- Thread starter Fatjay
- Start date
Zachary Hoyt
Well-known Member
You need a working choke, and enough experience with your tractor to know how to use it most effectively. I also sometimes use ether (sparingly) on the
Farmall 300 in cold weather.
Zach
Farmall 300 in cold weather.
Zach
Strange, they fire up perfectly in 40+, but when it's 20, even with the choke and a bit of ether, I get nothing at all. Just cranks and cranks. I thought about putting a heating pad around the carb and letting it warm up for 10 minutes or so, but my wife won't let me use hers on the tractor.
BarnyardEngineering
Well-known Member
- Location
- Rochester, NY
A properly tuned gas engine is easy to start in the winter. Almost all winter starting problems can be attributed to the engine needing some sort of tune-up, but technique also plays a part.
For one thing you do need to use the choke, as stated previously. There is no set amount. You need to figure out what your tractor needs to start. Sometimes just a short burst of choke is all that is needed. Sometimes it needs a lot. In most cases you will probably need to react with choke until the engine has been running for a minute or two before it will stabilize and run on its own.
For one thing you do need to use the choke, as stated previously. There is no set amount. You need to figure out what your tractor needs to start. Sometimes just a short burst of choke is all that is needed. Sometimes it needs a lot. In most cases you will probably need to react with choke until the engine has been running for a minute or two before it will stabilize and run on its own.
On your fergeson --- I had a tea 20 and the biggest problem with it was the choke --- it is spring loaded and will suck open when cranking. this is fine in the summer but you have to hold it closed with your hand when doing really cold starts . It will not get enough gas otherwise . I also installed a 1500 watt external circulating heater on the block. You only need to plug it in an hour before you need it and it is warm . It was a very reliable tractor for cold weather . I had a pull type v snow blower mounted on the 3 point -- I could lift it up and stomp on the one brake and it would literally turn on a dime.
Indiana Ken
Well-known Member
Assuming your fuel is fresh (winter blend), your choke is working (sealing off the intake) and you know how to use it, I would look at the ignition system. In cold weather the battery voltage drops and the starter cranks slower further dropping the voltage. The ignition system must operate off this reduced voltage. At some point it can no longer fire the plugs. An easy test is to power the ignition system directly from a battery charger at either 6 or 12 volts depending on the tractor's system. I have seen them start right up after supplying the proper voltage. The fix is proper maintenance and your old iron should start in the cold. My 8N (6 volt) sits outside and starts to 20 degrees on a regular basis - below that is too cold for me to sit on the dang thing.
Tom OConnor
Member
Years ago I had a John Deere 730 Diesel with a starting engine that had to start every day to either haul manure or grind feed and it never let us down in twenty five years. This is in Michigan where it could
be ninety in the shade or twenty below.
be ninety in the shade or twenty below.
rusty6
Well-known Member
- Location
- East central Sask.
Must be something wrong. Many of these old tractors start great in cold weather . Including my Cockshutt 40 and 50. Full choke for sure and
play it by ear after they start to judge how much choke they need.
play it by ear after they start to judge how much choke they need.
Mike(NEOhio)
Well-known Member
- Location
- Newbury, Ohio
I have a late JD A the most always starts even at -15. Haven't had the plugs out or touched the points in at least ten years. As long as the batteries can roll it a few times it's good.
Geo-TH,In
Well-known Member
FatJay,
The key to any gasser starting in sub-zero temps is good compression and I keep mine out of the elements to keep spark plug wires and distributor dry. I have no problems with my Jubilee starting. The engine was rebuilt, good rings, good valves, good compression, good battery and it starts with no starting fluid. I use 10w30 full synthetic year around.
The key to any gasser starting in sub-zero temps is good compression and I keep mine out of the elements to keep spark plug wires and distributor dry. I have no problems with my Jubilee starting. The engine was rebuilt, good rings, good valves, good compression, good battery and it starts with no starting fluid. I use 10w30 full synthetic year around.
A good battery helps me out.. I keep trickle chargers on my 3020 gas. Also as said manual choke helps.. I bought a heater for the block.. heats the radiator fluid..but have never installed it..
On my skid loader It has a block heater in that I plug in hour before I need it.. Also put trickle charger on it also during cold months.. Usually those two things help..
On my skid loader It has a block heater in that I plug in hour before I need it.. Also put trickle charger on it also during cold months.. Usually those two things help..
To be honest I have one tractor that is worn out beyond belief, very low compression and considerable blowby yet it starts not a bit different than any of the other 134 Ford engines here. Compression is critical starting a diesel but makes little difference in a gas engine.
One other note,on a tractor with oil
bath air filter don't forget that it
needs much lighter oil or it can
actually be so restrictive it over
chokes the engine and floods it. My
father always used to pull the air
intake tube off the old Ford's when
starting them in the extreme cold to
prevent that
bath air filter don't forget that it
needs much lighter oil or it can
actually be so restrictive it over
chokes the engine and floods it. My
father always used to pull the air
intake tube off the old Ford's when
starting them in the extreme cold to
prevent that
As others have said assuming your machine is in good state of repair and no issues (water in gas =frozen carburetor) etc. I would look at a plug in type heater, radiator hose heater etc. Also battery is critical as you lose power when its cold. I had to deal with this on equipment (diesels) we used 2 hoses to a pickup TRUCK heater hoses (spit swappers) warmed up the cold engine quick. Even put booster cables on to get more juice in the cold engines batteries. Now if you don't have electricity close buy: They do have propane heaters to plug into radiator and circulate fluid. Use 2-4 batteries. Those magnetic heaters don't seem to work well or very fast. Have seen some people put a salamander type heater or portable heater under the item to warm it up. BE CAREFUL OR FIRE WITH SOME OF THIS I.E. OPEN FLAME AND A FUEL LEAK.
Like somebody else said they all got their own personalities and have to be in halfway decent shape, battery, cables, starter. Bad starter drive that kicks out all the time and your screwed or dry starter bushings. I've started my Super C 6 volt when it was down to about 10 or 15 below years ago. Sets in an unheated shed, 10/30 oil, full choke, 1/3 throttle and light it up. Probably should tune it up, Champion d21s are 8 or 10 years old, points are older than that but I'm betting it will start when the snow flies.
Geo-TH,In
Well-known Member
Compression in gassers makes some heat, not as much as a diesel because of lower compression.
I had a VW bug that had two burnt exhaust valves. It was next to impossible to get it started in the winter. I was lucky to get it to fire on two cylinders. When engine warmed up, the other two cylinders would fire
Low compression caused by bad rings and valves allows condensation on spark plugs too.
I have a 20 hp kohler command. I had to grind valves on one cylinder to make it run properly. The bad cylinder would carbon up the plug, while the other plug was white as snow. Both cylinders use same carb.
Compression test and leak down test showed the bad cylinder was good. It would only run on one cylinder when engine was cold, even in the summer.
I'm convinced a healthy engine will start in winter, others will have issues.
All my vehicles are 11 years old or less.. I bought them new and they have 90k miles or less and don't use a drop of oil.
Start just fine in the winter.
My point is a healthy engine has no issues in sub zero without engine heaters. Can't say that about diesels.
geo
I had a VW bug that had two burnt exhaust valves. It was next to impossible to get it started in the winter. I was lucky to get it to fire on two cylinders. When engine warmed up, the other two cylinders would fire
Low compression caused by bad rings and valves allows condensation on spark plugs too.
I have a 20 hp kohler command. I had to grind valves on one cylinder to make it run properly. The bad cylinder would carbon up the plug, while the other plug was white as snow. Both cylinders use same carb.
Compression test and leak down test showed the bad cylinder was good. It would only run on one cylinder when engine was cold, even in the summer.
I'm convinced a healthy engine will start in winter, others will have issues.
All my vehicles are 11 years old or less.. I bought them new and they have 90k miles or less and don't use a drop of oil.
Start just fine in the winter.
My point is a healthy engine has no issues in sub zero without engine heaters. Can't say that about diesels.
geo
An Old Trick my Father taught me. When you shut the tractor off, pull out the choke and leave it out. This suck a rich mixture into the cylinders. When you start it, leave the choke out until it starts to "load up" a bit then SLOWLY push it in. This has worked for me for years. Might want to try it.
I always plug in my tractors in the winter
before I use them. Unless it's an emergency,
which it never is. I just can't stand to
hear the rattle of a cold engine. Bothers me
to think of all that cold stuff in there. I
know a coolant heater doesn't do anything
for the oil and such, but it makes me feel
better. Below probably 35 F is when I start
plugging them in.
before I use them. Unless it's an emergency,
which it never is. I just can't stand to
hear the rattle of a cold engine. Bothers me
to think of all that cold stuff in there. I
know a coolant heater doesn't do anything
for the oil and such, but it makes me feel
better. Below probably 35 F is when I start
plugging them in.
buickanddeere
Well-known Member
The highest CAA battery that will fit in the battery box. HD cables with good connections .
I have my grandpas DC Case, and as long as I have enough battery to get it to turn at all, it will start. I know back when Grandpa used it as his feed tractor in the
winter, he had a tank heater on it. I think it was as much to warm his homemade cab, as it was to aid in starting.
I don't think I have ever had a tractor start as easy as this one does.
winter, he had a tank heater on it. I think it was as much to warm his homemade cab, as it was to aid in starting.
I don't think I have ever had a tractor start as easy as this one does.
teddy52food
Well-known Member
That is a good way to wash the oil from the rings & cylinders for a dry start.
Donald in MN
Member
i use my granpas 77 to feed hay once a week in the winter after an over haul and putting on a hydraulic unit i changed
it to 12 volt it always started good but with the 12 volt it pops right off. i remember 53,54 years ago grandpa sam had
a little metal pot about the same size as one of those little weber grills he would put coal or charcoal in it and
light it put it under ollie and put a tarp over the tractor. then we would load up the old 47 chevy thriftmaster with
corn to grind. that thing would always start. i put a lower radiator on my 8n i found that at below 0 two pulls on the
crank it would start also i put marvel mystery oit in the crank case to help thin the oil. my other grandpa had a 47
farmall M dad used it to pull hay wagons upnto the haymow in the dairy barn it would sit up there for weeks at a time
and when we had to get another load of hay it would be covered in frost and cold but it would turn over a couple times
and start.
it to 12 volt it always started good but with the 12 volt it pops right off. i remember 53,54 years ago grandpa sam had
a little metal pot about the same size as one of those little weber grills he would put coal or charcoal in it and
light it put it under ollie and put a tarp over the tractor. then we would load up the old 47 chevy thriftmaster with
corn to grind. that thing would always start. i put a lower radiator on my 8n i found that at below 0 two pulls on the
crank it would start also i put marvel mystery oit in the crank case to help thin the oil. my other grandpa had a 47
farmall M dad used it to pull hay wagons upnto the haymow in the dairy barn it would sit up there for weeks at a time
and when we had to get another load of hay it would be covered in frost and cold but it would turn over a couple times
and start.
Rex Simpkins
Member
Petronix ignition, good gasoline--if she'll turn she'll start
Geo-TH,In
Well-known Member
Buickanddeere,
After twisting off two starter drives using a good 12v battery on my Farmall C's 6 v starter, I did just the opposite. I installed
a used lawn mower battery that measured 180 cca and 12g wires. The battery is 8 years old and the Farmall fires off, even in the
winter. Been using mower battery for 4 years . Yes you need a hot battery is you don't have a mag.
MY Farmall fires after the first crank and I have no fear of twisting off another starter drive. I was going to replace the
starter with a 12v starter like I did on Jubilee, however I couldn't find a 12v starter.
My Farmall has a rebuilt engine, burns no oil, runs very clean.
After twisting off two starter drives using a good 12v battery on my Farmall C's 6 v starter, I did just the opposite. I installed
a used lawn mower battery that measured 180 cca and 12g wires. The battery is 8 years old and the Farmall fires off, even in the
winter. Been using mower battery for 4 years . Yes you need a hot battery is you don't have a mag.
MY Farmall fires after the first crank and I have no fear of twisting off another starter drive. I was going to replace the
starter with a 12v starter like I did on Jubilee, however I couldn't find a 12v starter.
My Farmall has a rebuilt engine, burns no oil, runs very clean.
I've had to pull the battery off my little 5020 Allis and put it in my heated man-cave on a charger for an hour or so to get it started when the temp was below zero Fahrenheit.
I'm curious as to how my recently bought JD 4010D loader tractor will start when it's really really cold. Probably be ok...has good batteries...but I figure I better clean up the battery cables...and I do need to tear down and clean/freshen up the starter too
One thing I've learned about diesels in cold weather is to keep some fuel conditioner in the fuel. Folks in Oklahoma don't think about diesel fuel gelling....and lots of farmer/ranchers lumber into winter with the tractors full of summer blend fuel. This is fine most of the time...however it does sometimes get super-duper cold here. Summer diesel ain't no good at or near zero degrees!!
Indiana Ken
Well-known Member
George, I was aware of the lawn tractor battery solution you were using from previous posts. However, I understood you were using smaller 12 volt battery cables in a long length.
Could you confirm the use of 12 Ga wire for cables per the recent post. Am I misreading something?
buickanddeere
Well-known Member
Not a whole lot to turn over to start a "C".
113.1 ci [1.9 L]
Bore/Stroke: 3.00x4.00 inches [76 x 102 mm]
Air cleaner: oil bath
Compression: 5.33:1
Rated RPM: 1400
Firing order: 1-3-4-2
Oil capacity: 5 qts [4.7 L]
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