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Pre-warmed Briggs


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When its 5 degrees (like this morning), My old briggs 16 sure struggles to start unless I "pre-heat" it. I use an old "parabolic" heater, a dish shaped affair with an electric element in the center,that sends a beam of heat so to speak, i point it towards the motor and in about 20 minutes the motor is warm(er). Do any of you folks pre-heat in any way? I was today thinking about those magnetic block heaters?....any other ideas???? Doug
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Doug, not sure who makes them for NAPA up here, but the glue on oil pan heaters are great. Lossen the engine bolts, slide it under, the cord lays in next to the oil fill neck real nice. I plug my 112 in for about an hour. Much below zero I thow an old slleping bag over the hood and the block is warm to touch. MPH
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Doug, have not had much luck with the magnetic heaters unless they are left on for several hours. I have a heater like Martin describes, but it has been too easy to put the knipco on the tractor for 15 to 20 minutes. I also use the knipco on my diesel farm tractor. 45 minutes and the thing starts like summer. Pat
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Doug I use a 250 watt heat lamp on the 7790 takes about 15 min and it will start at 20 below. up untill 2 years ago it always sit in a heated garage. The block is alum. so the magnetic heaters don't work. The glue on ones might but the heat lamp works good. I got the type with the spring clamp open the hood clamp it to the hood. About 15 min before I want to use it turn the switch on in the house and when I go out it is ready to start.
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Marty, Maybe im being a fussy ol hen but im curious, if i glued a heater to the bottom would/could it affect the cooling of the oil somehow in the summer months? It seems these motors are touchy on how they circulate air and oil... Pat, knipco, an oil space heater right? Heck Maynard, if itll warm a diesel that well at 20 below its gotta work for me, I think i have a lamp like that in the chicken coup. The tractor will start without heating with some coaxing but it seems like its awfully hard on it at sub freezing temps, Tends to backfire at first. I try to baby this stuff when possible or as my buddy used to say about dirt bikes, I baby them when im not riding them...... thanks again fellas Doug
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I can't give you much of an answer really Doug,cept its been on mine for 3 summers. You might try using syn oil in the winter months also, all mine are total syn year around and none were new when I got them or have been rebuild yet. Not saying they don't need it..MPH
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Doug, I should have been a little more specific. Knipco is a brand name for the kerosene/fuel oil "torpedo" forced air heaters. [url]http://www.northerntool.com/images/product/images/173840_lg.jpg[/url] I have two of these, a 40,000 BTU and a 70,000 BTU. If it's cold enough that a vehicle that is stored outside will not start, I set the heater about six feet in front of the vehicle. Set two sawhorses over the heater (serves as a "tent" frame) and cover the whole works, except the air intake of the heater, with a heavy tarp. Plug the heater in and any gasoline or small diesel engine will easily start after a maximum of 1/2 hour. Large diesel engines may take as long as an hour. Really works well. The heater that Martin uses will not cause any problems at all. They don't restrict air flow or oil circulation in any way. It would be like putting a piece of duct tape on the bottom of your oil pan. Mine is about 4 inches square, and not much thicker than duct tape. Pat
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Have you tried Synthetic oil.I'm sure you know if you don't make 350 rpm at cranking speed you will not get spark.The manufacturers all recommend 10w30 synthetic oil if it falls below 20 degrees F.It's got to spin to start!
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I fire up the 55,000 btu torpedo heater and warm the shop and tractor both. This also gives me a place to warm up without tracking up the house. Larry
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ROADWAY EXPRESS HAS A LIQUIDATION FACILITY FOR UN-DELIVERABLE FREIGHT NEAR ME AND I WAS THERE NOSING AROUND ONE DAY AND HAPPENED UPON TWO 30K BTU PROPANE TORP. HEATERS . SIXTY BUCKS FOR THE PAIR, BRAND NEW IN BOX. USE 'EM TO HEAT THE BARN, TRACTOR AND MYSELF.
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It's amazing how much heat a plain light bulb puts out. Place a drop light underneath and cover the tractor with moving quilts > http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/LLCategoryDisplayView?storeId=6970&langId=-1&catalogId=4006970&PHOTOS=on&TEST=Y&productId=443146&categoryId=0
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You guys all go way too far. I just use the electric blanket thats reserved for the in-laws when they visit. Only once have I heard the comment; "Hey, this blanket smells like a tractor".
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Dutch, For years I kept welding rods to hot to handle with bare hands. Used and old refrigerator, with the little bulb wired to stay on. It used very little juice and worked great!!! JoeJ
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Like Pat, I subscribe to the knipco heater method. I kinda like to warm things up a little before starting them.
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I just keep my garage at about 55 with a 5KW heater that I installed last year. Got the thermostat mounted right outside the door next to the garage door opener button.
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Kris, I wish. hows that tractor coming? Sell the 717? Two problems, first, no room in garage for tractors, they go in pole barn, second, pole barns not heated. Even if i insulated it, it would be to big of an area to heat at say 10-20 below.....These pole barns arent all i thought they would be, they are hotter than blazes in the summer, cold in the winter, dont make very good shops imo......

Doug
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Doug, Should try a propane construction heater in your pole barn. I got one that I run off a 100 lb propane tank that puts out 200,000 btu. I've heated the shop I had in Illinois up to 90 with this thing in about 20 minutes. If I was closer you could have this propane heater. Maybe I could box it up and ship it to you. All you would need is a propane tank but the little ones you buy for the barbeque would be just a bit small;)
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Doug, have you thought about closing off a smaller area just to park your winter tractor in??Is the pic or is your facial board a little short on the left side??sometimes I hate hammerin nails for a livin..MPH
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Marty, Ill go out and measure in the am, heck, you could be right about the facia....I have thought about enclosing an area, but i like to be able to move boats cars trucks in and out, shuffle stuff around. I want to build another "garage", one i can heat with wood, a bed next to my 7016 so i can wake up next to it, a powermax poster on the ceiling, dead animal antlers on the walls, an old muzak machine playing grocery store music 24 hours a day, a library with books like old yeller and big red, a lazy boy recliner with a simplicity cab mounted over it for when i feel like being alone. hows that for "garage planning". Marty, guys like you are the reason none of my "carpenter" friends get invited over.:)yes just kidding. Doug
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You can use a strip of 1X2 to hold up a tarp or plastic sheeting to the ceiling to segment off a smaller area of your shop to help keep the heat in. It pushes right out of the way when you need to move it and you don't have to have it go all the way to the floor either. Just make sure the top is tight to keep heat from escaping over it. I have a propane radiant heater, 11000 BTU, that will beam the heat at whatever's in front of it. It's very efficient and mounts to a 20 pound tank.
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Kirk, I have done as you decscribed, the only problem i have is the fumes from those lp type heaters, fuel oil as well, and im a smoker. I like that stuff to be vented outside. If i made it look like I found a way to get by, my rally with wife for a new building would be unsucessful. I blew it last fall by procrastinating,(again) a guy in town had a garage he wanted "hauled away". it was a prime fixer upper, i drug my feet, lost it. The parabolic heater i have works well, but i think im going with a glue on heater, i can then walk away for awhile and do other things without worrying about fire or flame, while the motor warms up. With the heater, i have to set it at just the right angle and distance.... Doug
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Doug, please take no offence, sometimes I find myself sitting on the throne in like a restraunt and find myself checkin out the tile job or something =ly unimportant. Must mean its time for that mid-life job change. Hmm maybe a used tractor shop,,Frozen farms tractor Co., cept I'm a long ways from a market and I just took the advice someone on this site gave me a year or so ago when I said something about only having 3 acers to park tractors on and they told me to buy more land. The 2.6 acres behind me came up on state auction so I bid high, not wanting a neibor, and I got it. Hmmmmmm...MPH
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Doug, As far as the Landlord. I have taken it completely apart, replaced anything in the rearend that needed it. Replaced the bearings and seals in the BGB. Taken the 9HP Briggs apart, cleaned replaced the broken oil pan, had the flywheel repolorized and added the electronic ignition, all new gaskets and repainted it. fired it up the other day and ran good just have to rebuild the carb now. The carb looked really clean and I thought I could get by but it leaks around the gaskets. I have cut off all the welding the previous owner had done (what a mess). He had welded most of the retaining collars on (the steering shaft, lift arm, and welded on a front plow bracket to the front axle. Most of the big stuff is done and I'm putting it back together for now until sring, then I'll tear it back down and sandblast and paint. Even though you have a heated garage don't mean you can still paint (cough cough) you have to have an exhaust fan. Maybe next week I'll post a pic or two. But I figured Kirk had that part of it handled for now. But I do refer back to Kirks pictures alot (thank you very much Kirk). As for the 717 haven't really had to much luck selling but it is Winter time. If it doesn't sell this time on Ebay it's staying in the garage with the Landlord and getting a snowblower hooked to it. Kris
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Doug, was on a service call the other day and the customer had a pretty innovative way of building a heated shop. He has a 40 X 80 machine shed. He insulated the first half of the building. When his equipment is put away in the fall, he encloses the insulated area with insulated, 4 X 8 panels. He made the panels with 2 x 4 frames covered with 1/4" plywood. 1/4" foam rubber weather stripping seals them together, and they are fastened to each other with standard door hinges. He puts them up, drops in the hinge pins and he is ready to go. He has a hanging gas furnace to heat the shop. In the spring, the panels are taken down and stored on a rack built above the large door on the un-insulated end of the shed, giving him a completely open shed when the heat isn't needed. It occured to me that the same principal could be applied to insulating and enclosing a much smaller area for storing your tractor in the winter. Maybe an 8 or 12 X 12 area in a corner next to your door, heated with a small, wall mount gas furnace with "through the wall" venting. Would be a little cramped, but would allow a heated area for winter tractor maintenance and repair. Pat
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