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New Tractor Owner - WINTERIZING questions / procedures.

D

duckkilla

Member
Hi all,

I'm a first time tractor owner, and I want to make sure that I do whatever needs to be done to make sure that my new (OLD) purchase makes it through the FREEZING Missouri winters. I recently purchased a 1961 Ford 861. This is my first tractor ever, and I'm definitely still learning how to take care of it. It is going to be stored in an open sided pole barn. Covered, but not insulated. What things do I need to do / check to make sure it makes it through the single digit temps that we quite often get?

Thanks in advance.

Steve
 
Your main concern is the antifreeze, last thing you want is a cracked block.
If you plan on using it in cold weather you will want a lighter oil in the engine, a cooant heater etc, makes starting much easier.
Diesel you will want to run winter fuel.
Gas you could put some stabilizer in it if it is not going to be used.
 
Insulation wouldn't help you a bit without heat.

Get an antifreeze tester at the local auto parts store and check yours. If you bought the tractor locally odds are pretty good that it's okay but the previous owner could have just gotten done working on the cooling system, and just dumped in plain water.
 
Also a good idea to loosen the drain plugs at the bottom of the transmission and rear end, to see if water comes out. Do this after the tractor has sat idle for several days, so the water has sunk to the bottom. Be careful you don't drop the plug into the bucket, or the whole thing will drain before you can fish out the plug and put it back in (BTDT). If it has water, drain until water stops and straight oil comes out, then top it back up. If the oil looks really nasty and old, you might want to just change it.

Transmission and rear end cases will accumulate water from condensation (and transmission will get add'l water if the rubber boot on the gear shift lever is cracked), and if you get enough water, it can immobilize the tractor by freezing the gears in solid ice. This immobilization can be a temporary condition, if you let it thaw, or a permanent one, if you get impatient and dump the clutch a couple of times trying to get it to move.
 
Also bleed/drain the fuel tank to get any water out---then add fuel antifreeze so it wont freeze up!
BTDT
 
All good advice.
If you are not going to use it for a longer period of time, block all openings in clutch housing and similar parts to prevent mice or other rodents getting in. We have had enough threads on this forum about trouble and damage caused by mice and their nests.
 
Charge the battery a couple of times during the winter or put a battery maintainer on it. Or Remove the battery to a heated building.
 
If the tractor will sit on soft soil, and you plan on using it
occasionally during the winter, I would park it with the tires on
boards so that you don't try to move it with the wheels frozen in the
ground.
 
Missouri so your some place close or sort of close. I am at the lake of the Ozarks area
As for things to do depends on what it may do during the winter. If your going to use it say once a week what you do is different then if your going to park it all winter. Make sure you have a good antifreeze mix. Good oil for the temps you have. And me I do not let much of any gas sit in the tank since the stuff we have now days draws water out to the air then evaporates and leaves the water behind. I also set a block of wood under things like back blades or loaders so they can not freeze down BTDT. By the way That is how I do my 841 Ford
 
I keep several old Fords in open sided sheds. They do just fine.
Workin-gals-005.jpg

I change the oil in the Fall and check the antifreeze. If you have not changed the
trans, rear end and hydraulic fluids since purchasing the tractor I would do that
also.
I also block down the clutch when parking the tractors for an extended period of
time.
block-clutch.jpg

And I would treat the gas with stabilizer.
 
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