How to keep engines ticking over when the big chill bites
WE ARE hopefully over the worst of the weather now but nonetheless the following tips might come in handy for keeping tractors on the move.
When temperatures plummet diesel thickens and gels, forming a wax like substance. This makes the normal flow of fuel to an engine’s injectors very difficult and the tractor can cut out. Normal winter grade diesel should be wax-resistant down to temperatures as low as –12°C.
You might think that keeps us safe in Ireland but over the last week temperatures went that low in parts of the country with the wind chill factored in. When ordering fuel, be sure your supplier is filling your tank with winter grade.
Add an anti-waxing agent to your farm storage tank and to your tractor’s fuel tank to prevent waxing. This is cheap and it can save you a lot of time thawing frozen filters. A 235ml bottle costs €6 and treats 125 litres of diesel. Cold weather is the acid test for water in diesel because the water fraction will freeze before the diesel does.
On the tractor, this issue manifests itself in the form of a blocked filter with ice in the water bowl. The tractor won’t start or it can even cut out during operation.
Depending on the location of the filter, a severe wind chill can be created in some tractors by the engine’s cooling fan blowing cold air on to the filter. In such a case, the water bowl can freeze and the diesel in the filter can wax.
The long term solution is to prevent water from getting into your fuel before it gets near the tractor. If you don’t already have a water filter on the storage tank tap, fit one. You can also get filters that sink to the bottom of the storage tank and sit absorbing water from the fuel.
Regularly drain the water bowl on a fuel filter to stop the water from freezing.
Some farmers cover the filter with cardboard or plastic to insulate it from the cold air and the engine’s own cooling fan.
If a filter is frozen, thaw it out by pouring some hot water over the filter and then bleed diesel up to the injector pump. To stop condensation and water forming inside the bulk storage tank, keep the tank full as much as you can. Proper tank placement is critical.
The tank floor should slope away from the main tap. This means that dirt and gunk will collect at the lowest point of the tank where the drain is, not at the main tap where it can get into the tractor’s tank.
Batteries
Batteries suffer hugely in the cold. Capacity drops rapidly in low temperatures, so a weak battery will be found out quickly.
There are rechargeable power packs that you can buy for a tractor to avoid jumpstarting from another battery. However, these can be quite expensive (€300-€400) and there is a risk that you could overpower the tractor’s electrical system. It is safer to use a spare battery of equal capacity to the one in the tractor for jumpstarting.
Keep a spare battery on farm at all times during winter for jump starting and/or replacement. Ensure the battery terminals are clean and well connected. Replace a fading battery before it catches you out.
Check that the amp hours on the new battery are the same as the one being replaced. The real problem could be the alternator?