How long do you leave your tractor plugged in?

[Buckgnarly]

I plug mine in a few minutes to an hour before (depending on how cold).......but I'm considering putting a timer similar to this to use for the am

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I use that one for my plow truck and tractor.

 

[Hooked_on_HP]

The smaller the cooling system the less time it takes to warm it up. A compact tractor with a 2 gallon cooling system doesn't need to pluged in nearly as long as a full sized farm tractor with a 10 gal cooling system. I plug my 1900 in for about 1/2 hr depending on how cold it is,
Bill

 

[2458n]

I use a on at 35 degree and off at 45 degree plug bought from rural king. It is a extra one from the well house. Keeps the tractor warm enough to start but need to run awhile to warm up the tractor hyd. oils. The other tried and true is plug the Powerstroke in about 2 hours before leaving. Pain in the butt ,so alot of time it gets plugged in all night. Never know when you got to go. Small gas truck always around for short quick trips.

 

[D7E]

The smaller the cooling system the less time it takes to warm it up. A compact tractor with a 2 gallon cooling system doesn't need to pluged in nearly as long as a full sized farm tractor with a 10 gal cooling system. I plug my 1900 in for about 1/2 hr depending on how cold it is,
Bill

At -35c some of our 14 liter engines need at least 4 hours to make a difference . If we know we have a 6-7am start we run out and plug in before bed like 11-midnight but cant always be planned that well . Id like to see a truck that has come from ontario to manitoba heading to texas wait 5 hours for my loader to warm up Hence why one just stays plugged in continuosly .

 

[tcreeley]

I like the idea of a timer. The battery is getting weaker and starting cold stresses it a little- 10+F. It will start cold- but it is working harder to heat the engine oil for a few minutes before it is smooth.
I get lazy and don't want to run out constantly to plug it in or un-plug it.
I really should just wire a remote switch setup I can hit from the house!

-14 liter engine is big!

 

[DieselMonk]

I never plugged any of my diesels in. With thinner 5W40 Mobil 1 Turbo Diesel engine oil, I never had a problem starting. O.k, around here it is not getting colder than -15C (5F) either. Neither do I let them sit there and idling for more than a minute.

 

[20 20]

I plug mine in for about an hour, then let them ideal for a few minutes, then work the hydraulics a few times, then start off slowly letting everything get warmed up. When I run my excavators (not run in winter) I go through all the motions before digging in.

 

[Opti-Mist]

Are there any that have a temp sensor? Say it automatically comes on @ 35 degrees, kinda like heat tape for your water pipes. I am in Georgia so I never have to worry about that much cold.

You could use a torpedo heater thermostat for such an application.

 

[oldnslo]

If expecting a storm plugged in continuous so when needed it is ready to go. No storm around a couple of hours before needed. It takes a lot of hours of electricity to run a 500 watt heater to offset the cost of a starter or glow plugs burning out.

 

[boggen]

make sure you have proper antifreeze/water ratio, make sure block heater is installed correctly. make sure you run properly sized extension cord.

for myself a "battery blanket / warmer" is on todo list as well. lower the temp, the lower max charge a battery can hold, or i should say can produce/hold. (someone else can explain better)

i do have a glow plug as well.

with temps hitting -10 F a couple days of the year, and normally a ugly snow storm / ice storm accompanies those low temps. tossing a "cardboard" over front of radiator, or tarp or something, to help reduce wind blowing through radiator, as block core heater warms things up helps. (Not able to place machine in shed)

personally prefer to turn heater on night before, and just leave it on, it might be a waste, in electricity bill, that little bit of heat, might help keep diesel from gelling up, if fuel tank is in a good spot, more likely to warm all the metal up all the way to the center of the engine. and to the opposite side that the block heater is installed on. it might be very limited, but tiny bit of heat to the oil down in the oil pan.