Heated or Non-Heated Storage?

[RockfromVT]

I have a Kubota BX-25 I recently purchased and was wondering if I should continue to keep it in my heated Shop or leave it outside (car port) plugged in? My concern is condensation. I'm afraid if I bring it out in the cold to snow blow the driveway that the change in temp will cause condensation in the hydraulic tank and possibly cause issues. Any thoughts on this?

 

[MikeInEburg]

I would vote for non-heated, mostly because it's a tractor and doesn't need to be kept warm at night. Waste of heated space. Under cover is a good idea...
Mike

 

[Youare]

If I had a space that I was normally heating in which there was room for the tractor I would keep it there. However, undercover in an unheated space is good too. I keep my Kubota in my unheated barn all year round, I think in 7 years it has spent less than 5 nights outside.

When it is cold I plug in the block heater for an hour or so before starting. I also leave it run for 5 minutes or so at an around 1100 RPM just to let things warm a bit. I leave two doors open so the exhaust is never a problem.

Randy

 

[RockfromVT]

Thanks Randy & Mike for the quick replies. I'll just keep it under cover in an unheated area then. That will give me more room in my Shop. It's too small as it is.

 

[irvingj]

Outside, no heat, under cover. Block heater when it's really cold. No problems.

 

[RockfromVT]

Short, Sweet & Simple. Gotta love it. Sounds good. Thanks,

 

[smfcpacfp]

I agree with irvingj also, at least that is what I have done. I am not sure what he means by really cold, but I use the block heater when it is below freezing for a while (minimum 30 minutes) and longer as it gets colder. I think the coldest it has been when I used it was - 20F and I left the block heater on for a couple of hours.

Being retired, I can wait for the temperature to rise if it really cold. One thing that did happen after a really cold spell was that the liquid in the rear tires froze a little and the tires were flat spotted for a while. I left it out on a sunny day with the tires getting good sun exposure and the problem went away.

 

[KubotaSam]

The manual for my snow blower states that if you keep it in a heated space when you bring the blower outside the snow will melt on the warm metal. As the metal cools it will ice up and cause problems. I am not sure if this is true because up until this year I have never had a heated space to keep my tractor in.

 

[smfcpacfp]

The manual for my snow blower states that if you keep it in a heated space when you bring the blower outside the snow will melt on the warm metal. As the metal cools it will ice up and cause problems. I am not sure if this is true because up until this year I have never had a heated space to keep my tractor in.

That is a good point and it would probably freeze at the bottom. But parts of the blower get hot enough when running to melt some snow in any event.

 

[RockfromVT]

Up until I bought my Kubota, I had a Toro 17hp with a Bercomac 42" Dual Stage Blower on it. I would keep it in my Shop (heated) and after each use, bring it back in and all the ice and snow would melt and it would be totally dry and ready for the next use. I left it out 1 time after use and the next time I got on it and activated the PTO, it sheared the pin from ice down inside the chute that I couldn't see without looking down it. That's all I know about that is for 10 years I kept it in a heated Shop and it worked great and never sheared another pin. If you were to use a space heater or put it in a heated area until dry and then move it back to the cold, I can't imagine ever having any problems with it.

 

[tds99]

i have NH TZ-25 with rear blower that i have used for last 3 years. it spends time in both my unheated detached garage or heated attached garage with no problems. i try to keep everything well greased. i try to bring it in to the attached garage if i know there is a big snow coming or if it is going to be very cold (often below -20 celsius here). often after blowing driveway i will leave it in the heated garage for a few hrs just to let everything melt off then put it back out in the unheated garage. have had no issues either way.

 

[Diamondpilot]

My vote is for heated if possible. Any condensation will evaporate out if used good once a month or so. It will also be easier on all the components being heated including the battery, hydro pump, seals, ect.

Chris

 

[irvingj]

Ice will build up in the chute area during operation. Right after every blowing I chip it off, as residual heat release will melt ice just enough to allow this. I also brush off any snow/slush accumulation, both around the chute and in the impeller area.

I'll also park it with the blower facing the sun whenever it's sunny.

Doing this, I haven't lost any shearpins due to iced up parts.... yet.

 

[brandoro]

My tractor almost always resides in the shop when not in use, the shop is not always heated but when it is it will be warm enough for the tractor and blower to melt off and become dry. Since the floor rarely gets back above freezing in the dead of winter I do throw a couple short pieces of 2X4 on the floor to set the blower on so it can't freeze down.
Having a heated shop is nice, being able to heat the floor, much better. If I ever get to b uild one for myself there will be heat in the floor.

 

[sld]

I vote for the heated garage. In my climate I have never noticed condensation to be a problem.

Plus, it is my "hobby" in the winter to do all the maintenance and clean the tractor up. I wouldn't do that if it were in an unheated space. Seems like in the winter my family goes to bed early and I spend a lot of time in my heated shop. Beats watching tv.

 

[Johndeere3720]

Lucky for me my yanmar lives in a heated garage. Im glad since it will be easy to start since it is preheated. I dont have a snow blower (yet) so I use my rear blade to move snow. The even cooler part, my neighbor wants to build me a front blade for free for my yanny to move snow. Im hopefully going to drive the tractor down there on sunday and I might grade his road while im at it. I am also lucky that my JohnDeere lawn tractor lives in a heated shed and my nonrunning (for now) simplicity lives in a heated shop. Im pretty lucky, now I just need to get my implements inside.

 

[Couple of Achers]

If you have room in a heated space for it, I'd use it if at all possible. Like others have stated, it is awfully nice to always have a nice clean, un-thawed blower available. If you are afraid of snow sticking in the blower because it is warm, what I do is start it and pull it outside to let run for a few minutes before I actually start blowing snow. That metal cools off in a hurry out there and I have never had a problem with it.

 

[dave1949]

I would never leave equipment outside if there is heated or unheated inside storage. Why mess with a snowy/icy tarp with tie-downs vs opening a door? My garage is heated by sunshine, it gets up to 55 deg. on a reasonably sunny day and down near freezing on cold overnites. I have seen no problems with condensation.
Dave.

 

[Matt_Jr]

Seriously? Heated all the way. Don't worry about condensation 'cause when you pull the tractor inside, it will be warmed up, and since at operating temps it will be warmer than the air inside, that won't be a problem. Any condensation on the metal parts that are cold will dry off during storage. Your tractor will reach operating temps faster, there will be less condensation in the crankcase while warming up, it's easier on the hyraulics(pump, seals, valves, etc..), your battery will crank better, and your glow plugs won't have to work as hard. Oh yeah, your seat won't start off as cold either.

 

[RockfromVT]

I'm amazed at just how much "GREAT" info I've gotten in a day from everyone on here. I appreciate all the input you've all offered. I'll get some photos posted soon. Maybe I can get some time later today and take it out of the Shop and take a few for you all to see. Seen one, seen'em all but pics are always enjoyable to check out either way.