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ebinmaine

Should the carburetor mixture be adjusted one way or the other during colder weather?

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ebinmaine

Yesterday and today it is in the low to Middle 30s and very wet around here.

Both my Patriot B80 and Trina's 657 were not anywhere near ambitious to start up and get going.

Once they warmed up they were fine.

 

We've only had these tractors for a couple years and hers, this is the first time it's been run in the cold.

 

Is it as simple as just leaving them running for a little longer than normal to let them warm up a little more than normal?

 

Or is there some type of adjustment that should be done during the colder weather?

Edited by ebinmaine
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pfrederi

The HH70 on my Lawn ranger starts just fine year round.  Need choke to fire then immediately push it in in warm weather, in really cold push back almost all the way but leave a little on for a couple minutes

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stevasaurus

I don't think adjusting the carb is the answer.  Adjusting the carb would be more of an issue if you were at sea level and you took your horse to a M&G at the top of Pikes Peak.  Like Paul said, more control by choking and allowing to warm up is the way to go.  I also think that changing to a thinner oil could help...I think Wheel Horse recommended 10w-30 for those in the colder climates.  Of course a fully charged battery, and holding in the clutch pedal, while starting, will help also.    :orcs-cheers:

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The Tuul Crib

 I agree with stevasaurus.You’re not changing your altitude so Changing the adjustment wouldn’t help. More or less a choke adjustment until it warms up.

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DarylJ

The properties of air, including density, ability to carry water vapor, and more, changes as temperature changes.  Unless one is a carburetor whiz, changing carb settings seasonally is probably not a good idea as a way of compensating for these air changes.  Once a carb is adjusted well for warmer season temps (mostly above 50), leaving it be is best practice for most.  In cool to cold weather, use choke to start, let engine warm a few minutes middle rpms, push choke knob in, and all should be fine.  For extreme cold, some have found their engines require the choke knob be pulled a little and left there to run best and not stall out.  Using a fuel conditioner to displace water/ice has been a useful practice for my engines that are used in cold upper midwestern winters.  

 

Leaving tractors outside and unprotected in extreme damp or cold conditions is obviously not good, considering that engines do work best when conditions are warm and dry.  Back in the day, in addition to keeping the tractor operator warmer, the use of “heat housers” helped to contain heat in the area immediately surrounding the engine, including air entering the carburetor.  I haven’t seen any such accessory for lawn/garden tractors.....but they probably do exist.

Edited by DarylJ
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lynnmor

Of course you need a bit more gas for colder, more dense air.  The whole idea of a choke is to do just that.  If it is worth your trouble go ahead and correct the mixture for the current ambient temperature. 

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pfrederi

I run 5w-30 in the winter horses

 

 

oil.JPG

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WHNJ701

cold air equals a little more horse power, a lot of car guys change the computer settings to read the air temp is at 32

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ebinmaine

Thanks for the responses guys.

We'll have to remember to leave the choke on for a few minutes longer.

They both ran great After warming up a bit.

 

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953 nut

I keep the snow team in the shop for the winter months, never gets below 45* in there. 

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