I have read that when operating a T 200, the engine should be warmed up at idle and cooled down at idle. What is the best course? If the engine should be warmed up, how long, and at what speed? What about cool down? I watch the oil temp and the hydraulic oil temp. The engine is an oil cooled Deutz.
I was always told on bobcats to wait till the temp gauge rises before you start working on start up. At idle. Sometimes this takes a while in super cold temps. So i would let it warm up for a minute. Then raise rpm slightly and slowly travel around the jobsite or switch buckets or unload it off the trailer etc. usually by that time the temp gauge will rise. Cool down depends on how hard you have been working the machine. Just putting around, short cool down. Full bore heavy digging or full rpm work, little bit longer cool down. At idle. That is what we have done with our many bobcats through the years and its worked fine.
I have the machine you describe and this is what I do... I usually start the machine and let it idle for a few minutes then run it. I will usually let the machine idle for a bit before shutting down. Many will say that you need to warm up to full temp before running and many will say to let it idle for a bit too before shutdown. Seems to be a good practice.
The reason for the warm-up is to allow for "thermal equilibrium" of the engine. (We all know that heat expands and cold contracts.) This allows for the engine components to "grow" to operating design specifications and tolerances, ie: piston crowns, piston rings, cylinder/liner walls, coolant passages, crankshaft & bearings, etc. The same applies to a warm-down in that it allows components to return to a neutral state of contraction. There have been SAE papers published on this topic long ago.
I knew a guy way back that had a small car that seized solid. He was out horsing around on back roads running the P out of the car, when he was finished he came to a quick stop and shut it off. By the time he was ready to leave the car engine was siezed solid. The car was a junker but I would imagine if he had let it run/idle down{cool off} it would have still started.
i always jump up on the trailer and start the machine, just at idle, then unchain, put my ramps down, cones out etc. this is usually a 5 min process, then by the time you jump in and drive off the trailer onto the job site at 1/2 revs the machine is usually ready to go same goes for cool down, chuck it back on the trailer and let it idle while i pack everything up and chain down.