Our 548E grapple is miserable in the cold weather. It doesnt start if much below 30 degrees out. It usually takes some time with the space heater and jumper cables before she will finally fire up. Where as our late 70s 540 starts up no matter what the temp. Anyone have similar problems and and easy ways you have figured to get your machines running? Its not much waitin two hours for the machine to finally start.
I put double aught cables on my tractor and it made all the world of difference. Cranks much faster and longer. I used to have to plug it in , now down to about five dregrees a little ether and crank it and it goes.
Stonebroke
My situation is exactly like yours. The 648E wont start below 35 degrees, and the mid 80's 540 I used to run only had one day it would'nt start the 2 1/2 years I ran it. How aree the batteries? I like those deep cycle batteries that look like 2 connected. But, those won't fit in your battery box. :-\
I can't say enough good things about those self contained engine heaters made by Webasto that run off of diesel fuel. They cost around $1000 and will save you so much time and wear and tear on your machines that they will easily pay for themselves in no time. They run off a 7 day timer that you can set to have the engine warm when you get there in the morning. No wait or warm up time and you just start the engine and allow the hydraulics to warm up and go.
The newer forestry machines come with somewhat larger heaters installed and they will warm up the engine, hydraulic oil, and cab before you arrive in the morning. Greatest thing invented for forestry equipment that has to sit out in the woods at night.
You should be able to get them from Truck Part City. 8)
That's Truck Part City (http://www.truckpartcity.com) ;D
I just watched the first season of Ice Road Truckers. I'm surprised that they didn't run those Webasto's on their rigs. It's got to be more efficient than trying to use a torpedo heater on them. A metal trash can lid full of charcoal briquettes will do wonders, as long as you don't catch the skidder on fire. :o :o The briquettes are radiant heat, and the torpedo's heat is just going to get blown away in the breeze.
Ya, fire under a skidder can work if you're careful, depending on if you have oil leaks. There is a guy around here who burned up 2 440's with a fire in the morning
Not an open fire, just coals. Much safer.
Oh, I know what you mean, but a lot of people from my neck of the woods don't seem to.
Lot of guys up north here with Eqipment rig up quick connectors in the coolant ports of the engine & run up to Cat with pickup which is rigged also with connectors plug them in let pickup idle 1/2 hr then start the Cat, warm pickup circulats warm coolant through Cat block. Takes 1/2 hr but works well customdave
We had those on the 540, worked very well. Just as you said- about 1/2 hour and you were in business.
Yes those pickup connectors work for some and some have cracked the block on their pickups because of the cold shock. If you have a newer pickup and the dealer sees those connectors, they will void your warranty. :)
OUCH ! :'(
ya we tried the connectors those dont seem to work on this creature. batteries are good shes just cold blooded. those heaters you guys talk about sound pretty interesting. worth looking into.
Someone told me once that they were having a bear of a time getting a deere skidder started, they had jumpers on it, torpedo heater, etc... The thing still would not fire up. They had a mechanic come out to look at it, he jumped in the cab, hit the key, and wiggled the steering wheel side to side at the same time he was cranking the engine and it fired right off. The mechanic told them the steering wheel trick did something to release the hydraulics that are dragging on the engine. My buddy said he thought the guy was nuts, they hire him to come fix a machine and he wiggles the steering wheel, but the machine started :) They couldn't believe it- worth a shot I guess
That's a good one barbender. It would help if you did not have to drag that hydraulic pump along when starting, but I've never seen one that could be disconnected by shaking the steering wheel. :D
Years ago I stopped to help a young lady with the hood up on her car. The car would not turn over at all and she said her brother had told her how to cure that problem. She got a hammer out from under the seat and proceeded to beat on one of the posts of the battery. :o
She said it had always worked so far. ::)
I thought everyone knew about the steering wheel trick. ??? Works quite well on the older skiddders, but I don't know about the 548E in question. I have tried it on the 648E, and it had little to no effect.
i use the quick connect method. i wouldnot put them on my new truck either. i have them on my 2 work trucks . 1988 ford f-450 and a 1977 ih loadstar , both gas engines. takes about 25 min and the water temp is 175 on the meter on the old timberjack when it is 5 deg. out. i would not go without them. i swear by them.
Yup, those transfusion hoses are the way to go if you're rigged for it.
I've got an in-line electric heater on my old JD and one of those battery blankets. I haul a small generator along, plug the heater and the blanket in, crank it up for about 1/2 to 3/4 of an hour and it makes a heck of a difference.
I have been using a small generator 2500 watts for a few years. I plug in the block heater, put charger on the bateries, and point the exaust from the generator directly on the fuel pump. i don't know what one helps more but the exaust sure warms up that pump and fuel line area it takes the frost right off most of the topp of the engine by the time i get back. it takes about 1 hour. i usually go and cut a few trees then come back for the skidder when it warm. I have only done this down to -15 colder then that i usually stick to thinning i thick bush (less wind) or stay home :D
Yup. me too. Got a couple of -32 to -34C (-29 to -31F) nights in the forecast from Wednesday to Saturday, so I'll be tending the fire and the old 440 can collect some frost.
I don't know what it did Gary, but he said it worked. Maineloggerkid, do you know?? I thought he said it opened some kind of bypass or something, I really don't have a clue ::)
BY cranking the wheel, it relieves pressure. The steering valves aren't closed so it allows more flow, hence making it easier to turn the motor. Sort of like shutting off the hydraulics. That is how it was explained to me.
That is one problem with suspended energy laws. If you could leave the grapple arch or blade up, you could slowly let it down and accomplish the same thing. But, Laws ( at least in Maine) won't allow suspended hydraulics.
Some tractors have a hyd. bypass you can use to allow easier cranking. My MF 1100 has it right on the operators deck. When it is really cold I think it takes more power just to turn the hyd. pump over than the motor.
Stonebroke
Allis-Chalmers had a decompression device on some of their old dozers that worked as a good cold-start feature. There was a lever you pulled that relieved compression in the heads while you were cranking it over, and once you got the motor spinning, you released the lever. Worked pretty well...with a judicious shot of ether when it was really cold!
Too bad some of the skidder manufacturers hadn't borrowed that good idea.
it works well if you can turn off the hydraulics on the machine, it takes less for the motor to turn over just the engine, than it does to turn everything over at once. We usually just use a hose, its usually our dozer that wont start so we run the hoses from the warm skidder over to the dozer and heat er up. it takes some time but it works.
My 648 E has been sgivin me fits also. I just put another battery on it. Helped out alot doing that. Seems like when its warm it dont even turn over a quarter of a turn and its running. I have a john deere motor in my cutter and it starts great. They sure beat the 353 detroit thats in my knuckleboom. The only fuel problem i have been haveing with my skidder is it keeps on getting air in the fillter and cutting out. You could turn it off and watch the fuel filter fill its self back up. I changed the o rings and inspected all the fuel lines. I have the problem figured out can any of you take guess of what my problem was?
Junk in the fuel lines not letting enough feul thru to feed that motor?? A loose bleeder valve letting air in?
Those were problems on my 540B.
Had that problem with my 434 IH. Once it was a bleeder screw, and the other time the sediment bowl wasn't seated well.
It is pulling a vacum in the tank. The fuel cap has a valve in it so it lets air in. I am going to drill a hole in the side of the cap so it lets air in. I would of never thought that was the problem. Well never did till i talked to a guy. I wish i would of talked to him about 2 weeks before. :D It had me pulling my hair out. I went thru everything trying to find the problem. I figured it was a O ring so i changed all of them and that was not a easy task.
The steering wheel trick certainly helped with the old D models...The D also had a lever in the floor you could pull up to disengage the hydraulics completely. Not sure if it stayed the same with the E models. Our G model has a hydraulic unload valve, push button to the side of the steering column.
We had that on our old B, but I don't think it completley shut it off. I thought there was something that still stayed on. We used to pull that and get in the front and use that little screw on the Hydraulic pump.
Figured this was a good place to post this about how cold it is...... This morning it is about -35 to -37F outside. I don' think I will be getting the equipment going this morning. My tractor won't start, and the feul is probably like jello. On top of that, the power just went out over at our second property, so we have to go run the generator to keep the oil furnace going to prevent some frozen pipes. I was hoping to work today, but I guess I will be tending the fires.
-3F this morning. One person came to work and it wasn't me. This is when we set and sharpen blades in the heated break room. Nice 60F. The outdoor furnace is running to dry a charge of cedar so we have good heat. Have to keep a trickle of water running from the spring so that nothing freezes up. Tomorrow it will get to 35F. Then its time to go back to work for me. I've got plenty of magazines to catch up on. And check the forum out from time to time. Beautiful sunrise coming in about 10 minutes.
-32F here this morning, the outdoor boiler sure eats the wood up when it is this cold. The cold is supposed to break here today, I can't wait.
Here in Miss. this morning it was a balmy 9 degrees. We don't get too many of them single digit temps. here. Tim
Balmy -27C for lunch here in Longs Creek NB .
Good Batteries is always a key part of runnin' in the cold .
I also use the quick couplers to get equipment moving on the coldest mornings .We use Espars on the newer equipment .Trucks we just plug in at the yard . Most important thing is to keep clean fuel filters and plenty of powerservice in the slip tanks & tanks .
Today is the first day in a long time I've split any firewood. Have a bunch of red oak already cut into billets....this is the perfect weather to split (single digits). Split for a little while, then go inside to warm up/dry off, then head back out for some more :)
I know you northerners might scoff at us grumbling bout the cold down here in the south, but its causing us plenty of headaches too. It was 8 here this morning, got the loader and cutter running but they couldn't get the skidder fired up. Lost a whole day to the stupid thing, and men on payroll twidling their thumbs. Finally fired up about 4:30 this afternoon. We all would have been better off staying in bed
How cold was it?
Stonebroke
It's about -35 F again this morning. Another beautiful day 8)
Three days ago it was down near zero degrees when I showed up at the woods. The skidder started fine, and I let it run a half hour to warm up. After it was warm I hooked to a big tulip polpar log, but the skidder balked at pulling it. I just couldn't get any power out of the motor. I parked the skidder and told the landowner who lives on site that I would be back next week. I can't see tearing up a machine just to say you went to work. I had to spend a few days on the road looking at timber anyway.