Starting your cub in COLD weather.

[tkhoffman]

Unfortunately, my cub sits under cover but sees well below freezing most of our 6 month winter. It is way unhappy starting on these temps. Can't blame. I use thinner oil, the sin does catch it in the morning which helps. The bottom line is, do you have to crank and crank your 2 cylinder cubs to get them to go in dead of winter? My K17 is in tune, Points are happy and gapped correct. You folks have same issue? Since my other 2 cylinder machinery is pickled for the winter, I never tried firing them up to compare.

 

[glippert]

I assume you're talking about a 782, since you referenced a K17 (KT17?). Remember, if you're starting a hydro, it's not just the engine oil fighting the starter - the Hytran is also cold & thick. You can get a magnetic heater to stick to the flat spot on the bottom of the rear end, to warm & thin the hydro fluid, reducing the load on the starter. If it can spin the engine a little faster, it may start more easily.

 

[kmcconaughey]

I use the magnetic heater on the rear differential. It really helps with cold weather starting. As long as your Cub Cadet has the cast iron rear it will work. Or you can place it on the rear cover.

Place it right about here:

 

[1811Cub]

My 1711 starts up easily in cold weather. The difference is that it has been repowered with a Magnum 18. The main difference is magneto ignition versus coil battery ignition.

 

[jdrong]

I live in Minnesota, Winters can get pretty cold. When I had an unheated garage, my 149 was almost impossible to get started for snow blowing. I tried the magnetic heater, it may have helped some but, certainly wasn't a big enough improvement for me. I finally discovered through internet research to just install a gear drive clutch. I found a used clutch and all the related parts including the driveshaft on Ebay. Best modification to a 149 ever! It now starts much easier in any weather. I believe it probably saves untold amount of wear and tear on the starter/generator. I highly recommend this mod for any hyrdo drive Cub Cadet with the starter/ generator. One other thing, a narrow frame clutch arm and linkage can be modified to work in a wide frame. If I remember right no other mods were needed to make adapt that clutch set up.

 

[kmcconaughey]

I live in Minnesota, Winters can get pretty cold. When I had an unheated garage, my 149 was almost impossible to get started for snow blowing. I tried the magnetic heater, it may have helped some but, certainly wasn't a big enough improvement for me. I finally discovered through internet research to just install a gear drive clutch. I found a used clutch and all the related parts including the driveshaft on Ebay. Best modification to a 149 ever! It now starts much easier in any weather. I believe it probably saves untold amount of wear and tear on the starter/generator. I highly recommend this mod for any hyrdo drive Cub Cadet with the starter/ generator. One other thing, a narrow frame clutch arm and linkage can be modified to work in a wide frame. If I remember right no other mods were needed to make adapt that clutch set up.

There was a cold start kit available for the Quiet Line hydros that was just that, a clutch. I have a 1450 with one installed. I bought the 1450 a few years ago as a non-runner and still need to find time to get it fixed up.

 

[PACub100]

I might have to get one of those magnetic heaters...

Also, Kirk's transdenser should help too. I read comments on great cold weather starting. I'll find out this winter on the 1450...

 

[tkhoffman]

Thanks guys. Yes, I understand fluids are cold and thick. I use a magnet heater on my winter cars for that reason, just getting a feel as to my 782 is typical or maybe I should go back and experiment with the timing/points.

 

[tkhoffman]

There was a cold start kit available for the Quiet Line hydros that was just that, a clutch. I have a 1450 with one installed. I bought the 1450 a few years ago as a non-runner and still need to find time to get it fixed up.

Depress clutch to keep the thick hydro fluid out of the picture, starts easier, then let the clutch out for normal hydro operation.. Hmm

 

[kmcconaughey]

Depress clutch to keep the thick hydro fluid out of the picture, starts easier, then let the clutch out for normal hydro operation.. Hmm

Exactly.

 

[tkhoffman]

I might have to get one of those magnetic heaters...

Also, Kirk's transdenser should help too. I read comments on great cold weather starting. I'll find out this winter on the 1450...

I was thinking about this MOD. It's too bad it just replaces the condenser... Wish it had some mechanism to delete the Points all together. They are not in a handy spot on the kt17. They look very accessible but their angle and other neighboring parts make them clumsy.

 

[jdrong]

I really doubt any mods to the ignition system is going to help much at 10 or even 20 degrees or colder. The engine just can't spin fast enough to start. Mine would fire but didn't have the power to start. It seemingly would even fire and kick backwards sometimes.

 

[dkirk]

I have a couple of suggestions. These things work for me and my 1250 Cub is used year-round. I get reliable starting in the garage at 0 deg F (thermometer in the garage).

1. Use a battery tender. These will not overcharge the battery yet will keep it topped off.
2. Use winter grade gasoline. Recommend 91 octane non-reformulated.
3. Use a 10W-30 full synthetic engine oil. This can be used year-round in a broken-in K-series engine.
4. Be sure ignition system is in good working order...breaker points are clean and spark plug is properly gapped.

I would suggest dispensing with the condenser and refitting with a Trandenser, but that sounds like I'm pushing my products...don't want to do that.

 

[elamott]

I had a 129 that would not start when it was cold. I tried thin oil, and a magnetic heater and still had a problem. Then I went to the S/g and took it apart and found that on some of the windings, the wire insulation was gone. I purchased a new s/g from Charlie and my problems were gone. Did not even use the heater after that.
elamott

 

[tkhoffman]

I really doubt any mods to the ignition system is going to help much at 10 or even 20 degrees or colder. The engine just can't spin fast enough to start. Mine would fire but didn't have the power to start. It seemingly would even fire and kick backwards sometimes.

Maybe I should stop talking... I'm talking hard starting at -10 and -20 degrees F. Of course I understand this but just wondered about others trying cold starts.

 

[tkhoffman]

I have a couple of suggestions. These things work for me and my 1250 Cub is used year-round. I get reliable starting in the garage at 0 deg F (thermometer in the garage).

1. Use a battery tender. These will not overcharge the battery yet will keep it topped off.
2. Use winter grade gasoline. Recommend 91 octane non-reformulated.
3. Use a 10W-30 full synthetic engine oil. This can be used year-round in a broken-in K-series engine.
4. Be sure ignition system is in good working order...breaker points are clean and spark plug is properly gapped.

I would suggest dispensing with the condenser and refitting with a Trandenser, but that sounds like I'm pushing my products...don't want to do that.

minus the high octane gas, everything else is being done. I always get Tug running but at times it takes a whole lot of short bursts of cranking. I never just crank away

 

[mpatterson]

Maybe I should stop talking... I'm talking hard starting at -10 and -20 degrees F. Of course I understand this but just wondered about others trying cold starts.

For me in Eastern Canada, just getting them out of the wind helps A LOT. I can start both the 782 and 982 WAY easier if they have been sitting in the garage, not heated, than I can when they have sat in the tarp shed out of the weather. The tarp shed keeps snow off them, but still gets the wind blowing underneath. Garage is cold, but doesn't have the wind blasting at them. Agreed, the magnetic heater helps if ya have the time to fire it up before needing the tractor. Most times for me I come home from work and have to use it. Don't want to take the time to warm rear end/oil. Fire it up and let warm up that way for a bit before putting to work moving firewood or snow clearing duties.

 

[Beltrack]

A lot of problems show up in cold that don’t cause a problem all summer long. I used to buy farm tractors for resale from Georgia and Florida. For instance, a 706 IH diesel would arrive off the truck with a garden tractor battery bungeed to the side of transmission and battery cables the size of our Cadet cables. It all worked fine down south. Up north, not so much. In any event, it would take a thermonuclear reaction to get those southern bells to start (don’t get me started on what using water as tire ballast does in the frozen north). We’d pull the starter and take it to the auto electric shop (when there were such things) in town to be checked and repaired as needed. Install new batteries (and replace the always rusted/corroded battery boxes) and build cables of the proper gauge. Test and replace glow plugs as needed. Winter fuel. Synthetic oil. All of those shortcomings add up.

I had a 109 that gave me fits for years. I tried everything. New battery, SG overhauled, points, set the timing, check the timing again, synthetic oil, everything except - - turned out to have a poor ground. With my experience with its big diesel cousins, it should not have taken years to figure out, but it did.

 

[Paul_CC149]

Just curious. Is there any reason not to use starting fluids as long as you can get some slow cranking?
In any case It works on my 149.

 

[1811Cub]

Starting fluid should be used as a last resort, especially on a diesel engine. There is little upper end lubrication offered by it, and the stuff is highly explosive, so could be hard on head gaskets and the engine as a whole due to detonation.