Cold Weather Starting of 350 Diesel-Advise please

That magnetic heater, Michael speaks of works well. My brother has one large enough to cup right around oil pan. Once you have the oil hot, you know where your excess heat is going. I've really never seen anything more effective than hot crankcase oil. I can remember a sawmill operator back in the 50s, had a diesel forklift. Every night he drained oil, put it in a heated building. Next morning he warmed it on a camp stove. I've quite often built fires under oil pans on diesels. You have to be sure you have no oil or fuel leaks. I don't like this method but hot crankcase oil does work. The fires I used were barbeque charcoal in cast iron fry pan. I put them right under oil pan. I did this with my 6.2 diesel pickup once at -40. By the time the charcoal burned out, the diesel started and the heater generated heat within 45 seconds. I just throw this in to point out the value of warm or hot oil. I don't recommend the daily use of charcoal fires under the oil pan.

The other great one is the circulating coolant heater, with an element in an external tank. These lend themselves well on some engines, ideally they should have a block drain about mid engine, then a port into water jacket of head again about mid way along engine. The coolant drains into heater from bottom of block, is heated then rises to the head. This works same as thermosyphon, thus it is best if both ports are on same side with heater clamped between the two, in a vertical position.

I only have 3 tractors, however at any given time one of them always seem to be leaking gas. I watch discussion, seeing guys going for electronic ign., 12 volt batteries and alternator, etc. Yes, I'll go along with alternator any day, but I'm not going to change voltage to achive it. I just wish someone could develop a carb that would run more than 9 months without leaking. Electronic fuel injection is what I need on my tractors, because I spend a lot more time messing with carb leaks than I do on points, condenser, coil, plugs, wires, rotors, caps, etc. combined.

I have a friend with a fleet of a dozen old Cockshutts, same carbs. He claims he goes through a jerry can of gas per week, even if he never starts a tractor. With all that gas leaking, my major concern is fire. This modern gas also smells every bit as bad as diesel. Absolutely no need of one's shop smelling that bad.

Where I used to live on Cuddy Drive we were on the fringe of that snow belt, and in that area even a mile north made a huge difference. We have virtually no snow here. I was west to Watford this morning, kept south of 402 and there is very little snow. We had a lot of blowing snow in the air, visability was never below a mile.