How are you preheating?

[DavidBarkey]

This is copied from the ones I listed . So some are thermically controlled .I am not saying to use on plastic tank unless you have a backup and are willing to experiment .

Smart Temperature Control Protection-Equipped with a built-in automatic constant temperature controller,our engine heater pad automatically powers off when the temperature reaches 194°F (90°C) and resumes heating when it drops below 122°F (50°C).This effectively prevents overheating risks and ensures safe use
I do not know what the high end operating temp of these plastic tanks are . Maybe Bob @myerslawnandgarden knows .
something to think about

You know, I don't have a hard number to give you, but just an opinion. I would definitely be careful applying heat to the plastic reservoirs as I often see them damaged just from overheating the oil during use.

A bit unrelated from your question, but useful knowledge... early production plastic reservoirs didn't have the metal inserts in the inlet and outlet fittings and if the oil temperature during use was high enough for the plastic to soften , the nipple would slightly collapse under the tension of the hose clamp and re-harden in the collapsed form resulting in a loosely clamped hose and a resulting oil leak.

Also, I've often seen the battery sink into the reservoir when the plastic softened enough under use. There is a metal reinforcement that holds the battery slightly above the reservoir for 3000/4000 series tractors, I highly recommend it.

Bob

As always Bob , thanks for the words of wisdom . What would you do to add a heat source to warm the oil in tractors with a plastic tank for those that live in the snow belt ? Or do you do something different .

[JSinMO]

I have never had to preheat my 446. Even though it’s pretty worn it always fires right up. I do have to warm my 2N Ford. I just use halogen work lights and my shop space heater. That’s enough to get it running. As for the hydraulics I let it sit and warm up for awhile. They are still slow but usable.

[Toolslinger]

The 8N fires right off. It was rebuilt at some point in the past, and really runs great. It's just the hydraulics, and rear that are rough. It's so thick it will struggle to keep running just letting the clutch out if the PTO is on.

The 444 engine isn't too bad, but then we don't see these temps much. I'd rather be heating the hydraulics, but easing the oil in the engine can't hurt. Once it's going I just take it out of gear, and run the travel control up to full for a while, and let it heat up through circulation. Be nice to just start, and get at it, but it gets the job done, so I can't complain too much.

This storm is likely going to be too deep for the blower. I'll probably try, but I imagine I'll be getting after this one with the JD300 loader...

[dhitching]

Depending on the temperature the heating pad gets to I could see value in attaching it to the metal divider between the engine and plastic hydraulic tank on the 3XXX/4XXX tractors. I've measured hydraulic oil temps over 200F and engine oil temps over 300F so the tanks are pretty heat resilient. My Onans always start up without a fuss but my Briggs tractors have always been a huge pain when it's cold... No chance of starting without some external heat if the temp is below 30F.

My current pre-heating solution:

[MattA]

My 4016 vanguard normally starts just fine in the winter. It's in an attached garage, so probably a good 10F or more warmer than outside. 5 years ago I did replace the 300CCA battery with a 350CCA battery mainly because I needed a battery for the generator with the same engine. The 350CCA battery still spins that little vanguard engine with authority in warmer weather. This past weekend with 5F overnight temps and 15F during the day certainly required some extra slower cranking before the engine started. I've got 5W40 syntheric in the hydraulics.

Perhaps the newer vanguards are tuned more for emissions causing starting issues?

[dhitching]

My 4016 vanguard normally starts just fine in the winter.
Perhaps the newer vanguards are tuned more for emissions causing starting issues?

My understanding is that it's primarily the "big block" power steering equipped Vanguards with cold starting issues. Something about the larger pump and larger displacement engine make for just too much effort spinning the motor over when the oil is cold. That being said, I'm lazy and run 15W-40, I've never bothered to change to a light oil in the winter. On my 4221 a valve adjustment seemed to help slightly (but it still wanted at least a jump pack worth of assistance most days), I suspect that when the valves are out of adjustment the cranking decompression feature on the camshaft doesn't work properly. I haven't had a chance to mess with the valve adjustment on my 4223 yet.