Ether

Phil Tibbetts · Aug 25, 2012

Has anyone ever tried using a propane cylinder instead of ether for starting in cold weather? I know it will thread on but do not want to take a chance on damaging anything. Local dealer wants almost $50 for a ether cylinder.

Anonymous-0 · Aug 25, 2012

maybe I'm missing something here, $50 for a little 8oz can???

teddy52food · Aug 25, 2012

Put a coolant heater on it & plug it in. Better than ether.

SadFarmall · Aug 25, 2012

Ah, ether. I try to avoid that. Round here they say call ether 'heroin'. Once your engine gets an addiction to it there is no going back until you rebuild the engine. The coolant heater is a much better method for cold starting.
SadFarmall

glennster · Aug 25, 2012

It is cylinder that looks like a propane torch bottle. They. Do get spendy.

rustred · Aug 25, 2012

who told you that wives tale? no such thing that an engine gets dependant on starting fluid.

CNKS · Aug 25, 2012

He means that it is easy to damage the engine if ether is used improperly.

uncle henry · Aug 25, 2012

a diesel engine will a guy that used to drive a 18-wheeler with my grandfather had one that was didn't matter how hot or cold the engine or the outside temp was it need one shot before it would crank

teddy52food · Aug 25, 2012

Ether likes to break the top ring. That lowers the compression enough that it won't start without it. I had a friend with a MF diesel. He said it always started good. One time it got pretty cold & he had to use ether to get it going. After that it needed ether whenever the temp was cool. I told him he may have broken rings. A few years later he had it overhauled at the local MF dealer. They found all the top rings broken.

Phil Tibbetts · Aug 25, 2012

It's not that easy, my tractor shed is far from a power source.

504 · Aug 25, 2012

Propane engines are started on gas in the winter and switched to LP after warming up.

Bouncer · Aug 25, 2012

What?

Bouncer · Aug 25, 2012

That is because it is being used improperly. Ether is very safe when used correctly. If it were not, IH/JD/Case/etc would have never offered ether assist kits as a option on BRAND NEW tractors.

uncle henry · Aug 25, 2012

i ask a friend of mine tonight how his dad started his 10-20 in the winter he said they would build a fire under it just big enough it warm it up

oldtanker · Aug 26, 2012

That's kinda funny. My 1206 IH has ether assist. At -20 to about +40 you have to use it. Even if plugged in. After night time lows are +40 or higher not needed. So where is the addiction?

Rick

Phil Tibbetts · Aug 26, 2012

That is what I find. If temp is above 40 nothing needed. If colder just a puff of ether and they fire right up. Used it on lots of tractors with no problems. The key is not to over do it.

Fritz Maurer · Aug 26, 2012

Maybe a mouse chewed your heater cord.

Fritz Maurer · Aug 26, 2012

Try a truck shop that sells Quick-Start products. That sounds like a six-pack price to me.

Ron W · Aug 28, 2012

I've done that many times....had a dozer that I needed when it was 15 degree f out...Had to build a fire under it to thaw it out to plow out the driveway.

When i was a kid, we would pour in some kerosene in to the crankcase and transcase just before we shut down the tractor when it was really cold out. That way it was easier to turn over in the morning. Thank goodness the tractors didn't have bad rings of too much blowby. The Kero would evaporate off as the engine ran.

mattwillson · Sep 4, 2012

A can of compression is a beautiful thing, IF used sparingly. It's similar to brill-cream, a little dab'll do ya.

mkirsch · Sep 5, 2012

What kind of ether assist is on this tractor, that it needs an ether tank the size of a propane bottle?

The ether cans I'm used to look like short spray paint cans, and only cost a few $$$. I've never seen a tractor that's taken anything other than one of those 8oz cans.

Yes, it's fine if you're careful, but you know most people are NOT careful. "Too much" means different things to different people. "Sparingly" means different things to different people. Then, there's all the people that never had anyone to show them how to use ether properly, and/or never bothered to ask...

Phil Tibbetts · Sep 5, 2012

This is an installed unit with a metered valve so you won't overdo the ether. A tank lasts quite a while unless you use it excessively, but they are expensive to replace.

Ether

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