In order to participate in the GunBroker Member forums, you must be logged in with your GunBroker.com account. Click the sign-in button at the top right of the forums page to get connected.
How much does a diesel use...
jimdeere
Member, Moderator Posts: 26,160 ******
...while idling? I started my tractor around daylight this morning in preparation for plowing snow. It's 18 degrees now with a 35mph wind and snowing sideways. It doesn't look like I'm going to be plowing, but I don't want to cut the tractor of for fear of not getting it restarted. The fuel gauge hasn't moved much after 4 hours.
Comments
Not much, depending on the size of the tractor, 1-1/2 to 4 quarts per hour. The four quarts would be a 100-150 HP tractor. Keep in mind though, excessive idling is not good for an engine. I would expect any diesel in halfway decent shape to start readily at 18°.
truckers let their diesel engines idle all the time when they are stopped
I let my truck and tractors idle a lot also
Note: It's a 68 hp Kubota 1990 model. It doesn't have a block heater.
I would let her run
Needs some anti gel in it . It will use maybe a half to three quarters an hour
I agree with HPD, but if you feel the idling is necessary, I would bump it to a higher idle of 1100/1150 Rpm. It’s easier on the engine.
This begs to know, if you have this type of weather occasionally and need the tractor functioning when it does occur, why don’t you install either a soft plug type heater or a inline in the lower radiator hose.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/kats-engine-heaters-lower-radiator-heater-with-1-1-2-in-dia-hose
Mule
Just throw a heavy tarp over it and put a heat lamp under the engine. Don
I have the same tractor which is indirect injection, very simple design, no high pressure fuel system. One thing, if hard to start, could be a bad glow plug. They are easy to test, just unhook the wire from the plug and put a wire on the battery and strike the top of the glow plug. If it sparks it is good. With the glow plugs it will start good down to at least 10 degrees.
On the fuel that tractor likes fuel pretty good.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/384348563557?hash=item597cf5a865:g:1XkAAOSwxqNhJA1W
My JD 4440 (dyno tested @ 165 horsepower) burns at least 5 gallons per hour idling or on a light pull. TEN gallons per hour on a hard pull.
Jtrent, does yours have a block heater? Mine came out of Mississippi, doesn't have one. I'd need to remove a 1" pipe plog in the block and I doubt I could get it out without tearing something up.
I have a dip stick heater, but it's only 70 watts . Probably wouldn't do much good.
Oh, well, I'll get it going again tomorrow, one way or the other.
Mine has a block heater, but have not used it very much.
Under tests it gives a good ideal about how much fuel usage at rated pto speeds on the tractor data below.
http://www.tractordata.com/farm-tractors/001/3/2/1321-kubota-m6800.html
As mule mentioned, if you're going to let it idle, bump the rpm's up a bit. Diesel, in its original state is a solvent, so if it doesn't get completely burned in the compression stroke, it can run down the side of the pistons and dilute the engine oil, causing excessive engine wear.
As an easy alternative, consider a magnetic oil pan heater. I used one on an older tractor that we had without a block heater. Most auto parts stores have a version of them.
i leave my 4wd case ihc with a 12' dozer blade in the shop for snow bad weather...block heater i have never used as this is year number 6 without any amount of snow......have a 220 hp JD with a high lift loader and it had batteries under the floor board of the cab....always a battery problem with dirt and corrosion so i mounted a one BIG battery on a framework on side of engine close to starter running short heavy cable .... have a little gizmo to make battery cables....no problemo .... one year with heavy snow i opened roads so township grader could get out to open roads.....one really big snow i pulled REA bucket truck around to fix power lines..don't forget the fuel treatment
i would look into a heater placed low in the water system, convection will allow it to warm the entire engine. should b a easy and not very expensive solution to your problem. you can get one designed to work on tractors for a very reasonable price on flea bay.
Just warm up the temps, problem solved.
And fiery auto crashes
Some will die in hot pursuit
While sifting through my ashes
Some will fall in love with life
And drink it from a fountain
That is pouring like an avalanche
Coming down the mountain
i have a small propane heater that hooks to a small bottle . ...hooks to the top of a propane bottle the size that is used on your barbecue........just lite it up and set it a safe distance from the engine......and blow it under the engine ...works great...heat goes up warms the whole engine......Master 50,000 btu...round about 8" across and 18" in length...auto start with adjustable output.....tried bottom radiator hose and the electric block heater but if they fail you got a mess changing
You can get heaters that fit in the lower radiator hose. I've had to use them a few times but don't really like adding more possible leak locations.
At Prudhoe Bay on the arctic coast, once it gets cold we just leave the trucks running, 24 hours/day for months, gas or diesel. Everywhere you go there are trucks idling. If it shuts off while you're inside working? Forget it, unless you can get it towed to a hangar to warm up, it's going to sit there until spring. There's a good chance it won't tow either... if you leave something sitting too long the tires freeze to the ground. They've tried moving heavy equipment that had sat too long and it tore the bottoms of the tires off.
Be careful of those tank style heaters that take coolant from the block, heat it and send it back. If the thermostat sticks it WILL burn your truck to the ground, and the garage it's sitting in.
My preference is the big U-shaped heating element that fits into a drain plug in the block. I've never had one leak, or quit working. Only downside is, they don't heat the motor oil much so be patient when starting cold.
"Be careful of those tank style heaters that take coolant from the block, heat it and send it back. If the thermostat sticks it WILL burn your truck to the ground, and the garage it's sitting in."
They have these things called FUSES that go in the AC wiring which may prevent such happenings. The ONLY time I saw this occur was when the heater was plugged into an unfused circuit. Yes, antifreeze will burn due to the alcohol content and a malfunctioning heater can get the stuff hot enough for a spark/shorted wire to ignite it. Usually, the plug or wire burns off before this happens.
"My preference is the big U-shaped heating element that fits into a drain plug in the block. I've never had one leak, or quit working."
In this case, you are among a very short list of folks. About 50% of the block heaters I've seen leak. Right now, I have one that is failing so the 'never had one quit working' is also a variable.
To replace a tank type heater (if there's enough hose to/from) you simply clamp off the hose, loosen the hose clamps, and change out the heater with little mess or loss of coolant- about 10 minutes depending on location.
To replace a block heater is monumentally more difficult. Drain the entire coolant system, hope you can get the heater to loosen, resort to destructive means to get the darned thing out, maybe damage the threads in the process, finally succeed with hopefully minimal damage to the horrendously expensive engine block, hope and pray that the new heater seals, replace coolant, and do all this at below zero temps in an unheated pole barn-around 4-12 hours depending on whether you got the correct heater & threads/didn't damage things too badly/you didn't freeze your hands in the process.
I won't even go into the ones with the little toggle thingy holding them in place. Yupper, block heaters are way up on my warm and fuzzy list-NOT.
When we built the house and barn we also had radiant tube heaters put in the barn. I keep the barn at about 50° +/-. It's powered by propane and is insulated with 8" batts of insulation in the walls, and 18" of cellulose in the ceiling, it stays comfortable in there all winter.
My tractor loves it, and when I do the maintenance on the tractor, I love it also.
Joe
I own a 6 year old Kubota BX model smaller sized diesel tractor that came with a block heater from the factory. I was told by the dealer maintenance man to only plug the heater in an hour before starting. I had originally planned on leaving it plugged in overnight in severely cold temps, but glad I asked the guy about my plan! He said it would add to my electric bill along with shortening the working life of the heater.
Following this advice over the last 6 years in the cold Michigan winters and my Kubota always starts, every time!
@Mobuck I don't know where you get your block heaters but I've been using them for nearly 50 years of driving, 7 months out of the year, as have all my friends. I've never seen one fail or leak. Ever. Chevys, Fords, Hondas, Lancias, Dodges, Triumphs, Toyotas, and all my Land Rovers. My current Rover has had its heater in place since 1996 and it works fine. The '63 Rover has only had its block heater 10 years.
But this winter, on my mountain, 2 miles away, a retired police chief had his truck sitting in his open carport, with his tank style heater plugged in for a warm start in the morning. About 6AM it started smoking, and by 6:30 it was burning and had caught the carport and house on fire. It burned all day, with three tankers driving relay to keep the water supplied.
"@Mobuck I don't know where you get your block heaters "
They're factory parts screwed into the side of John Deere tractors. At least 50% leak/seep. I'd much rather have an external heater.