I have a 1996 320 excavator. I have some work to do this week and it is getting cold here in TN. So I was wanting some advise on how hard the cold weather is on these machines. Like how long to let it warm up before I start to run the it. Its getting down to 25f or so tonight and 7f next few nights. I not planing on running the mornings its going to be 7 but i would like to run when the temp is 25 or so in the mornings as long as its going to warm up to 32 or so during the day.
It's said by people in the know that the majority of engine wear occurs in the first 3 minutes of warm up.
So plug it in if you can. And don't let it idle too long to warm up. On any machine I like to let it idle only long enough that it smooths out, then bump it up to where it runs smoothest (around 1,000 rpm) for a minute or two, then add a little more speed and a little load and work into it gradually. Everything is more brittle in the cold.
Thank you, I will do that in the morning. I had been letting it idle for 15 or 20 min. I was more concerned about the hyd pump with the oil being so cold.
Many machines recommend 1/3 to 1/2 throttle with no lugging load for warmup after oil pressure is estaublished. You are really not talking cold at the temps you listed. We have them temputatures 7 months of the year with no issues. I have not heard of steel breaking due to brittle conditions until you get to -10 F and colder. Most local loggers shut down the machines around here at -20 F. The rest spend half the day starting them trying to work and then spend the next warm stretch fixing them after something breaks.
If your machine has a gauge for the hydraulic temperature , like on my 416 , first thing I do is cycle some of the functions for a minute , then start working at 1/2 throttle till I see the gauge temp start to rise. After that I let er rip. I start the engine , when it levels out after 30 seconds or so I pull it up to 1200 rpm and let it warm for 10 minutes, which may not be correct. Not sure if your machine has a block heater most likely not , it may have a preheater where as you turn the key backwards to heat it then the correct way to start it. Check your manual , If its in decent shape I bet it will crank no problem. One thing , especially on my 416 the fuel tank condensates if you don't keep it full. After 5 or 6 months it will put water in the lower fuel filter , that thing will freeze at 28*. So you may want to drain your filters or change them. Once I had to change the lower filter , it was 9* , it was froze solid. Better than the water getting in the system.
I find good battery's are the main reason a machine will or will not start when cold!
That's exactly right. If its iffy , I will put my jumpers on for 10 minutes or so.
Thank all of you for your advise. It started just fine this morning, It loped for a few sec, then when it smoothed out I bumped it up some and then took 10 min or so to grease everything. I just wanted to get a few opinions on how some of you more experienced operators started your stuff on winter days.
Just my experience, if you're running in the cold, grease at night. Things take grease so much easier. When it gets really cold, I have found unless you're running No. 0 grease, sometimes pins just won't take if they're in good shape.
Plus greasing at end of shift is better as it flushes out the crap from the days work be fore it has a chance to harden up and cause problems with something not taking grease. Also while you are greasing at end of shift you may see a problem that can be addressed over night to prevent down time in the morning. Would suck to drive past the dealer then an hour to job site then find out you need something in the morning and have to make a return trip to get the part then find out they don't have it but could have ovrenighted it if they knew last night!
It's -1 today in Chicago. -30 with windchill. Not much is running today.