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Cold Weather Starts

Started by Greenedive, February 04, 2007, 09:51:47 PM

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Greenedive

It's 9:30 PM and about 4º below right now...supposed to have a -25º windchill factor in the morning....I don't know about you guys, but I absolutely HATE to lose ½ hour to an hour every morning when it's cold like that cranking on that diesel trying to get it to fire up for me. My JD dozer usually fires right up no matter how cold, but that Detroit in my skidder is da arn cold-blooded.
Any of you guys have any special tricks or tips that you'd wanta share about getting one to pop over in the AM? I've tried a lotta stuff over the years, but I surely hate to think of the time and money I've lost waiting on some stubborn machine to finally make up it's mind to pop over.

Reddog

With the Detroits, the quickest was to have hoses to run hot coolant from the truck thru the skidder. Do all your fueling and greasing while letting it warmup. Then they would crank right up.
Or a propane plate heater under the motor.
All takes time though.  Gary-C has some thing that starts heating by program.

beenthere

Go to Eggimann da Sponsor on the left column, and find out about them diesel pre-heaters. Gary_C mentioned using one, and its on a timer so his forwarder sittin out in the woods is all preheated and cab warm when he fires up in the morning. Sounds like they are worth their weight in gold.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Greenedive

Reddog,
I have heard of running the hot coolant from your truck through the skidder block, but have never seen how it was done. Do you have to drill holes in the block and thread them for nipples to attach your hoses to? And where do you take off on the truck's end? Seems like this would be a he eck of a lot easier on the engine than having it start with a cold block.
Beenthere,
That sounds like an ideal setup...Haw Haw...it sounds like heaven...really....but I couldn't find the link to diesel pre-heaters on the Eggiman site...I'll shoot them an email...thanks!

LT40HDD51

Quote from: Greenedive on February 04, 2007, 10:45:24 PM
I have heard of running the hot coolant from your truck through the skidder block...
I've heard of guys around here using a setup like that on tractors and logging gear. Just quick connects on the heater hoses in such a way that it flows out of the truck motor, into the skidder motor, and back into the truck. Just make sure the antifreeze is compatible on both motors.

I think the truckers up in the North use something like that diesel pre-heater. My buddy drives in northern alberta (is right now) and was talking about them when he was home for Christmas. Kind of like a small furnace, if I'm not mistaken... They love em up there.  ;D
The name's Ian. Been a sawyer for 6 years professionally, Dad bought his first mill in '84, I was 2 years old :). Factory trained service tech. as well... Happy to help any way I can...

Gary_C

Yes, I have a Webasto heater on my Valmet Forwarder. Most of the newer Valmets and Ponsse machines have them available as an option, but many of the machines sold in North America have them almost as standard. And yes, Eggimann is a dealer for them and they can be retrofitted to most machines.

They have a small diesel fired burner and a small 12 or 24V electric pump that circulates warm engine coolant thru the engine block, the heater core in the cab (even turns on the fan), and thru a water coil in the hydraulic reservoir. It is controlled by a 7 day electronic timer in the cab. At the end of each day, I just set the timer for the burner to start 1 hour before I plan to arrive at the woods and when I get there, all I have to do is start the warm engine, work the hydraulic controls to get warm hydraulic fluid out to everything, and go to work.

There are other loggers that I know that have used the hoses from their pickups to warm the engines. They use standard ag hydraulic couplers to make the connections. However some have destroyed the engines in their pickups because the thermal shock of that sub zero coolant being pumped thru the hot pickup engines can easily crack your block or heads. I would not recommend this practice and the manufacturers will void your warranty if the find out what you are doing.

You already know how much these heaters will save, both in time and repairs. I never have a cold start on the engine. Even if I do not have the timer set, I can manually start and do other things like greasing, tighting bolts, and checking oil and within about 20 minutes, it is good enough to start.   8)

Here is a link to the heater that I have:  Webasto 90 S
Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.

Samuel

Yes most trucks in Northern BC & Alberta along with logging equipment comes with what I heard them referred to as a Pro-Heat.  They have a timer on them that can be set for a couple hours before you start work etc.  A very clever idea for sure.

As far about the whining about cold weather....  waaaaaaaaaaa!  Suck it up!   :D
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sawguy21

old age and treachery will always overcome youth and enthusiasm

Ken

We too have used heater hoses to transfer hot coolant from the pickup to the skidders but have also had problems with water pumps and cracked heads by doing this.  A fairly easy and inexpensive alternative is to have a generator and block heaters.  It only takes 1/2 hour or so to warm up the machines and they fire up a lot easier. 
Lots of toys for working in the bush

Reddog

I use a generator and dual block heaters. 1/2 hour and it will fire up easier.

Gary_C

Quote from: Samuel on February 04, 2007, 11:50:25 PM
As far about the whining about cold weather.... waaaaaaaaaaa! Suck it up! :D

So I guess that is what you do? Shut off the heaters and "Suck it up!"     ;D ;D

You are a better man than I am.

A few years ago I was going to the woods early one below zero morning and an older couple asked me what kind of work I did. When I told them I was logging, the lady said "oh, that must be awfully cold work in this weather." I told them that not to minimize the difficulity of the work that I do, in all honesty the biggest problem I will have is what I do requires such intense concentration that I may go for two hours in the morning with the heater on full blast. By then the sweat will be dripping down the back of my neck and my shirt will be soaked with sweat.   ::) ::)  :D :D
Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.

Corley5

We put a Kat's circulating heater on the Mule and plug it in with a timer at the barn  ;)  Works like a charm 8)  It had hoses and quick couplers on it to plug into another engine.  Doesn't anymore :)  The 706 Farmall has a freeze plug heating element that works pretty good but is slower than the circulators.  It's started each of the last 3 days at zero or slightly below.  I'm not against a snort of ether for a diesel either.  Just use in conjunction with glow plugs  ;)
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

thurlow

Quote from: Corley5 on February 05, 2007, 03:08:47 PM. I'm not against a snort of ether for a diesel either. Just use in conjunction with glow plugs ;)

That ought'a make something happen.   8)  ;D  :D

Here's to us and those like us; DanG few of us left!

Corley5

 ;) ;D  Little typo there  :) :)
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

thurlow

We gnu that....................
Here's to us and those like us; DanG few of us left!

Stephen Alford

I am new to post ,but old to forum. First let me say how much I injoy this site.Your willingness to share your expertise and embrace new ideas is an inspiration to be sure. I am a forester performing woodlot enhancement work on Prince Edward Island a rather large sandbar off the east coast of Canada. To start desial motors in cold weather I conect a flexable exhaust hose from the exhaust of my truck to the air intake side of the motar. Wait a few minutes and they start like a charm . The warm air is pulled through the motar as it is turning over. Hope this works for you as well as it does for me.  Thanks for sharing !!
logon

Husky

I use a power inverter on my truck. It converts 12 volt to 110 outlet power and I plug my mills block heater into that. If it real cold I use a magnetic oil pan heater too it starts after half hour or so.

Ed_K

  "He's a better man than I am"
I have to quick connects but don't use them. If it won't start with a little ether I go home cause its to cold to work ;D . No heated cab on my old skidder and the trees are to frozen to cut :D .
Ed K

LT40HDD51

How about putting a shutoff valve on the line going from the cold motor back to the warm one? Then you could "feather" the cold coolant in slowly for a few minutes, then open it up.

I always like the low-buck methods, as long as the results are what you need  ;D How much are those Diesel fired heaters???
The name's Ian. Been a sawyer for 6 years professionally, Dad bought his first mill in '84, I was 2 years old :). Factory trained service tech. as well... Happy to help any way I can...

a old timberjack

i have quickconnects on my old jack. alot of my friends have this on all there forestry equipment also and swear by that.
H.T. LOGGING and Trucking, llc, GREENE, Rhode Island

timberjack240

my pap and dad used to take the plug outta the blower and give er a little sniff or ether so its right int here and have good batteries
usually fired right up. the first time i ever used ether pap gave me a can and sed hit the button and soona s you do spray this is in the air cleaner . its amazin cause he only has one battery in his skidder and they start  ??? never quite go thtat one  we also had our 440 c forsale and it wouldnt start we were told to put charcoal in a bucket and put a tarp over it to get it to start .. woulda worked but the hot wire corroded off  ;D so reall didnt work for what we need but it did get all the ice off ..  ;D i gess its all in what you were taught

Ron Scott

Some have been known to light a wood fire under them to get them started.  ::)
~Ron

leweee

 :D :D :D Ah yes....nothing like the smell of BAR-B-Qed Skidder first thing in the morning. :o :)
splitwood_smiley fire_smiley splitwood_smiley fire_smiley splitwood_smiley fire_smiley splitwood_smiley fire_smiley fire_smiley fire_smiley
just another beaver with a chainsaw &  it's never so bad that it couldn't get worse.

Ed_K

 You'd be surprised what a charcoal grill and a heavy furniture movers blanket will do  ;D :o 8) .
Ed K

Greenedive

Well...I was prepared this AM....
Loaded up my:
Generator
Battery Charger
Torpedo Space Heater
and the new Kat's Block Heater I bought last night.....

Got up to the job....feeling a little smug....gonna beat this thing today....

and the da...arn generator wouldn't start ... >:(
LOL....still took almost 2 hours jumping it to get it going
ah well....tomorrow I'm gonna try the flexible exhaust thing....
It is sure to work.....  ::)

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