[AT] Starting in the Cold

[John & Jan Paur]

I can tell you that in upper Minnesota, in the 40's we would build a fire in 
a pan and then put the hot coals under the crankcase of our GP John Deere 
and warm it up to start it. We had to use it to grind feed for the livestock 
in winter. Often it would be 20 degrees below, sometimes 30 and I remember 
starting it once at 40 below!  "The good old days!".  John

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <joehardy at epix.net>
To: "Antique tractor email discussion group" <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Sunday, October 31, 2010 8:00 PM
Subject: Re: [AT] Starting in the Cold


> Chuck; Dad, told me a story of a fordson that had the rear steel wheels 
> buried in the frozen ground and when they got it started and he left out 
> the clutch, the tractor flipped upside down & killed the farmer. The one 
> we had; after sitting for a long time, the chutch wouldn't disengage and 
> we would ave to push it against a tree and force it into gear. It was in 
> perfect condition when I pulled it out of the shed and put it under an 
> apple tree to make room for my restoring a model A car. This was 50 yrs 
> ago and still feel sorry I did that! Joe hardisky  Dallas, PA
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Chuck Bealke" <bealke at airmail.net>
> To: "Antique tractor email discussion group" 
> <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
> Sent: Sunday, October 31, 2010 10:27:41 PM
> Subject: Re: [AT] Starting in the Cold
>
> On 10/31/2010 7:46 AM, john hall wrote:
>> .......I've heard of folks building a fire
>> under the oil pan to warm the oil, but don't know whether to believe that 
>> or
>> not, especially the way the fuel systems on the really old ones leaked 
>> gas!
> John,
>
> We had a neighbor that used to have a Fordson.  He told me that building
> a fire under the engine was a standard practice with those in winter. He
> never mentioned if there were problems with the gas catching fire, but
> evidently, they did not worry too much, as it was common to burn a good
> bit of firewood for a winter's engine starts.  He also said that if the
> Fordson ever quit on a hot day while plowing, one would just have to
> wait a bit for it to cool down, as that engine would never start when
> hot.  He attributed this problem to vapor lock.
>
> Chuck Bealke
> Dallas, TX
>
>
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