Starting Your Kubota in Cold Weather

[bdhsfz6]

The answer to your question has far more to do with the complicated hydraulic systems than the engine itself.

Dave

This may be true but for the sake of argument, I don't see a big difference between the hydraulics of a Kubota tractor and a diesel pickup with auto transmission and power steering. Could the larger volume of tractor hydraulic oil be a factor since it takes more time to warm up?

Hydraulic systems do get more complicated when you add a FEL or BH but it is the TRACTOR manual that provides warm up recommendations without reference to implements.

 

[check]

When it's down to around 0ｰ, my L3400 wont start unless I have the block heater plugged in for two hrs, after two hrs it starts like summertime. I dont remember trying to start it when it's down around 0 without block heater plugged in, maybe it would but not now because I'm still on the same battery after ten years and 6 months old, and today the tractor turned 1000 hrs. 500 of those hrs my tractor was put to very hard work.

My BX25 ALWAYS starts, at any temperature. (Quite surprising, really.). Nonetheless, I did eventually get a block heater, and I try to plug it in for at least an hour or so before starting. And I always back the tractor out of the garage for the warm-up period. I start it and then rev it up to about 1500 rpm's for the warm-up. You can tell where that sweet spot is, because it idles very rough upon start up, and then smooths out nicely when you rev it up to about 1500 or 1600 RPMs.

 

[sixdogs]

My BX25 ALWAYS starts, at any temperature. (Quite surprising, really.). Nonetheless, I did eventually get a block heater, and I try to plug it in for at least an hour or so before starting. And I always back the tractor out of the garage for the warm-up period. I start it and then rev it up to about 1500 rpm's for the warm-up. You can tell where that sweet spot is, because it idles very rough upon start up, and then smooths out nicely when you rev it up to about 1500 or 1600 RPMs.

Good point on the warm up RPM's. I'm not sure if it's Kubota or Deere, but one or both of them actually gives a "fast idle" warm up RPM number and that's where the sweet spot is.

 

[Oldoak]

Yep, if you try to warm up a diesel tractor in sub-freezing temperatures at "low idle", you may be waiting until warmer Spring time weather for the engine to warm up to the proper operating temperature.