The myriad joys of a cold snap.

[Oldtimer]

Got cold here last night, went from 35*F yesterday afternoon to maybe 10*F overnight.
Went to the job this AM, full of piss-n-vinegar, ready to slay the wood. Going to be a great day.

Started the skidder, no problem. Let it warm up while we fueled it.
Got in, tried to lift the blade, ready to go hit it.

Wrong. Full stop. No hydraulic function to be had. No blade, no arch, no steering.

Huh..

Put transmission in gear, off she went. No issue. But no hydro. Zilch.

Called several JD witch doctors.

"I think yer clutch let go!"

"Yer hydro cut-off lever is tripped!"

"I dunno!"

"Water."

Well, water was what I figured, as it was fine yesterday at beer-thirty.

I started it, opened the hydro tank, and there was fluid moving, but very little...

Almost pulled the top off the tank to check the filter on the sump...but..

I called NAPA and got a quote on new filters, as the one Witch Doctor said the filter was designed to filter water as well as cultch.

$67.oo.....EACH. NAPA gold.

So I drove the 11 miles and bought the one they had in stock, as well as a $48.50 can of hydraulic fluid. Changed out the bottom filter...easy as a $10 hooker. Added the 5 gallons, as it was low enough to take it.

Started it, hit the blade lever....nothing...for a second. Then it came right into it.

Easy-peasy. $115.50 and the better part of a day dubbing around in the 20*F heat. Ready for tomorrow.

How was your day?

 

[OH_Varmntr]

Ya water wrecks hydraulics, especially if it freezes.

The new "green" water-based hydraulic fluids are up to 95% water. But they are very finnicky to the conditions in which they can be used.

I didn't do much of anything today. Another shutdown day at the factory so I installed flooring in my brothers' two bathrooms for his Christmas present. Going back to work after 12 days of shutdown = me not very ambitious.

 

[slowp]

I went to town. I stopped at the Chevy dealer to get a new key made. I lost a set and was figuring the set would appear after I got another key. It cost 30 dollars plus tax!!! But the key works. The guy who made it wasn't sure.

The lost keys have not appeared so I'll get a shop key made and see, and if that doesn't make them appear, do the same with a house key...

We're having warm weather.

 

[madhatte]

Pretty sure I marked more in the last hour and a half than my seasonal crew did in the last month and a half they were here. It's like they just stopped working when I busted my arm. I'm annoyed.

 

[bitzer]

Sounds like we got about the same temps here. Cut in the morning then down the hill to the machine. Machine fired up as usual. Warmed up while fueling up. Took 20 minutes to lift the blade. I ate my lunch in the meantime. This was at 2:00pm. I sure hope this winter sticks around. I need to make some money. They're talking 40s this weekend again though.

 

[T_F_E]

Winch died on the skidder, so the turns were small today...

 

[greendohn]

cold snap=into the woods

The cold snap has allowed me to get into the woods, finally. Gonna get at it again today, as it's still plenty cold this morning. I had do surgery on my old splitter today. It seems wood chips are getting jammed under the wedge. I believe I have it fixed. Guess I'll find out later.Sorry to hear of the equipment trouble you guys are having, hope it doesn't get any worse for ya'.

 

[slowp]

I'm an arborist now. I'll have to take some pictures when it is light out. It is 40 degrees out right now. 35 up at the ski hill.

 

[Steve NW WI]

Oldtimer, don't forget to drain that water out of the sump. Just let it sit an hour or so after you shut it down, and crack the drain till the hyd oil runs clear. The water settles to the bottom, and there'll be he11 to pay down the road if ya don't get it out of there.

Not sure where it's coming from, but I suspect condensation. On my farm tractors with a common transmission/hydraulic reservoir, it's most often a bad shift boot. If it's a separate system, maybe the tank breather?

 

[Oldtimer]

Oldtimer, don't forget to drain that water out of the sump. Just let it sit an hour or so after you shut it down, and crack the drain till the hyd oil runs clear. The water settles to the bottom, and there'll be he11 to pay down the road if ya don't get it out of there.

Not sure where it's coming from, but I suspect condensation. On my farm tractors with a common transmission/hydraulic reservoir, it's most often a bad shift boot. If it's a separate system, maybe the tank breather?

There was no sign of water after letting the oil come up to temp. I think it was just the more or less plugged filter and molasses thick hydro oil. I intend to change the filters out next week, and perhaps one more time a week after that. They are supposed to trap water.

 

[mingo]

We had zero this morning had to jump the skidder when I got it running fuel filters started to jell, so I left it running and hiked in and cut a couple of hitches when I came back out it was fine. The detroit returns a lot fuel so if you can keep it running it will eventuality warm up the fuel so it will stop jelling.

 

[logging22]

My trusty Jack did a great job today. No problems. But there is always tomorrow. Oh, and it was 50 today. 55 tomorrow.

 

[bitzer]

We had zero this morning had to jump the skidder when I got it running fuel filters started to jell, so I left it running and hiked in and cut a couple of hitches when I came back out it was fine. The detroit returns a lot fuel so if you can keep it running it will eventuality warm up the fuel so it will stop jelling.

I had my quick coupler line spring a good leak during our last cold snap about a month ago. I was loading at the time and didn't realize it until I saw the temp gauge at about 210. I thought wtf on a windy day in the single digits. How is it over-heating? Checked under the belly and it was pissin out pretty good. It damn near ran all of the coolant out on me. From then on I don't get too far from the machine when its running. I usually give er a few glugs of anti-gel/injector cleaner when I fuel up. I don't know if it really works, but I've been doing it since mid-November and she starts like a champ everyday. I can't mess with the ritual now either.

 

[mingo]

I had my quick coupler line spring a good leak during our last cold snap about a month ago. I was loading at the time and didn't realize it until I saw the temp gauge at about 210. I thought wtf on a windy day in the single digits. How is it over-heating? Checked under the belly and it was pissin out pretty good. It damn near ran all of the coolant out on me. From then on I don't get too far from the machine when its running. I usually give er a few glugs of anti-gel/injector cleaner when I fuel up. I don't know if it really works, but I've been doing it since mid-November and she starts like a champ everyday. I can't mess with the ritual now either.

Yea I don't like to leave a machine running with no one around but I had a couple of loads to finish so you got to do what you have to do. They have only been cutting the fuel 20-80 because it has been warm. I have been using PS anti gel but if the fuel isn't cut 40-60 on those cold days it doesn't seem to help.

 

[Oldtimer]

FPPF. Accept no substitues. Ebay has it.