oil pan heater
- Thread starter chuck172
- Start date
I will be getting a brand new L3200 this week, expecting snow and very cold temps. Thinking I should have something to protect the new tractor.
You don't think the magnetic oil pan heater will do O.K on it's own?
You don't think the magnetic oil pan heater will do O.K on it's own?
In my experience no. Most magnetic heaters are at best 300 watts and when they are attached to the outside of the engine they can not keep up to the radiant heat loss of the engine block. A good block heater with the oilpan heater would be the best bet but unless your machine is inside and you covered the engine with a blanket or tarp the magnetic heater would not help much.
Lil Foot
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Equipment
1979 B7100DT Gear, Nissan Hanix N150-2 Excavator
Don't know about your model, but many Kubotas have aluminum oil pans, or no access to any area on the engine big enough to place a magnetic heater….. mine has both obstacles to using a magnetic heater.
North Idaho Wolfman
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L3450DT-GST, Woods FEL, B7100 HSD, FEL, 60" SB, 743 Bobcat with V2203, and more
As Lil foot stated, the Kubota motor has an aluminum oil pan so a magnetic pan heater is out and even the silicone attached ones won't work as there is no flat surface on the bottom to attach it too!
Just put a block heater in it and you'll be fine, your in NJ not what I would consider cold country.
Just put a block heater in it and you'll be fine, your in NJ not what I would consider cold country.
I'm gonna check with the dealer, see if he would install a block heater prior to delivery. I see the kubota part goes for $50.00, wonder what the install price will be.
It supposed to drop down to zero this week. It's a new machine and I want to break it in right.
It supposed to drop down to zero this week. It's a new machine and I want to break it in right.
You can easily install a Katz (by 5-Star Mfg) lower radiator hose inline heater. Drain the system, cut a piece out of the lower hose, install the inline heater, and you're well prepared for cold.
Couple hours at 30-F will make all the difference up to about 30-40-hp; more time for larger. If you have to move early, use a cheap timer to start heating while you're eating breakfast.
Do NOT energize the heater until it is installed and the system refilled; it'll burn up in a few seconds in open air.
Katz is a red 'T' shape, complete with clamps (when sold as kit), for about $25-$30. There are other brands available but if ""red 'T'""-shape they're all by Katz. Avoid the silver softball-size globular type as lower heat output and--on mine--more difficult to install.
I pulled the oilpan off an old Ford PU that I had used a magnetic heater on and found a burnt ring of oil residue and carbon on the inside, opposite where the heater was. I'd always been told these little mag-type heaters wouldn't hurt the oil but have avoided same since seeing the Ford oilpan.
Another aspect, using a lower radiator hose heater allows the heat to rise through the water column into the engine cooling jacket and transfer heat to the cast iron chunk we call an engine. Using the oilpan heater there is no effective heat transfer--all you're doing is thinning and burning the oil.
As a test, at 0-F, after three hours heating using the lower radiator hose heater and sheltered from the wind, with the decompression NOT 'on', the glow plugs cycled in two seconds (timed it) and the 35-hp engine lit immediately with no smoke.
Please post back your experiences so we may all learn.
Couple hours at 30-F will make all the difference up to about 30-40-hp; more time for larger. If you have to move early, use a cheap timer to start heating while you're eating breakfast.
Do NOT energize the heater until it is installed and the system refilled; it'll burn up in a few seconds in open air.
Katz is a red 'T' shape, complete with clamps (when sold as kit), for about $25-$30. There are other brands available but if ""red 'T'""-shape they're all by Katz. Avoid the silver softball-size globular type as lower heat output and--on mine--more difficult to install.
I pulled the oilpan off an old Ford PU that I had used a magnetic heater on and found a burnt ring of oil residue and carbon on the inside, opposite where the heater was. I'd always been told these little mag-type heaters wouldn't hurt the oil but have avoided same since seeing the Ford oilpan.
Another aspect, using a lower radiator hose heater allows the heat to rise through the water column into the engine cooling jacket and transfer heat to the cast iron chunk we call an engine. Using the oilpan heater there is no effective heat transfer--all you're doing is thinning and burning the oil.
As a test, at 0-F, after three hours heating using the lower radiator hose heater and sheltered from the wind, with the decompression NOT 'on', the glow plugs cycled in two seconds (timed it) and the 35-hp engine lit immediately with no smoke.
Please post back your experiences so we may all learn.
gpreuss
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Lifetime Member
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L3200DT w/FEL, K650 Backhoe, 5' Rotary, 40" Howard Rotavator, 6' Rhino blade
I have the Kubota block heater in my L3200. I plug it in to a thermo-cube outlet that turns on at 20 deg, off at 30 deg. When it is zero out, the tractor just starts - no glow plugs, no hesitation, no smoke. When it gets over 30 deg, I have to use the glow plugs for a few seconds, then get smoke for a few seconds. Heater works GREAT! We had wind chills down to about -25, and the tractor sits outside. No problem.
Magnetic pan heaters can work well if you have a non aluminum pan. If so there are the silicone oil pan heaters, a radiator hose heater seems to do quite well also. There is a company that sells Made in the USA block heaters, oil pan heaters, and radiator hose heaters as well as a variety of other heating and warming devices for your equipment. Auto Cooling Solutions is the name of the company and here is a link right to radiator hose heaters http://www.autocoolingsolutions.com/products.php?cat=Cooling+System+Heaters
