Im from nd where temps were -25 last week and wind chill was -45. I look for any tips at all on how i can warm up the block for my tractor. Luckily i have a block heater but evem with that i have to plug it in and 24 hrs prior to using it if i want a chance of it starting. ND is ruff and unforgiving. Thanks for the tip.
Thanks Mike. Had a difficult time starting the old JD 2950 this morning and knew there had to be something on RUclips that would help. Really appreciate people like yourself that take the time to make these videos!
Nice video. I've done the same trhing over the years. Whether it be tractor, vehicle or atv's. One thing I do is throw a tarp over what I'm trying to warm up. Cuts the heating time in half.
I did this for years. I had a flood lamp mounted on a piece of wood that I would slide under the oil pan. Then I would cover the hood with a tarp. Worked pretty good, but not perfect... especially when it was windy.
It takes less than an hour to install a tank heater on the lower radiator hose, cut it, slide each end in the hose ends, 2 clamps tighten down, dump anti-freeze back in, plug it in for an hour and presto. AND I live in Northern MN. where it gets cold. Glo plugs from oct-April + plug em in when it's 30 degrees to -20 below 0. works everytime, maybe a shot of start fluid in the intake if you didn't have time for all this other hooey.
never tried that one before but i've used a kerosene torpedo heater with a pad to block the other side of the tractor from allowing the heat to blow through. worked pretty decent in the frigid Michigan Winter but man is it a pain to do. the new block heaters through Amazon are cheap as can be and I cannot WAIT for mine to show up in the mail tomorrow.
Mike I have a Kubota and it doesn't matter how cold it is it starts up first shot and I don't have a block heater either. The new holland would not start without the lamp ? My old ford 5000 wouldn't start period in the winter if it wasn't heated up and still at times wouldn't start and it came from the factory with the either spray start. I didn't think most tractors still had troubles starting in the winter anymore.
+Steve Rob In general, the newer the tractor, the easier they are to start. My 2003 model would eventually start, but not without a lot of cranking and a cloud of unburned diesel smoke in the barn that might kill the cat :). And for whatever the reason, the bigger tractors seem to have no trouble starting in the winter, at least the newer ones from the 1990's forward. I've not encountered a tractor of the vintage of the one in the video that would start easily without help, especially when it gets down to single digits.
never had to do anything to start my Kubota diesel tractor even in our cold Canadian winters, It has a block heater and I have never used it. Maybe New Hollands need help to start in cold winter weather, my Kubota starts at minus 25 no problem. On the old Fords we took the battery in at night so she would start right up.
I put a block heater on my JD a few years ago. Seems like the part was something like $25 and easy to install. I've got it plugged into a thermostat outlet so it turns on and off as needed. That way I don't have to plan ahead to use the tractor as it's always ready.
Forgot one other trick- I have an iron intake manifold, so take a propane torch and put heat on the intake tube. takes about 5 minutes and the tube will be toasty warm along with the air inside. Works great, it's the same place where a big plug is on my tractor, grab it & loosen it, give a short blast of start fluid if you don't use the torch.
Howse brand here: amzn.to/3X4ZLo5. It's what the guys in the shop used at the dealership where I used to work and they usually knew what worked the best.
+Mark Meier Thanks, if you watch my videos you'll see I'm kind of an expert on designer fashions and dressing for success :). My wife is constantly telling me I need to "step it up" and dress a little nicer when I do these videos but if I get within ten yards of grease it's on me, so I tend to wear whatever old and discardable clothes I can find. That particular day I was just trying to keep warm, though. Plus, I've been a Chiefs fan for a little over 40 years. This coming season is our year.
Chiefs fan all my life! As far as dressing nicer it wouldn't be believable to be wearing a suit and tie while talking about tractors! And pto means please take off ties! :)
+Mark Meier Sorry to hear you've been stricken with the Chiefs bug. If someone would have told me in 1970, when we won it all and I was 11 years old, that I was going to be in my late 50's and we haven't been back to the big dance I might have changed allegiance :). But, my in-laws live outside of St. Louis and I had to listen to all the "Greatest Show on Turf" stuff and look where they are now. No team. Seriously, the only sport I care about is NFL football and the only team is the Chiefs. Maybe Big Red can lead us to the promised land! I really like that they tried to keep the team together this year. I was impressed with the character in last year's team.
Hey Mike, which state has the better Lakes like Truman and your other great fishing along with your rivers and scenery for bonus ? Like the Current river. A old man stuck in Illinois.......I'm married :-[
David, I think they work great as long as your oil pan is metal. My neighbor got a new tractor with a polyurethane oil pan and now I have a free heater!
In most conditions running a 50/50 blend of number 1 and number 2 diesel will do the trick if in a colder environment straight number one will usually do the trick
Nice cold guy tip! Mike, what you really need to come up with now is a heat lamp that you can mount on your roll bar above, one that can draw off the current generated on board the tractor. Toasty driver spot while out in the cold! WOOHOO. No worries about all the "cold weather" vids as we here in the mid-Atlantic area (PA/DE/NJ) just rec'd our first dusting of snow this week. Now we may get dumped on in a couple days to make up for all that green time we've had so far. :-( I'm glad we can share the misery, or at least the cold.
+Ji Fi-01 (Jif) Or, we could talk our wives into the need for a cab tractor :). Haven't figured that one out yet. If I do there'll be a video. Our weather has been really warm this winter up until now. I had a large group of videos planned for indoors and haven't had to do them yet. I love it!
If I remember it was around 10-15 degrees. Cold enough that I wanted to get my work done and get back inside fairly quickly. I'm not a big fan of winter...
Great idea Mike, thanks. I've got a 47hp LS that starts on the 3rd crank and a newer John Deere that won't start below 40F without 15 swear words and 4 kicks.
Make sure the glow plugs are functioning. When I shot that video mine were about to fail, I had them fixed last winter and she starts every time now without the heat lamp.
That's not really really cold. One way to heat the engine up when it's really, really cold (-40) is to build a small charcoal fire in a pan and slide it up under the engine. A half hour later and things are nice and warm. A plug in block or lower hose heater is still best, though. A tarp over the engine helps too if it's exposed otherwise. Could you do a video on just what it's like to live with a tier IV engine? The recharging of the exhaust filter, urea, and so on?
+B Laquisha -40? Where do you live? Remind me not to go there in the winter :). That's too cold for this skinny midwesterner! Coldest I've ever seen was a chill index of -39 and real temp of -8 and that was close enough for me. That's cold... It's funny receiving your message, I had just left a voice mail for the expert in engines at the University Extension Service to try to talk Tier IV, yours is the second request I've had in two days to cover the topic. Tier IV engines were just hitting the market when I got out of the dealership and consequently I'm not an expert, but I'll find one to discuss them. And, I wanted them to be out for a little while before I tackled the subject, just so we'd have a little track record, in the field, of how they were doing. It's time for a video. It'll be just a little while but I'll get it to you, make sure you're subscribed so your notified when it comes out. Thanks for the suggestion!
My Dad was raised on a farm in South Dakota. He used the charcoal method. Works great as long as you don’t have any fuel leaks. Also, new tractors have too much plastic for this method, but for an old Ford, it’s perfect. (Again, no leaks)
Hey Mike... It's Winter, your diesel engine will Not need all the airflow across the radiator... Place a cardboard blockage between the oil cooler and the radiator, everything will be Much better off without having that Cold air moving across ...
+45von Good advice, or you could do what I did and not clean the radiator after the last brush hogging. It's really obvious in one of the videos :). That's the first job for spring is to clean the radiator. Right now it's doing the same as the cardboard would do. Seriously, though, that's great wisdom, you see the big trucks doing the same thing to keep the engine warmed up when it's extremely cold, just make sure to remember to remove it!
I actually have one. I haven't used it yet, though. My neighbor had it and he found out that the new tractor he purchased has an aluminum oil pan, so he gifted it to me since magnets don't feel any attachment to aluminum. I think it will help, and wouldn't see that it would hurt the tractor or be a danger if kept away from anything that might be combustible. When I did that video I was having problems with my glow plugs and needed the heat lamp to get it going, since then the glow plug issue has been repaired and now it starts fine with just using them. I will be using the Magnetic Heater and may do a video on it.
I've tried the Kat's magnetic heater (300W version) and it didn't seem to do much. When I examined it closely, it became apparent why it wasn't effectively warming things: The magnets stick out beyond the heating surface, thus maintaining an appreciable air gap between the heater and the pan. In my opinion, it's useless.
Great solution , but my dad just put a small electric heater under the tractor with a blanket over the hood. Now I have a question about tractor idling.I often have to leave my CK 2610 Kioti while temporarily doing another task.Is there a good reason why I should let it idle? Doesn t seem right for the environment and wastes fuel. Thanks for the videos.
No reason to leave it idling. The older diesel engines had to work harder to start and therefore it was better for longevity to leave them running versus shutting off and restarting. These new engines can be turned on and off without any wear. Go ahead and shut it off and save fuel and the environment and you'll be fine.
+bigjohn56 Sorry Big John. I wondered if I'd get any comments on that. My aunt and uncle lived in Aurora, Colorado and as soon as the Chiefs choke every year, I'm in there rooting for your Broncos, but not a minute earlier! :) I 'm looking forward to Manning/Brady XXVI Sunday. I will be cheering for the Orange Crush. Hard to beat Belichick, Gronk and Brady, though.
Im from nd where temps were -25 last week and wind chill was -45. I look for any tips at all on how i can warm up the block for my tractor. Luckily i have a block heater but evem with that i have to plug it in and 24 hrs prior to using it if i want a chance of it starting. ND is ruff and unforgiving. Thanks for the tip.
Thanks Mike. Had a difficult time starting the old JD 2950 this morning and knew there had to be something on RUclips that would help. Really appreciate people like yourself that take the time to make these videos!
Nice video. I've done the same trhing over the years. Whether it be tractor, vehicle or atv's. One thing I do is throw a tarp over what I'm trying to warm up. Cuts the heating time in half.
+wyatt earp Great idea! Might be a good place to live in the winter if the wife ever kicks me out for suggesting I need a cab tractor… :)
I did this for years. I had a flood lamp mounted on a piece of wood that I would slide under the oil pan. Then I would cover the hood with a tarp. Worked pretty good, but not perfect... especially when it was windy.
Great idea. But, FYI, a block heater is only $50 and takes about an hour to install !! I just installed one on my 2006 NH TC40D
It takes less than an hour to install a tank heater on the lower radiator hose, cut it, slide each end in the hose ends, 2 clamps tighten down, dump anti-freeze back in, plug it in for an hour and presto. AND I live in Northern MN. where it gets cold. Glo plugs from oct-April + plug em in when it's 30 degrees to -20 below 0. works everytime, maybe a shot of start fluid in the intake if you didn't have time for all this other hooey.
never tried that one before but i've used a kerosene torpedo heater with a pad to block the other side of the tractor from allowing the heat to blow through. worked pretty decent in the frigid Michigan Winter but man is it a pain to do. the new block heaters through Amazon are cheap as can be and I cannot WAIT for mine to show up in the mail tomorrow.
Mike I have a Kubota and it doesn't matter how cold it is it starts up first shot and I don't have a block heater either. The new holland would not start without the lamp ? My old ford 5000 wouldn't start period in the winter if it wasn't heated up and still at times wouldn't start and it came from the factory with the either spray start. I didn't think most tractors still had troubles starting in the winter anymore.
+Steve Rob In general, the newer the tractor, the easier they are to start. My 2003 model would eventually start, but not without a lot of cranking and a cloud of unburned diesel smoke in the barn that might kill the cat :). And for whatever the reason, the bigger tractors seem to have no trouble starting in the winter, at least the newer ones from the 1990's forward. I've not encountered a tractor of the vintage of the one in the video that would start easily without help, especially when it gets down to single digits.
Would you have been able to lower the hood? Seems like less heat would escape warming the block even faster.
My Kioti DK45SE HST starts on the coldest New England day. No block heater, just let Kevin warm up 10 minutes or so. Todd in NH.
never had to do anything to start my Kubota diesel tractor even in our cold Canadian winters, It has a block heater and I have never used it. Maybe New Hollands need help to start in cold winter weather, my Kubota starts at minus 25 no problem. On the old Fords we took the battery in at night so she would start right up.
I put a block heater on my JD a few years ago. Seems like the part was something like $25 and easy to install. I've got it plugged into a thermostat outlet so it turns on and off as needed. That way I don't have to plan ahead to use the tractor as it's always ready.
7-P Principle
Forgot one other trick- I have an iron intake manifold, so take a propane torch and put heat on the intake tube.
takes about 5 minutes and the tube will be toasty warm along with the air inside. Works great, it's the same place where a big plug is on my tractor, grab it & loosen it, give a short blast of start fluid if you don't use the torch.
Nice video, what anti gel product are you using?
Howse brand here: amzn.to/3X4ZLo5. It's what the guys in the shop used at the dealership where I used to work and they usually knew what worked the best.
Just glad I live in East Texas
Great hat! Great videos as well. Thanks Mike.
+Mark Meier Thanks, if you watch my videos you'll see I'm kind of an expert on designer fashions and dressing for success :). My wife is constantly telling me I need to "step it up" and dress a little nicer when I do these videos but if I get within ten yards of grease it's on me, so I tend to wear whatever old and discardable clothes I can find. That particular day I was just trying to keep warm, though. Plus, I've been a Chiefs fan for a little over 40 years. This coming season is our year.
Chiefs fan all my life! As far as dressing nicer it wouldn't be believable to be wearing a suit and tie while talking about tractors! And pto means please take off ties! :)
+Mark Meier Sorry to hear you've been stricken with the Chiefs bug. If someone would have told me in 1970, when we won it all and I was 11 years old, that I was going to be in my late 50's and we haven't been back to the big dance I might have changed allegiance :). But, my in-laws live outside of St. Louis and I had to listen to all the "Greatest Show on Turf" stuff and look where they are now. No team. Seriously, the only sport I care about is NFL football and the only team is the Chiefs. Maybe Big Red can lead us to the promised land! I really like that they tried to keep the team together this year. I was impressed with the character in last year's team.
Hey Mike, which state has the better Lakes like Truman and your other great fishing along with your rivers and scenery for bonus ? Like the Current river.
A old man stuck in Illinois.......I'm married :-[
Dad that every winter works great
What are your thoughts on the magnetic block heaters?
David, I think they work great as long as your oil pan is metal. My neighbor got a new tractor with a polyurethane oil pan and now I have a free heater!
This video reminded me to send you a suggestion for a spot on fuel additives for winter to help keep the fuel from gelling?
Thanks! I'm planning a video on winterizing a tractor very soon. Thanks for the reminder, I need all the help I can get.
In most conditions running a 50/50 blend of number 1 and number 2 diesel will do the trick if in a colder environment straight number one will usually do the trick
You need the reflector around that bulb, they break real easy in use and that's a big fire hazard.
Nice cold guy tip!
Mike, what you really need to come up with now is a heat lamp that you can mount on your roll bar above, one that can draw off the current generated on board the tractor. Toasty driver spot while out in the cold! WOOHOO.
No worries about all the "cold weather" vids as we here in the mid-Atlantic area (PA/DE/NJ) just rec'd our first dusting of snow this week. Now we may get dumped on in a couple days to make up for all that green time we've had so far. :-( I'm glad we can share the misery, or at least the cold.
+Ji Fi-01 (Jif) Or, we could talk our wives into the need for a cab tractor :). Haven't figured that one out yet. If I do there'll be a video. Our weather has been really warm this winter up until now. I had a large group of videos planned for indoors and haven't had to do them yet. I love it!
Can't see any breath mist when you start it. How cold was it?
If I remember it was around 10-15 degrees. Cold enough that I wanted to get my work done and get back inside fairly quickly. I'm not a big fan of winter...
Hey Mike. Show us how it starts before you heat the block next time, so we can see the difference.Nice videos, btw.
Great idea Mike, thanks. I've got a 47hp LS that starts on the 3rd crank and a newer John Deere that won't start below 40F without 15 swear words and 4 kicks.
Make sure the glow plugs are functioning. When I shot that video mine were about to fail, I had them fixed last winter and she starts every time now without the heat lamp.
That's not really really cold. One way to heat the engine up when it's really, really cold (-40) is to build a small charcoal fire in a pan and slide it up under the engine. A half hour later and things are nice and warm. A plug in block or lower hose heater is still best, though. A tarp over the engine helps too if it's exposed otherwise. Could you do a video on just what it's like to live with a tier IV engine? The recharging of the exhaust filter, urea, and so on?
+B Laquisha -40? Where do you live? Remind me not to go there in the winter :). That's too cold for this skinny midwesterner! Coldest I've ever seen was a chill index of -39 and real temp of -8 and that was close enough for me. That's cold...
It's funny receiving your message, I had just left a voice mail for the expert in engines at the University Extension Service to try to talk Tier IV, yours is the second request I've had in two days to cover the topic. Tier IV engines were just hitting the market when I got out of the dealership and consequently I'm not an expert, but I'll find one to discuss them. And, I wanted them to be out for a little while before I tackled the subject, just so we'd have a little track record, in the field, of how they were doing. It's time for a video. It'll be just a little while but I'll get it to you, make sure you're subscribed so your notified when it comes out. Thanks for the suggestion!
+Tractor Mike we get the same Temps here in north dakota
The coldest wind chill I ever saw was -85. I think it was the winter of 80-81. Temperatures like that are once in a lifetime kind of thing, thank God.
My Dad was raised on a farm in South Dakota. He used the charcoal method. Works great as long as you don’t have any fuel leaks. Also, new tractors have too much plastic for this method, but for an old Ford, it’s perfect. (Again, no leaks)
Great idea, Mike's dad! I'm guessing that a regular 150 W Floodlight will also work?
+Some Southern Stuff I would think so. If you try it let me know.
Hey Mike... It's Winter, your diesel engine will Not need all the airflow across the radiator... Place a cardboard blockage between the oil cooler and the radiator, everything will be Much better off without having that Cold air moving across ...
+45von Good advice, or you could do what I did and not clean the radiator after the last brush hogging. It's really obvious in one of the videos :). That's the first job for spring is to clean the radiator. Right now it's doing the same as the cardboard would do. Seriously, though, that's great wisdom, you see the big trucks doing the same thing to keep the engine warmed up when it's extremely cold, just make sure to remember to remove it!
are block heaters expensive?
No, mine was less than 29.00, easy to install.
What do you know about Kat's Magnetic Heaters? Do they work? Are they safe? Do they harm any part of the tractor or it's oil?
I actually have one. I haven't used it yet, though. My neighbor had it and he found out that the new tractor he purchased has an aluminum oil pan, so he gifted it to me since magnets don't feel any attachment to aluminum. I think it will help, and wouldn't see that it would hurt the tractor or be a danger if kept away from anything that might be combustible. When I did that video I was having problems with my glow plugs and needed the heat lamp to get it going, since then the glow plug issue has been repaired and now it starts fine with just using them. I will be using the Magnetic Heater and may do a video on it.
Great. I'll wait for your review of Kat's Magnetic Heater before buying one. (It is -9 right now in central Iowa.)
I need to ship it to you. That would be the real test, I'm not sure it's going to get cold enough here to see if it works.
I've tried the Kat's magnetic heater (300W version) and it didn't seem to do much. When I examined it closely, it became apparent why it wasn't effectively warming things: The magnets stick out beyond the heating surface, thus maintaining an appreciable air gap between the heater and the pan. In my opinion, it's useless.
Great solution , but my dad just put a small electric heater under the tractor with a blanket over the hood. Now I have a question about tractor idling.I often have to leave my CK 2610 Kioti while temporarily doing another task.Is there a good reason why I should let it idle? Doesn t seem right for the environment and wastes fuel.
Thanks for the videos.
No reason to leave it idling. The older diesel engines had to work harder to start and therefore it was better for longevity to leave them running versus shutting off and restarting. These new engines can be turned on and off without any wear. Go ahead and shut it off and save fuel and the environment and you'll be fine.
I removed intake hose and use hair dryer in the hose on my 3000 Ford it heats and crank's right up
seen my dad light wood fires under dozer to get it to go
It's a great place...you can heat up hot dogs and get a suntan!!
+wyatt earp Like a Man-Tent.
I'd worry about a barn fire
Nice video, Mike. But you could have a lot more cred with a better, say Denver Broncos, hat.
+bigjohn56 Sorry Big John. I wondered if I'd get any comments on that. My aunt and uncle lived in Aurora, Colorado and as soon as the Chiefs choke every year, I'm in there rooting for your Broncos, but not a minute earlier! :) I 'm looking forward to Manning/Brady XXVI Sunday. I will be cheering for the Orange Crush. Hard to beat Belichick, Gronk and Brady, though.