At what tempature does your tractor start having issues starting?

[Fallon]

My L4060 seems to be a bit more cold-blooded than it used to be. It's 10 years old wth 1,100 hours now. I remember my previous L3200 starting around 0f after several hits of the glow plugs. I thought the L4060 was starting okish in the teens, but my memory is getting fuzzy. I remember not bothering with the block heater in years past because it started good enough.

Today it started okish after 5 minutes of block heater (not long enough to do much) in the 20s up in the unheated barn. Parked it in front of the house after minimal usage & tried to start it 4+ hours later in the low 20s. It wasn't wanting to start after 2-3 tries & starting to throw P6060 codes or something. Just a low voltage warning, which it does if you crank it hard,especially in the cold & the battery is older, possibly even the original. No real need to move it & no motivation to get a 20' extenson for the block heater. It will be in the 60s tomorrow & im sure will start right up. Not a gelled fuel issue, just starting hard due to a lack of heat.

My 2014 F350 Powertroke went down with gelled fuel a few years back at -15f. I used the car for a couple days & it started when it wasnt nearly so arctic. Generally it started a little slower in the cold, but never more than a few seconds of craking & I never bothered with the block heater. I know some of those sucessfull starts were in the low teens.

I'm sure a new battery would help, or any minimal planning with the block heater. At what tempatures are you guys able to start your machines easily or at all? Kind of curious if my memory is off & its always been this cold blooded, or I need to stop playing chicken with an old battery & possibly do some diagnostics on the intake heater.

 

[LHF2019]

I plug mine in under 40 for about half hour(4cylinders) hour(6 cylinders) if I know I'm going to use them. Takes the stress off starting. Since replacing the starter my most used tractor will start at 0 plus if needed but still plug in under 40 if I know I will use it.

 

[RjCorazza]

My L4060 is of similar age and hours. I generally run the block heater for 3-4 hours on a wifi outlet when I know I'm going to use it at temps below 20 deg f or so. On the occasion that it gets started without heat, it has usually started ok, although the rpm's will jump up more than usually.
Last winter I noted it being a little slower to start, requiring longer than usual cranking, and out of muscle memory I would release the key too early. It was also spinning slower, but tolerable.
Anyway, I read a post here on TBN where a guy fried the ECM, and the dealer diagnosis was low voltage / high amperage from cranking with a battery at the end of its life. May or may not have be the cause, but it was enough to convince me to just replace the battery.

 

[Sprinkler Fitter]

My 2032R has started when it was -20°, although it helps that I keep it in a 70° garage.

 

[EddieWalker]

When my Massey 4707 was less than a year old it had trouble starting in 20F temps. When it got down even lower, I had to jump it from my truck to get it to start. That happened every winter for three years. Then the battery totally died on me.

I replaced it with a bigger one from Walmart with higher amps. I also put a trickle charger on it when I parked it for winter. When temps where in the teens, it fired right up. It's started for me instantly every time I've wanted to use it since changing the battery and using the trickle charger