Tractoring at -50c / -58f

[MapleLeafFarmer]

So the national weather service in Canada is forecasting for our area a cold snap going into Christmas. -50c/-58f brrrr.

So this morning I made sure the all my batteries were charged, a little shot of anti gel was added to the diesel tanks that are going to be used this month, tires checked, coolant measured and no adjustments needed, etc...
Bring it on!! its been a few years since we had to make outside work at these temps. At least when its cold its usually very sunny and bright. My favourite time of year!!! and a great time to pull some downed trees out of the bush for next springs cutting/splitting season. Got me thinking maybe I should have insulated/heated my newest machine shed (haha)

Merry Christmas all.

An Arctic front will bring snow and cold temperatures to Western Canada for the next several days. Make sure you are properly dressed if going outside for any amount of time, and in some areas, keep the shovels handy and the snowblowers on standby.


A dangerous week is setting up on the Prairies as a piece of the polar vortex allows exceptionally cold air to spill over the region. We could see our first -50°C reading in eight years in the coming days, a testament to the might of this looming cold snap.

 

[Botamon]

I can't even imagine working in temperatures that cold. If it were me, I'd be in the house feeding the stove.

 

[fried1765]

I can't even imagine working in temperatures that cold. If it were me, I'd be in the house feeding the stove.

Ah.... that -58F may be somewhat of an exaggeration, but if correct, would only occur briefly just after sunrise.
By noon, with the sun, it could be all the way up to -25F or so.

 

[MapleLeafFarmer]

I can't even imagine working in temperatures that cold. If it were me, I'd be in the house feeding the stove.

ahhh.... the old discussion of being of too hot-too cold-or just right.....

for me I find it easier to put on another layer of cloths versus taking cloths off when too hot. Wife says it gets ugly really quickly when its too hot outside.

I grew up where its mostly cold so I am OK with it. Spent a big chunk of a year in Vietnam many years ago and +40c (-105f) was harder on me than -40c. I will take the cold no problems.

 

[Tughill Tom]

Well from an Old Snowmachine rider all I can say is "Bad things happen to good equipment when it gets that cold"..... Been there, done that!

 

[GreensvilleJay]

Please keep the cold in 'Winterpeg' ! If it comes to Ontario, 'they' will dump 1 million tons of salt on the roads......

 

[TheOldHokie]

Well from an Old Snowmachine rider all I can say is "Bad things happen to good equipment when it gets that cold"..... Been there, done that!

Engine oil Jello for breakfast give tractor very bad tummy ache.....

Dan

 

[jimh406]

I guess it depends on what type of work. I'd have my block heater plugged in, for sure.

 

[lynnmor]

Well from an Old Snowmachine rider all I can say is "Bad things happen to good equipment when it gets that cold"..... Been there, done that!

I got quite an education in Hayward, Wisconsin when I spent the coldest week every recorded there. My electric start snowmobiles wouldn't even make a click on those -39 mornings. It took both hands and both feet to pull start them thinking that the rope would tear. I learned about frost jacking safety switches open preventing starts. I had the telescopic front suspension on those old Phazers and they had to be exercised side to side before starting out because they were too stiff to steer by the handlebars. Our club had a member with a tractor trailer to haul our sleds, we tried to get it started the day before departure, but it needed help. A propane heater was placed under the engine and the bottom was closed with our sled covers. To keep the propane flowing, the bottle had to be under there with the heater. Fun times, and we rode more than a hundred miles every day.

 

[Pawnee]

Wow, that's cold. I thought you must be talking wind chill but no, they said temperature.
I'd go outside but I don't think I'd run the tractor, that's cold enough to make some steels brittle. Nothing else will like it either.

 

[ve9aa]

Where in Canada do you live?
I snowblowed today here in NB @ 0*C/32*F (but it does get down to -30*C on occasion)

 

[MapleLeafFarmer]

I got quite an education in Hayward, Wisconsin when I spent the coldest week every recorded there. My electric start snowmobiles wouldn't even make a click on those -39 mornings. It took both hands and both feet to pull start them thinking that the rope would tear. I learned about frost jacking safety switches open preventing starts. I had the telescopic front suspension on those old Phazers and they had to be exercised side to side before starting out because they were too stiff to steer by the handlebars. Our club had a member with a tractor trailer to haul our sleds, we tried to get it started the day before departure, but it needed help. A propane heater was placed under the engine and the bottom was closed with our sled covers. To keep the propane flowing, the bottle had to be under there with the heater. Fun times, and we rode more than a hundred miles every day.

We take our spark plugs out when very cold, stick them under the arm pits to warm up as we crank the engines over a few times (old days with starter rope now with the electric start we hit the starter) put them back in and start as quickly as possible. Makes a big difference.

Worst for us is trying to light a fire outside when very very cold. Sometime impossible to light a warming fire as the matches / fire starter looses their heat before a fire gets started!! heat is needed to make fire and if heat disappears before it gets warm enough to make a fire then no fire is made! even adding a rag dipped in gas from the gas tank sometimes didn't work.

 

[William1]

Long ago, I was in upstate NY in very sub zero weather. I'd brought an air cooled dirt bike to play in the frozen snow/ Left the bike out over night. Kicking the next morning, nothing. So I brought it into the house basement. The next moring, I rolled it out, it fired right up. After a hour of riding, I checked the engine temp. The fins were still cold (not ice cold but room temp) to the touch!

 

[ItBmine]

Wow, keep it out west, LOL
It gets minus 40 plus wind chill here but so far never had an issue. I use synthetic oil and when it gets colder than minus 25*C I'll plug the block heaters in on the Kubota's for a couple hours before I use them.

I also just replaced the coolant in all my tractors and UTV's and dirt bikes. I used the pre-mixed Prestone but also put some extra concentrate in because the pre-mix only tested to minus 40.

 

[ItBmine]

And I'm really glad I checked my brand new Beta 430 RR dirt bike. Owners manual said the factory fill coolant is good for minus 40 but when I checked it, it only tested out at minus 20*C.
I guess they measure Celsius different in Italy, LOL.

That could have been disaster sitting in my unheated garage.

 

[DaveFromMi]

I have been on a couple of business trips to Timmins, ON in January, different years. Temperatures got down to -40°C (°F) several nights. Yeah we went there for cold weather.
Both times, there was a Team of Japanese Kubota Engineers evaluating cold weather performance. They were wearing company coats. They had several subcompact to large tractors, excavator and skid steers. I suppose they were evaluating cold starts, drivability, emissions, equipment performance. They kept the hotel lot and other businesses cleared.

 

[ItBmine]

I haven't seen them testing tractors, but GM does a lot of their cold weather testing in that area and Kapuskasing. I've seen a lot of prototype vehicles before they were brought to market.

 

[MapleLeafFarmer]

for many who are prepared operating / working at those temps shouldn't be a problem.
For sure there will be 10's of thousands of gas and diesel vehicles on the road at construction sites, deliverying amazon packages, getting the gen. z'ers their uber eats and starbucks stuff, etc...
Those in poor condition / not ready are going to be sorely disappointed with breakdowns I will guess.
Those prepared with good quality and well maintained should be OK.
This week I am pulling downed trees for next years wood supply. I'm not worried but will be careful.

Cheers

 

[DaveFromMi]

I worked at Ford and wound up in Thompson, Manitoba working with ECM calibrators back in the 1990s. The vehicles were shipped there from Dearborn.
The next morning, the temperature was down to -48C. 3 of the 4 test vehicles had frozen and cracked batteries. The coolants were mixed at 50/50, so the cooling systems were all frozen. One vehicle actually started, but the rear diff was frozen; vehicle couldn't move.
About a day later some great guys at a local Ford dealer got all of the fluids changed so the vehicles could be evaluated. I believe they used "Arctic Vis" products. They mentioned that we were woefully unprepared

 

[Orangeglow]

I worked in Yellowknife, NWT way back in the early 1970s. While having breakfast in the hotel one morning we met up with a group of engineers who had flown in a bunch of protype vehicles which were brought in for severe cold weather testing. I offered to drive one all the way back to Ontario,, Canada to give them tons of info on driving one long range, but I couldn,t convince anyone to let me do it.