Frozen m

notjustair · Jan 5, 2013

Long story short:

New to me M. Been in the single digits for a few day and haven't used it. Started it this morning and she's frozen where she sits. I assume there is water in the rear that is frozen. When to try to move it there is no movement at all like there would be with a frozen up brake band or something.

Never mind this new one is my loader/go-to tractor. How to I get that thawed and make it ok until spring? I am going to put a heat lamp on the rear. I think it is supposed to be in the mid 30s today. Even if it is, I won't get a good drain in this cold weather. That is more of a spring job. Can I dump a bunch of "Heet" in there until spring? I don't want it freezing and breaking anything.

Also, where do I aim the heat lamp? Is the ice at the bottom or top? Do I clamp it on the bottom of the tractor or on the side by a brake band?

Always something, isn't it? The tractor I junked for this one has brand new fluid in it!

Oh, the tractor is always shedded here but set out before I bought it. Thus the water. No, it isnt frozen to the ground.

old · Jan 5, 2013

#1 get a couple bottle of HEET and pour it in. #2 take a tarp or box or any thing you can sort of make a tent out of and then set a electric heater under it. Had that problem a couple years ago with my ford 841 loader tractor and between doing that and letting it sit and run for a while things freed up. In my case the engine would not spin over with out having the clutch pedal pushed down as in the transmission had water in it that had froze solid

IH fan · Jan 5, 2013

since oil floats on water, you need the heat on the bottom. Next, when it does get thawed, I'd pull the plug and at least drain until oil comes out. Best to drain completely and re-fill, but getting most of the water out is better than nothing until spring.

Zachary Hoyt · Jan 5, 2013

I tried to use a salamander and a tarp to thaw out my new H three years ago, but in the end I pulled the transmission top cover and chipped the ice away and removed it manually. That way I could also check on the gears and such, but it was a bit more work.
Zach

Janicholson · Jan 5, 2013

Make the tent as old suggests. An electric heater will do most of the work, as will the weather. The key is time. If given 3 hours or so, it will be liquid. Just drain the water and re insert rthe plug. (use rubber gloves as that water will be at 32 degrees.) there are two plugs that need attention, one under the finals, and one under the trans. Driving it will mix the water and oil making it impossible to remove as much. Jim

old · Jan 5, 2013

The big thing is it takes time as in hours to warm up all that cold metal to the point that it is above 33 degrees and at 33 that is just warm enough to start it thawing. That is also why I say add HEET since it as long as you do not run it and mix the oil will hold the water as liquid and sit low also

Greg K · Jan 5, 2013

This just happened to my H this winter. I usually check these when I buy a tractor, but didn't this time. I used a concrete bowl with some diesel fuel and a handful of hay, and lit it on fire inder the tractor. There was no electricity in this shed and it needed to move. Had this happen to my M also a few years ago and used a 500 watt halogen lamp under it. I built a tent out of cardboard and insulation and left it go while I went to work that day. When I got heme it was all thawed out, and it never got above 10 that day. If you just loosen the plug until water starts to run out from around the threads there will not be a lot of oil gushing out of the hole when the water is gone.

glennster · Jan 5, 2013

have at least 5 empty 5 gallon pails handy when you get it thawed. the rear end holds about 14 gallons of gear lube, and i learned that it can easily hold 6 gallons of water. also, keep a good hold on the drain plug. it is amazing how much oil dry is required for a major rear end oil spill. (dont drop the plug in the drain pail!!!) there should be a bunch of thick goo blocking the drain hole, use a wire to open it up. just an fyi!!

Heat Houser · Jan 5, 2013

I use an LP gas weed burner (propane torch) to warm up my 4010 if I leave it outside and it gets cold soaked.
I aim the burner at the ground and let the heat rise up around the tractor. Be careful, the fire department does not need the practice....

cole in mo. · Jan 5, 2013

I use 2 metal five gallon buckets with a sack of cheap charcoal in each one, slide them under the trans, rearend, with a piece of plywood on either side. By the time the charcoal is done, its thawed and ready to drain.

David G · Jan 5, 2013

My MH44 did that, I put a magnetic heater on the bottom of the transmission case, covered it up with a blanket and left it for 3-4 days.

I then carefully pulled the drain plug and let the water out.

SDE · Jan 6, 2013

I was working on an F-20 one day. The entire tractor was wet from "sweating". If the outside is wet, the inside will be wet also. This is where some of the moisture came from. If you work the tractor hard and long, you can burn the water out of the Transmission and rearend housings. If you don't, you will need to drain them ever few years. I drained some water out of a 400 before we towed it home. The remaining water never seperated back out of the fluid. I had my 400 freeze up one winter and I applied the heat and made a tent. Then drained out as much water as I could, until I started to get fluid coming out. It has been ok since then.
SDE

Frozen m

notjustair

Well-known Member

old

Well-known Member

IH fan

Well-known Member

Zachary Hoyt

Well-known Member

Janicholson

Well-known Member

old

Well-known Member

Greg K

Well-known Member

glennster

Well-known Member

Heat Houser

Member

cole in mo.

Well-known Member

David G

Well-known Member

SDE

Well-known Member

Similar threads