How to get faster heat?

[troverman]

I've noticed it takes quite a long time for my new L4060 to come up to temp and start blowing heat inside. What is the best way to get heat quicker? I'm assuming in the winter I could put cardboard in front of the radiator, or half block the radiator?

I notice the engine fan does not have a clutch, which means it is constantly cooling the engine. Does anyone offer a viscous fan clutch that would fit these Kubotas? Seems dumb not to have a fan clutch.

 

[skeets]

Fire it up, go turn the heater all the way up. go back in have another cup of coffee or 2 and when you come back out its all warmed up, this is the best way to do it in the winter

 

[Dave_eng]

Using a block heater will make a big difference.

Are you following Kubota's transmission/hydraulic warm up chart which can be up to 30+ minutes at a high idle before use?

Dave

 

[beex]

the computer in my car runs the engine at higher rpms the first 5 min of driving or so till it gets up to temp, then runs at min rpm to save gas. If I set the cruise at 40, it will run at 2000 rpm, and work it’s way down to 1200 rpm


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[SidecarFlip]

In reality you don't want faster heat because the hydraulic fluid will still be bone cold. If you read your owners manual it plainly states in there about warming the unit up, longer times for colder temps.

Maybe that is why mine have lasted so long and been trouble free. They always get warmed up in cold weather before operating.

Like Skeets said, go have a cup of coffee or hot coco with the heat on and blower on low. By time you have your beverage, it will be warm and more importantly, the hydraulic fluid won't be stone cold.

I'd refrain from blocking the grill / rad, especially if the motor is turbocharged and air -to air charge air cooled (don't know if yours is) but the ATA cooler needs good air flow to do it's job correctly.

 

[troverman]

I do let it warm up, even though SUDT2 is synthetic and flows well in cold weather, extreme cold aside. I was surprised that after 15 minutes of warmup in 20F temps, with idle speed set to around 1100RPM, I still basically had no heat. I attribute a lot of this to the fan.

No block heater in this tractor. I have two dealers who are equidistant to me. One dealer installs them on all their tractors and the other dealer says you don't need them. Maybe I should install one. I do plug in my truck on nights it gets below zero.

I notice the tractor will actually idle up automatically at first as well. My truck does the same thing, plus it has a feature where you can switch cruise control on while in Park and it will high idle (you can control the idle speed with the cruise control +/- buttons).

No turbo on this tractor, the next engine horsepower option did have a turbo in the 60 series. I'm not sure if these small tractor turbo engines are actually intercooled though.

 

[DustyRusty]

When I purchased my tractor in 2004, it seemed that everyone on TBN at that time recommended installing a block heater. I remember it being so common that there was a 22mm(?) Allen wrench socket that was being passed around member to member to install the block heater in the BX's at the time. I had mine installed by the dealer prior to delivery. Having owned diesel powered cars since 1966, I knew the importance of a warm engine in very cold weather. Back then, there was a device that would heat the fuel with a coolant heat exchanger, since we didn't have any anti gel products at the time.
Adding an engine block heater will do nothing to warming the hydraulic oil, but it will take a lot of the clanging and banging noise out of the engine, and will reduce wear on the engine. I plug in my block heater whenever I know that I am going to be needing the tractor in the morning. When we have snow storms predicted, I even plug in the heater on my diesel powered generator. It is a lot easier to start a warm engine than a cold one.

 

[troverman]

I've owned 4 other Kubota tractors and never used a block heater. Never had trouble starting or operating. However, this is the first one with a cab which can provide heat. These cabs quickly fog the windshield without heat to defrost them, so it's more of an issue than on the open station machines.

And by the way, the modern common-rail tractors still do use a fuel cooler / heater device that uses engine coolant to do just that. A lot of diesel trucks do, too.

I'm thinking I'll get a block heater. Modern glow plugs (or manifold heaters) make it easy to start a diesel in extreme cold, but of course it doesn't make the engine wear any less.

Thanks for the help

 

[SidecarFlip]

I do let it warm up, even though SUDT2 is synthetic and flows well in cold weather, extreme cold aside. I was surprised that after 15 minutes of warmup in 20F temps, with idle speed set to around 1100RPM, I still basically had no heat. I attribute a lot of this to the fan.

No block heater in this tractor. I have two dealers who are equidistant to me. One dealer installs them on all their tractors and the other dealer says you don't need them. Maybe I should install one. I do plug in my truck on nights it gets below zero.

I notice the tractor will actually idle up automatically at first as well. My truck does the same thing, plus it has a feature where you can switch cruise control on while in Park and it will high idle (you can control the idle speed with the cruise control +/- buttons).

No turbo on this tractor, the next engine horsepower option did have a turbo in the 60 series. I'm not sure if these small tractor turbo engines are actually intercooled though.

Both mine are but again, don't know about others. I don't believe the fan has much to do with it because there is a thermostat in the water neck and it controls flow through the rad. If the engine isn't up to temp, the rad stays cold no matter what the fan is doing. On the outside, you might have a faulty thermostat. Worth a look, test with boiling and cold water.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Never owned a Kubota with a block heater and neither of my M's has one. They both cold start just fine sitting in an unheated barn all winter. I just make sure the batteries are up to snuff and charged. Even my 02 with almost 4000 hours starts up, half a turn with a little glo plug action.

Never seen the need and don't need the additional electric usage anyway.

 

[troverman]

I'm aware the thermostat doesn't allow coolant to flow through the radiator, but a fan blowing a steady stream of ice cold air on a lump of cast iron isn't going to expedite the warm-up process.

As far as the thermostat being faulty, this tractor is brand new with 14 hours on it. I'm sure its fine, as eventually the temp gauge will rise. But even after an hour's usage plowing snow, the gauge never gets to the normal halfway mark.

I don't need a block heater either...it starts up fine on glow plugs. But it would provide quicker heat in the cab and lessen the wear on the engine. As you know, extended cold idling on a tractor equipped with a DPF is bad...the digital display shows how full the DPF is and mine is already 42% full with only 14 hours, but all cold weather and a lot of idling.

 

[BigG]

When I worked in the oil patch the dozers and semi trucks had radiator covers. They had a zipper down the center to adjust the blockage as needed. I fail to see any difference in the concept of covering the radiator to increase the temperatures. Keeping an eye on the temp gauge is all you need to do. The area is not air tight behind the radiator and the engine will be able to draw as much air as needed.

 

[rjcorazza]

I put a block heater in my L4060 shortly after I got it. I haven't paid attention to how much sooner I get heat in the cab, but the block gets about 50 degrees over ambient after 3 hours plugged in. That has to equate to faster heat in the cab.

All agree that the transmission (particularly the hst) needs warming up at 50% of the rated RPM, which is about 1300. I generally run mine up to 1500 during the winter warm up. In warmer temps I skip a warm up period and just don't work the tractor real hard for the first 5 minutes or so.


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[200mph]

I'm aware the thermostat doesn't allow coolant to flow through the radiator, but a fan blowing a steady stream of ice cold air on a lump of cast iron isn't going to expedite the warm-up process.

As far as the thermostat being faulty, this tractor is brand new with 14 hours on it. I'm sure its fine, as eventually the temp gauge will rise. But even after an hour's usage plowing snow, the gauge never gets to the normal halfway mark.

Don't assume this to be true. I've seen bad thermostats to machining debris keep them from closing completely. (Most modern day thermostats are designed to fail open (at least from major automotive OEM suppliers).

My L4740-3 cab heats up within a few minutes to the normal range and delivers very hot air in the cab within 10 minutes on the coldest of days.

Typically let it warm-up at between 1200-1600 RPMs.

If you suspect coolant flow issues, perhaps check fan belt tension.

 

[DustyRusty]

On my BX22, it sucks air from the inside of the cab, unless you remove the plate that is under the screen in the cab. If you remove the plate as directed by Curtis when you install the heater, you need to block off that screen, and they give you a poorly designed piece of vinyl to do it with. I fought with a cab with heat, that never really got warm enough to take off your winter coat. This year, I went around the cab and blocked off just about every opening that I could find with flat rubber roof material. The two places that were the worse air leaks were under the seat, and the screen under the dash. I covered that on the inside with the rubber, and a couple of pieces of rubber under the seat took care of that major heat loss. The only thing that I haven't blocked yet are the slots where the controls go through the body of the tractor. Next year, I will be dealing with those by using brush type door strips glued to the underside.

 

[mikester]

Using a block heater will make a big difference.

Are you following Kubota's transmission/hydraulic warm up chart which can be up to 30+ minutes at a high idle before use?

Dave

This. Parking in a heated garage, engine and rad covers help too.

 

[troverman]

Going to get the block heater, and I also picked up one of those cheap 12v "heated seat" pads that strap on top of the seat. It was $30 on sale for $13 and heats the bottom and back; the 12v plug conveniently connects to the outlet in the tractor. This should help make it a little less cold before the machine warms up.

 

[Hodgy]

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Does your cab heater have a electric pump in it ?

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[troverman]

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Does your cab heater have a electric pump in it ?

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Not sure what you mean. From what I can see, the engine's water pump pushes coolant in a feed and return line through a heater core in the roof of the tractor.

 

[Hodgy]

Not sure what you mean. From what I can see, the engine's water pump pushes coolant in a feed and return line through a heater core in the roof of the tractor.

Check your owners manual to see if you have a electric pump in your cab heater.

My B7800 has the heater core in the roof also but there is a electric pump beside the heater core and it is controlled by a switch beside the fan control. If I don't turn on the electric pump it takes a long time to get hot antifreeze up there just using the engines water pump. If I am working at 2200 rpm I will have lots of hot liquid up there.

Maybe check and see if your fuse for the electric pump is ok, if you have the pump.

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