getting equipment started in the cold? any tricks?

[Stephen Alford]

  Lots of great tricks here. Thought I might share my "walking in cold start " this week.  Here the plows only go as far as the last dwelling.  Snow loads in the canopy sometimes make traveling on secondary roads difficult.  Because of the risk of vandals the gear is kept well back in the woodlot.  Being out of the wind seems to help.  The "walk in" is usually a matter of mind over matter.  If you don't mind the walk it doesn't matter.  ;D


   Got to the top of the first rise and wondered why I had eaten so much gumdrop cake over the holiday.


   Got to the edge of the woods, looked back and thought a coffee would be nice.


   The snow on the skid trail reminded me of icing on a gumdrop cake.


   When I got to the office and saw no one was there I thought if I had gumdrop cake I would not have to share.


   Park the gear together so both batteries can be used to start the detroit which to -10 is pretty easy.

   Kinda like making a gumdrop cake get the ingrediants together.


   Preheat the oven under the fuel pump.


   There is not alot of heat to work with here, but the heavier rubber hose out of the snow seems to help. Then carpet over the pump,  After -10 this is not much of a plan.


  Thought to myself gonna have some hot coffee and gumdrop cake when I get home.  :D

[fuzzybear]

The hardest part to starting an engine in is having the right oil in the pan. Oil is for reducing friction but in cold temps it is to thick. The friction that comes from gelled oil is to much for the starter to turn over, witch draws more current on frozen batteries, leading to dead batteries.
  I keep extra oil sitting in the equipment, when I get there I open the oil jug and try to pour the oil. If it flows easy I know the equipment will fire. If it's gelled, time for heat.
  I have a cracked cast iron pan that I build a fire in and let it reduce to coals. I then put the pan under the oil pan as close to the starter as possible. When the frost line hit the top of the oil pan I know it will start. 
  I have started equipment at -55 using this method. On small equipment it takes 1 hour to start, on a D-9, about 5-12 hours of heat and big tarps, until everything is thawed enough to start.
  Starting equipment of any kind in the extreme temps will take it's toll on the engine. Oil is the key as to how much damage you are going to do.
  I have drained the oil out at night brought it into the cabin and set it by the fire to keep it in liquid form. But then It was -59, and I really had enough and wanted to head home the next day.
FB

[lumberjack48]

The coldest i started my S8 was -52, it was just a push of the starter button, with the propane tank heater. After i lit the heater, i tarped over the hood, stuffing the tarp in every crack and hole i could. This kept the heat that came off the heater in around the engine and hyd tank. The motor never really cooled off from the day before. I was using 15-40, 518 for oil at this time, i would use nothing but synthetic oil now.

[thecfarm]

Stephen Alford,I take it you like gumdrop cake?  :D

[Stephen Alford]

  Well my friend, you being a geographical neighbour and northener would understand my relunctantance to discuss Gumdrop cake for fear of the unknown. The talk here around the fire while the kettle boils (note I work alone  :D  ) is the northern migration of something called " Dang Grits"  . Their progress only being slowed by the snow and cold temps. Should they discover gumdrops the result could be "CATASTROPHIC" .    ;D

 

[thecfarm]

I'm doing all I can against the awful tide of g...s.  :D  So far I have been able to keep them out of the North. But it's a hard job.Coon is just about unheard of these days,isawlogs is doing a mighty fine job,Johnm is starting to come around,I need more recruits on this end.   :D 

[SPIKER]

my little direct injection tractor starts like a champ, I've done several things to make it better.   It usually rests INSIDE the barn so not like leaving her set in the woods like so much of the rest of you all.   

anyhow I have a 120V block heater (inline) and use a heat lamp on the injector pump as well.   never used any ether on it as it has glow plugs which the 2 are a no no, same with air intake heaters & ether.   

When i first got it it was parked outside and away from power so had to use just the tractors glow system.    It seemed to start fine below -10F so not too much trouble.

fired it below -30 once but took a bit more effort ;)

Mark

[g_man]

This is about the same style of propane tank heater i used. The one i used had a open flame all the time, i always left it lit all night.

If a guys running in cold weather and don't want any issue getting started, this would be the way to go.

http://www.translectricinc.com/catalog/partdetail.aspx?PartNo=LP6500-12V

LJ48 that looks like a good heater. 6500 btu/hr is equivalent to a 1900 Watt electric heater and you can run it for less than 20 cents an hour.

[haywire woodlot]

 

    

 
The little brigs on my spliter is a real bear to start in temperatures less than 5° C. I tried preheating it with the trucks exhuast during our last cold snap. It worked like a charm.

[thecfarm]

Just about like my Briggs with the OHV too,5°C is 40°F to me. ;D I put the magnetic heater to it and that does it. I put an old blanket on the top of the motor to keep the heat in.The motor is real easy to start,when it's warm,don't have to pull hard on the cord. But if it's cold I pull and pull and pull.I was shocked,well more than that, >:( the first time I tried to start it when it was kinda cold out.

[haywire woodlot]

I too was shocked at how hard that little brigs was to start in cooler weather. It can take as many 50 pulls and constant fiddling with the choke lever to get her to start.

[thecfarm]

But only no more than 3 slow easy pulls when it's warm. A 5 year old could start it,if it's warm out.  ::)I've had it for about 10 years and never had any trouble,except for starting.

[beenthere]

Not all B&S are hard starters. One at most two pulls on our wood splitters 8 hp B&S original since 1984. Most splitting is done below freezing. Stored in unheated shed, no added heat before starting and no thin oil (10-30)

5 owners split all their wood for the last 30 years now.

[g_man]

My generator with a Briggs is a bear when its cold also the Kohler in the mower when less than 50*. I take out the spark plug and squirt in a little carb cleaner and it starts very easy. Even with the thick oil that causes a slow hard pull.

[chevytaHOE5674]

My splitter has a little Briggs on it and I had it going a week or so back at 13* and I just set the choke and it fired on the first pull. Requires a little fiddling with the choke to keep it running at first but it starts up no problem.

[lumberjack48]

These little motors should start anytime, if your pulling more then 3 to 5 times and it doesn't fire, the choke isn't closing all the way. Pull the air clearer off, pull the choke lever all the way or put in start position. The choke butterfly should be veridical, take a screwdriver and push on the bottom of the butterfly, if it moves inward, the choke lever needs adjusting, there should be appositely no movement. If the choke isn't closing tight, you can pull until your blue  >:(  :(  and it well not start.

I would run full synthetic 30 yr round. Some of these motors can still give you a bad time when it comes to starting. Theres no reason to pull until your blue. I always had a spray bottle with gas in it, before trying to start it, pop the air cleaner off and give it a spray of gas. It'll start in one or two pulls, now keep it running with the choke, or spraying a little gas in it until it runs on its own.

[thecfarm]

Only bothers when it's cold. As I said a five year old can start it at 60,but at forty it starts hard. Just a slow easy pull when it's warm and it will start. No need to pull hard or fast. Nice and easy.probably the synthetic oil would do it. Just might do that.

[thecfarm]

lumberjack48,I went and brought a quart of synthetic oil and changed the oil today in it. I'll see if that makes a difference on not starting easy.. Choke looks to be fine.Will be kinda on the cold side here for a few days. I'm not about to go out at 10° just to see if it will work or not.  :D You'll have to wait for it to get up to almost 20.

[lumberjack48]

I know it'll run smoother, and pull a little easer when it gets colder. It wouldn't hurt to check the spark plug gape, set it at or about 30 thous. Or better yet pick up a E-3 plug for it, if its OHV i think it uses E3-20, if its not OHV, its E3-10. not real sure

[thecfarm]

Thank you,I will check and try that too. Probably would not hurt to change it,I can not remember the last time I changed it.
What is a E3 plug,who makes them? Could google,but you are handy. It's OHV. The guys at the parts store will know anyways. How much is 30 thous,a matchbook cover?

[gspren]

Thank you,I will check and try that too. Probably would not hurt to change it,I can not remember the last time I changed it.
What is a E3 plug,who makes them? Could google,but you are handy. It's OHV. The guys at the parts store will know anyways. How much is 30 thous,a matchbook cover?

30 thous is .03 inches, while your at the parts store get a spark plug gap tool, their not expensive or if you want to be more exact get a set of feeler gages.

[lumberjack48]

You can pick one up at a Hardware store or parts store, match book cover is 15 thous.



 

[thecfarm]

I have a set gauges and feelers somewheres.Don't use them more than once a year. Knowing me I have 2 or 3. Once I finally got organized and found about 6-8 tape measures all over the place.  :
I've never seen those E3 plugs,but I never looked either. Going to be a little cold here for a few days,than it's suppose to get to get into the high teens-20 at high noon. I'll be operating on it when the heatwave hits us in a few days.

[Migal]

You can pick one up at a Hardware store or parts store, match book cover is 15 thous.



 

There ya go when I was a kid a match book cover was .020 guessing .005 was cost reduction  

[gspren]

  My dad was an auto parts salesman and he gave me a AC plug gap keychain back when I was a teen, I still have it on my keychain although it doesn't get used much anymore.