real block heater, but much more versatile.

These are worthless also. I have two of them that collect dust.

Chris

 

[D7E]

These are worthless also. I have two of them that collect dust.

Chris

Yep..in our cold up here they are useless .

 

[Blast Chamber]

I always plug in anywhere near or below freezing. Sure the engine will start at many temps but the engine damage done during a cold start is phenomenal. I worked with many airplane engines and without warm starts during the winters the engines lasted to about 2000 hrs. With oil heat pads on them they lasted for over 3000 hrs.

Well worth it and saves huge engine wear.

I totally agree with this but I take it to the next level. Whenever possible I plug in the block heater my diesel forklift (Perkins/Mazda) for a couple of hours prior to starting it year round, regardless of the temperatures. By doing so it starts up instantly without the use of the glow plugs. This saves wear and tear on the starter motor and the glow plugs, and there is virtually no smoke compared to a cold start and warm up period.

Sure it costs a little in electricity, but to me it is worth it so prevent wear and tear on an engine that is very expensive to fix. Plus, I bought a bunch of extra block heaters as future replacements for $20/each (before they were discontinued by Kat's) as I'm planning to keep this forklift forever.

 

[bironacad]

Beauty, but all the time would be too tedious for me, maybe if the tractor was in the garage attached to the house, perhaps I can get momma to park her car outside to let my truck and tractor sleep in the attached garage, lol.

 

[D7E]

Yep..in our cold up here they are useless .

Magnetic or dipstick i was refering to as useless sorry . Core plug or bottom hose are the only ones that work , By mid november our "winter" loaders will be plugged in overnight to work next day and one tractor almost stays plugged all winter as you never know when trucks will show up .

 

[Copperhead]

And another thing, especially for a piece of equipment that is not sitting in a shop. Oil pan heater. They are not pricey. They are easy to put on, use low power, and warm oil will get to the top a lot sooner and the engine will warm up quicker. They can be used in conjunction with a block heater on very cold days, and in many cases, can be used alone on above 0F temps, since heat rises from the oil sump. Everything I own that has an oil sump also has an oil pan heater, from my tractor, my Jeep Liberty Diesel, and my semi. Oil gets flowing like a warm summer's day even at extreme cold temps.

 

[bironacad]

Just bought a timer that has a push button remote with a 50' range. I guess I will park the truck in the out building and the tractor in the attached garage so the remote will reach.

 

[NevadaMOGuy]

And another thing, especially for a piece of equipment that is not sitting in a shop. Oil pan heater. They are not pricey. They are easy to put on, use low power, and warm oil will get to the top a lot sooner and the engine will warm up quicker.

A multi viscosity oil like, lets say 10w30, would be at the equivalent of a 10 weight oil at 0c and a 30 weight at 100c... give or take.
Since a 10 weight oil would flow better than a 30 weight would the use of an oil heater actually thicken the oil up?

 

[Pops15]

I've had both core plug and inline coolant heaters that have worked well.
I plugged the heater in when I'd get home from work and unplug it when I'd leave in the morning. Didn't use enough electricity to notice on the bill.