Starting Tractors in Cold Weather

farmer2018

What tips/tricks do people have starting a tractor in cold weather? The frost reduces the power of the battery making it hard to start some. Do ye disconnect the battery or take it out.

Danny healy ray

a spray of Easy start into the air breeder is always helpful

bogman_bass

A hot air gun ( the kind you use to strip paint) im the air intake

mr.stonewall

Often an old duvet thrown over the bonnet at night was one I saw once. Park in a shed even with cattle. The have some heat to help

tabby aspreme

A high speed starter is a great help, the smell of easi start is a smell I've never forget

hurikane

I stick heater under the sump, leave it for 30 mins. Works wonders

MIKEKC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121442447#Comment_121442447

I remember an uncle of mine used to laugh at people covering the engines of cars with coats. Said a waste of time unless you put something on the ground as most of the frost. comes from the ground

Base price

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121442447#Comment_121442447

In cold weather like this we close the end doors of the slatted shed to keep the heat in and stop drinkers from freezing. We also park the 50B in the feed passage and turn on the kill switch. Unless it gets very cold there is no problem starting it the next morning.

emaherx

Maintenance is key.

If a tractor won't start and it's still above -20 then there is something wrong with it, but parking in a shed definitly can help though.

Obviously we can all get caught out by a sudden cold spell and not be aware of the issue till it's too late but if it's consistently an issue in every cold spell every year then fix it. A good battery, starter, alternator and heater plug is usually all it takes. A high speed starter will do wonders for older lazy engines.

This cold weather shouldn't knock the life out of a battery and disconnecting it will do nothing unless there is parasitic draw from the tractors electrics.(Alternators are likely culprits but not the only possibility.)

I always have batteries charged in the shed from the solar pumps, which have come in handy along with a decent set of Jump Leads, just wheel out on a sack truck jump tractor and put on charge in case of issue the next day. I also have a 240V booster but that is of limited use unless tractor is near power.

10-10-20

A second battery and a strong set of jump leads is always handy if the battery is any way weak. The more copper in the jump leads, the better.

Good loser

If battery lets me down once I change it.

White Clover

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121443205#Comment_121443205

Always check connections before blaming the battery. On older tractors they are often in poor condition.

coffee to go

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121442913#Comment_121442913

I remember my grandfather doing this to his Micra. One morning he forgot about the coat, started up the car, and drove around town happily until the coat had fully wound itself into the timing belt. Disaster.

windowcills

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121443364#Comment_121443364

That woukd be just the fan belt

A coat will do nothing

A coat works on people as me make heat and the coat slows the heat leaving us

With no heat source the temp will be the same both sides of the coat after 20 hours

patsy_mccabe

It helps if you can keep the tractor in a closed shed with door south facing. A few hours in the morning sun (it's usually sunny in frosty weather) will lift temperatures that bit.

Hot air gun down the air intake also helps.

I always turn engine for a few secs then wait a while and try starting again. I heard once that a small draw on battery for a while, gets it going.

Also check whatever pre-heat mechanism is on the tractor. Mine has a small Heat plug on the intake manifold. Also a screw on the injector pump to advance diesel injection.

ruwithme

It's a long time now, Since man landed on the moon.(if you believe it) how is it a frost resistant windscreen has yet to be developed? Or has it?

Odelay

In my experience cold weather will always test a battery. Just look at your local motor factors in December.

farmer2018

Lads, should a fully functional heater plug be warm to touch when ignition is turned on? There is voltage at the wire to it.

White Clover

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121444957#Comment_121444957

It should be glowing red. Sounds like the heater plug is goosed.

farmer2018

Voltage 1.3v when ignition on at wire

Wiring issue.

farmer2018

Presume voltage should be about 12v at heater. Must be short somewhere

orm0nd

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121443533#Comment_121443533

a coat or similar was often used to stop a warm engine absorbing dampness from the ground , back in the days of points and distributors, early edition morris minors were culprits

nothing to do with cold start

dickdasr1234

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121442981#Comment_121442981

"stop drinkers from freezing"

Hehe, I had an image of hobos slipping in to your shed at night with gallons of red biddy.

emaherx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121444957#Comment_121444957

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121445266#Comment_121445266

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121445266#Comment_121445266

What sort of tractor?

A modern machine may have an automatic glow plug(s) that would turn on for a few seconds then turn off when ignition is switched on, you'd see a glow plug light on the dash which stays lit until the glow plug turns off.

A lot of machines especially older ones you have to hold the switch between ignition on and start for a few seconds or even have a seperate button to work the heater plug. You will only get the 12 volts in this in between position it has no definitive click position but if you can't get the 12V you can do a continuity check on the switch itself, it wouldn't be unknown for the switch to have a fault only in this position due to the high current draw.

If the heater is at the top of the air intake manifold, you can remove the hose between it and the filter and you will see it if it is working.

farmer2018

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121445553#Comment_121445553

Massey Ferguson 290

emaherx

Simple so,

Heater plug is connected to one of the large spades on the Lucas switch, test for power there when key is turned half way between ignition on and start you need to hold the key in the half way position to work, it should only have power in that position.

Or first remove the air intake hose and watch if the heater plug is working it will be obvious within a few seconds if it's working.

https://youtu.be/NeDvCVS38hk?si=pnks5tW8QdoYeZ8S

on a separate note I had a 698T that was hard to start in cold weather, heater plug worked, it had 2 good heavy duty 100Ah batteries and a new Lucas starter. I put a high speed starter in it and afterwards it would start in the coldest weather first tip with no heat and one battery.

The difference between original starter and high speed is unreal nothing else short of a full engine rebuild was going to improve the old tractors starting and afterwards it started like a new machine.

selectamatic

A good 1000cca battery and good connections/leads will start anything that's in middlen order.

patsy_mccabe

I checked the Flame Heater Glow Plug on my old tractor today and after leaving it on for about a minute you could feel the outside of it getting hot. An easy way to check if it working, without having to open it up.

farmer2018

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121445893#Comment_121445893

You have only ignition on and if keep turning you start her. Do you mean actually start her?

893bet

I have heard from an auto electrician that a high speed starter is not suitable for an tractor where there is ever the odd oil leak, diesel leak etc.

Doesnt stand up to it, any truth in it?

emaherx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121446085#Comment_121446085

No, it's half way between, there is no click, holding it just before it starts turning the engine for 20 seconds then continue to start.

farmer2018

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121446112#Comment_121446112

Get you thanks

emaherx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121446018#Comment_121446018

Yea, I know you are right, but if he's unsure how it works seeing it speaks volumes.

enricoh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121446092#Comment_121446092

Have a 35x that needs engine done up , few small diesel leaks but mainly oil. Stuck a high speed starter into it 5 years ago n the jump leads haven't been out since.

I'm no auto electrician but definitely works on my yoke.

emaherx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121446092#Comment_121446092

In what way? All old tractors will develop an odd leak, not much addition sticking a high speed starter to a fresh machine that's starting fine anyway.

But I suppose oil and diesel leaks could and should be fixed anyway. The stuffs expensive enough without pouring it on the ground.

hopeso

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121446112#Comment_121446112

Assuming the 290 is similar to older Masseys, and needs one of the gear levers in neutral before you can start it, it's sometimes easier to turn the key with that lever in gear. This will power the heater. You just need to keep the key held in the on position and slip the gear lever into neutral when you're ready to start

farmer2018

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121446735#Comment_121446735

Correct yes, she needs to be neutral to start.

50HX

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121446188#Comment_121446188

Same here with the 50, high speed starter & I've a slight leak...no issue starting

Park on a slope & wouldn't leak a tablespoon in a week, big money job to split & find leak & repair, financially not worth that

farmer2018

Checked, it looks like there is a wire ran directly from ignition to the heater plug. Only 0.60v at pin of ignition.

patsy_mccabe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121451555#Comment_121451555

Take off the wire at the plug and measure the voltage at the wire tip. It should be 12v when the key is half turned against the internal spring.

MfMan

For some reason Masseys always seem to be particularly lazy starters in cold weather.

White Clover

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121451804#Comment_121451804

The 248 Perkins would have been one of the poorer starters however any Perkins with wear in the top end would be hard to start. Not an expensive engine to put in good order.

emaherx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121451555#Comment_121451555

Do like @hopeso suggested. Put the high/low lever in high and turn the key the whole way to start and hold and check for 12V. It may be easier to test with the heater wire disconnected.

The gear safety switch will prevent the starter from turning but not the heater. Heater should come on half way between 'on' and 'start' but also stay on at start. If you can't get 12V there then you have a faulty switch it's a cheap, simple fix and common enough issue.

FintanMcluskey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121452010#Comment_121452010

The 236 would start in Siberia with a watch battery

White Clover

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121452631#Comment_121452631

One of the best perkins no doubt. Although, in 2010 we had a tractor with a good 4.236T Perkins and also a Zetor tractor. The Zetor would start much quicker than the Perkins.

ruwithme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121451804#Comment_121451804

Agree, Adrian often digs at gerry on that, him knowing well the deeres turn over easier.

Castlekeeper

We'd an old massey 178 ouat, a hoor to start, I used to drain it every night and fill it with hot water in the morning and vroom vroom in a few turns.

tabby aspreme

Perkins 4.203 probably the best of the lot in cold weather ,in Massey 65 MK2, and some of the older loaders

K.G.

We ve a perkins 248 engine in a loader and its an excellent starter so much so it has no heater plug connected but these engines have a fierce bad name for starting. We ve a kubota d 950 engine that's very hard started.if you were using it and went back to it 10 minutes later you d have to give it the heater

White Clover

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121460612#Comment_121460612

When there’s wear in the valves of them Perkins engines they become very bad starters. Neighbours had a 212 Perkins in a 165 which was a woeful starter. After doing the head it’d start on the first turn.