RK Block Heater

OhioCowboy · Mar 23, 2019

You might try RK to see which heater they recommend for the RK24. They might have one on the shelf and they should be able to steer you correctly on the install.

Ask The RK Tractor Guy

Professor Marvel · Mar 23, 2019

except when it is really cold you likely do not need a heater. if you are at all unsure about installation just get a magnetic one and note my previous comments about them. Very simple.
i got this a couple years ago for $44. I see it is more from this particular vendor so don't jump on any that are too high. Almost end of March so you should not have to decide till next fall
good luck

fried1765 · Mar 23, 2019

Professor Marvel said:
except when it is really cold you likely do not need a heater. if you are at all unsure about installation just get a magnetic one and note my previous comments about them. Very simple.
i got this a couple years ago for $44. I see it is more from this particular vendor so don't jump on any that are too high. Almost end of March so you should not have to decide till next fall
good luck

Yup ....... magnetic is "Very simple".....and also.....Very poor at heating the oil pan.

Professor Marvel · Mar 23, 2019

kept my tractor starting in sub freezing temps

chesternator · Mar 26, 2019

As others have said, block heater heats the antifreeze and yes you want to drain first.

Magnet heaters, I have 2 and was told they are not very effective by multiple people. (You can get these off the shelf at Oreilly's and it's the one with the best reviews on Amazon.

I have rk37 and installed the block heater. I bought a low profile socket but still ended up loosening the alternator in order to feed the socket in from the front. Its tight in there. I imagine the components on the rk24 are pretty different around the engine.

Pro tip: Route your power cable in a way that you cant miss/forget it and try to drive away with it attached. I have a cab and I think I will put it through the door handle. Without a cab I would probably lay it across the seat. In the least leave some slack so that if by chance you forget it, it gives you time to catch it as you realize the cable starts moving with the tractor.

Dfixit1 · Apr 6, 2019

There is a post where a dealer installed a heater in the freeze plug, ie expansion plug on a new tractor. The owner was using it and it popped out, leaking coolant with less than 8 hours. Didnt register on the coolant gauge because it requires coolant to read properly. Did some damage. Dont know if its resolved.
Get a Kats peel and stick to your new clean oil pan.
https://www.amazon.com/kats-oil-pan-heater/s?k=kats+oil+pan+heater
IMHO coolant heaters cause oil to run off internal surfaces causing a dry start.
Warm the oil in the pan, starts easier and you arent causing any premature wear.

fried1765 · Apr 7, 2019

Dfixit1 said:
There is a post where a dealer installed a heater in the freeze plug, ie expansion plug on a new tractor. The owner was using it and it popped out, leaking coolant with less than 8 hours. Didnt register on the coolant gauge because it requires coolant to read properly. Did some damage. Dont know if its resolved.
Get a Kats peel and stick to your new clean oil pan.
https://www.amazon.com/kats-oil-pan-heater/s?k=kats+oil+pan+heater
IMHO coolant heaters cause oil to run off internal surfaces causing a dry start.
Warm the oil in the pan, starts easier and you arent causing any premature wear.

I have a 200W Kats magnetic oil pan heater.
It simply cannot provide enough heat, in below 10F weather (on CUT oil pan), to provide any meaningful temperature increase to the oil.
It sits on the shelf in my barn.
There is apparently a 300W version available, but it is likely not adequate either.

Dfixit1 · Apr 7, 2019

fried1765 said:
I have a 200W Kats magnetic oil pan heater.
It simply cannot provide enough heat, in below 10F weather (on CUT oil pan), to provide any meaningful temperature increase to the oil.
It sits on the shelf in my barn.
There is apparently a 300W version available, but it is likely not adequate either.

Magnetic looks like it could be iffy with surface contact especially if it’s dusty, muddy etc.

There is a 500w version in the link I posted, maybe you could use two, one on each half of the pan?

Some blogs say this works great, peel and stick.
https://www.amazon.com/Zerostart-3400064-Wolverine-Reservoir-Hydraulic/dp/B00PM669MU

Here is the Kats 500w part #24500 $25 ebay
Kat's 245 5 Watt 5.5" x 8.5" Universal Hot Pad Heater 68999822467 | eBay