[AT] Glow plugs

[Cecil R Bearden]

My 7030 Allis had that ether can, but the plastic line to the air intake 
had broken and I plugged it to prevent dust in the intake.  I have found 
that those 70's tractors and trucks will start just fine in the winter 
with 2008 and later batteries.   Batteries are so much better in 
cranking amps that I only have to use ether on my old 944 CAT loader or 
when the batteries are not cranking as fast as they should.    My 
Belarus tractors have never failed to start if I use 5W-30 oil in the 
winter.  My TS110 New Holland has 15W-40 oil and it never refuses to s 
tart in the winter without ether and I always forget to use the glow plugs.
I remember our old Massey 50 Diesel and the 65 Diesel, in the winter you 
would run the battery down the glow plug before it would start.  You 
also did not ether a Perkins of that vintage. Sooner or later you would 
need a head welded.  We parked them in an old cow barn that was built on 
a slant.  In the winter we backed them in so they could be pulled out 
and started.  We could start the 50 by pulling it with the pickup if we 
had about 300 lbs of cattle cub es in the back..  I had an old WD allis 
that would start when nothing else would.  When we had snow I would 
start the WD and pull the diesel to start it.....

Cecil in OKla


On 12/20/2015 3:27 PM, charlie hill wrote:
> Steve I don't know exactly how it worked but some of the 70's Allis Chalmers
> tractors
> had a similar set up.  Or at least that is what I remember.
>
> Charlie
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Steve W.
> Sent: Sunday, December 20, 2015 12:14 PM
> To: Antique tractor email discussion group
> Subject: Re: [AT] Glow plugs
>
> charlie hill wrote:
>> Getting a little further off topic than road tractors but well on the
>> point
>> of cold weather and diesels.  I know a guy who used to work for
>> an air cargo company that serviced the oil fields up in northern Alaska.
>> This was in the early 80's I think.  He said all of their company vehicles
>> were diesel Chevy Suburbans.  6.2 liter I think.  He said they NEVER
>> turned them off.  They sat running all day while at work and all night
>> in the parking lot of the motel where the crews lived.  Once a month
>> they would drive them into a heated shop and shut them down and do
>> a complete service job.  When they left the shop they ran until they
>> came back in the next month.  I can remember a few times when we
>> left some of our road tractors running over night as well.
>>
>> My point is that diesels and cold weather don't get along very well
>> regardless of the size or brand.
>>
>> Charlie
> The Mercedes L series I drove for a local company had an ether injection
> system as factory equipment. Took a canister that looked just like a
> cheap propane bottle. You turned the key on, hit the starter button and
> the ether button. It had a timer so it just gave a single small shot of
> ether and IF it wasn't real cold and if you had plugged it in it would
> fire right up. When it went in for service and I had them replace the
> can the first time it was rusted all over but was still about half full!
> I thought about that for a while, Unlike the common cans this thing held
> a LOT of ether, under the hood right next to the air intake!
>
> Did not inspire a lot of confidence in the engineer who came up with the
> idea!
>