[matf]

Just to let you all know I,m pretty green with a tractor,but not with machanics,I bought this maseey 1085 strickly for blowing snow on our long driveway.I had a new 7 foot blower installed and seem to fire up good.This is what I don,t know.
What things should I monitor or always look at with a diesel.
what are the operating rpms when I,m blowing snow?I don,t want to run it to slow nor to high.
oil level,transmision hydraulics,power steering,what is the rule to all that,should I change these or just monitor them.
Heere is the biggest question I have about my 1085 massey. my ignition switch does not have a position to warm up my glow plugs like normal diesels do,it just starts turning the perkins over with no pre heating of the glow plugs. Is that normal for this type of tractor?
and should i add stuff to the fuel to clean the engine out or is there things I can do to keep it nice and clean inside the engine.
Sorry for all the questions but this is why I joined the site,so far you all have helped me out so much,it,s just incredible.
Thank you.
Matt

 

[MF283]

I average 100+ hours a year on my tractor, normally changethe oil every other year. Hydraulics are normally recommended for a change every 500 hours, PS usually just needs to be checked, may change it at 500 hours.
I have no experience blowing snow, normally operate RPM to keep the engine running w/o bogging down.
My 283 had the same start up, the old 4 cylinder never mamaged to fire, of course, i never tried it below freezing(32f).

Ronnie

 

[Nouveau Redneck]

One thing to note with most diesels is make sure that you never run out of fuel. I'm not familiar with your particular model, but most diesel tractors require a bit of manual intervention to bleed the fuel lines once you let it run out of fuel and, as a result, get air in the lines. You will still have to bleed the lines whenever you change the fuel filter(s), and after you've done that once you'll understand why the recommendation not to run out of fuel. Why make work for yourself?

 

[LouMG]

Use Yellow Diesel Fuel cans. Dont trust your memory when it comes to what fuel is in the can

 

[ky wonder]

first thing i would do is if in a cold enviroment is plug it in,

many tractors have a either assist button for cold weather starting, but to much can be hard on the enjine, so i rely on the block heater

most diesels have a block heater in them, even if the cord has been removed, ( you can buy replacement cords) if it does not have a block heater then one can be installed in the bottom radiator hose to keep the enjines warm in the winter months, most of the older diesels dont start well in the cold, and the heaters are a life saver when needing the tractors in cold weather.

you dont have to leave them pluged up , but plug them up a couple of hours before you need them and they should start a lot easier than without .

living in ontario you need to know that diesel fuel will jell in severe cold weather, there are several additives that can be aded to the fuel to prevent this.

the big vendors (truck stops,ect)will usually add this to there fuel mix in the winter months to help with this issue, but years ago i had treated fuel jell in a truck going down the high way in wisconsin, that was a long cold night

you need to get a operators manual for your tractor, if there is a glow plug sequence it will tell you, some tractors require you to turn the key backwards for a few seconds to activate the glow plugs, another option is a switch that will power the glow plugs.

i would operate the pto at the desinated 540 mark on the tach, and adjust as needed to throw the snow.

look at the fluids in the gear boxes if they look good just keep them at proper levels, if they are contaminated (white/water fouled) i would change them

let the pto power up and run the blower a few minutes, to warm up the gear box oils before putting it under load

does your tractor have a cab if not a heat houser would be in my plans

 

[Marlorup]

Hello MatF. Ky Wonder gave some very good advice. I also am not real familiar with your Massey, but a block heater is really a must in your area, you can buy anti-gel additives at a lot of auto and farm supply stores. I agree with the advice on checking all the fluids and changing them on a regular basis, especially the engine oil, since it will probably only be run for short periods of time just to clear your drive way. Good luck, have fun, and keep us up-to-date how things go. Mark.

 

[jdemaris]

What things should I monitor or always look at with a diesel.
what are the operating rpms when I,m blowing snow?

The two stage snow blowers are designed to be run at standard PTO speed. That is somewhere around 1600 engine RPM.

my ignition switch does not have a position to warm up my glow plugs like normal diesels do,it just starts turning the perkins over with no pre heating of the glow plugs.

Only indirect-injected diesels have glow plugs. Your Perkins is direct-injected. What IS available as an options is an electric air-intake heater.

Use a good electric block heater and you'll be fine. I also suggest you look into some good anti-gel fuel treatments if you intend to use in temps below 20 degrees F.

 

[MF283]

My 283 had the same start up, the old 4 cylinder never mamaged to fire, of course, i never tried it below freezing(32f).

Ronnie

I meant to say the tractor always started, not "never", i put Seafoam in all my equipment during the winter month's & start the one's i don't use to let them run for a few minutes.

Ronnie

 

[kgrover]

Pick yourself up a bottle of Diesel 911. In the red bottle. It's an emergency fuel treatment that will un-jell your fuel in your tank if it happens. I keep a bottle in my truck, but I've never had to use it yet. Make sure you have fresh fuel and try to get it from a station that sees more trucks. Try to avoid getting fuel from a place that doesn't see much traffic. Any fuel that you get this time of year should be treated so that it doesn't jell, but you can always ask them to make sure.

Block heater is a great idea. If you know snow is coming, plug it in the night before, or get a timer on it that warms it up a few hours before you want to start it.

Look for a spray can of either and keep that handy. You hopefully won't need it, but if you get caught on a really cold day and didn't have a chance to plug the block heater in and need to get the driveway cleared, a few sprays of either into the air filter should help.

Make sure your battery is in good shape and the cables are clean and not rotted. Take the connections off at the battery and starter and wire brush them off. Getting a good cranking speed will help get that started.

If everything is in good shape, and you plug it in, it should fire up every time.

 

[sanfordanddaughters]

Due to the low sulphur diesel now being sold it is a good idea to add a non alcohol based additive to help with fuel system lubrication. This will also help with the cold temp. gelling problem others have mentioned. I have made it a habit to add this to every fill up on my diesel truck.

 

[DeereHunter82]

I have seen several people recomend either. This will get the job done, but as some one else stated too much can damage the engine. The either actually dries out the cylinder walls. Enough either sucked into the engine can clean all the oil from the cylinder walls and pistons. When we have trouble starting a cold diesel engine in the winter months we always try WD-40 as a starting fluid before we grab the either.

The WD-40 will actually lubricate the cylinder walls and pistons. Plus since its flamable it can get the combustion process going.

 

[Tall Grass]

Pick yourself up a bottle of Diesel 911. In the red bottle. It's an emergency fuel treatment that will un-jell your fuel in your tank if it happens. I keep a bottle in my truck, but I've never had to use it yet. Make sure you have fresh fuel and try to get it from a station that sees more trucks. Try to avoid getting fuel from a place that doesn't see much traffic. Any fuel that you get this time of year should be treated so that it doesn't jell, but you can always ask them to make sure.

Block heater is a great idea. If you know snow is coming, plug it in the night before, or get a timer on it that warms it up a few hours before you want to start it.

Look for a spray can of either and keep that handy. You hopefully won't need it, but if you get caught on a really cold day and didn't have a chance to plug the block heater in and need to get the driveway cleared, a few sprays of either into the air filter should help.

Make sure your battery is in good shape and the cables are clean and not rotted. Take the connections off at the battery and starter and wire brush them off. Getting a good cranking speed will help get that started.

If everything is in good shape, and you plug it in, it should fire up every time.

Don't you dare use that Either until someone in person teaches you how to use it! The idea of a little bit is good and more is better will result in a blown engine!:crybaby: No more than a 2 second burst.:

 

[matf]

Thanks For all the help !!!. We had our first MAJOR storm up here yesterday,after I checked all the fluids,and they all looked great,I saw no discolouration at all,power steering was up,oil was changed,new antifreeze,lubed up what I could find.I fired the girl up after letting the glow plug warm up for a hour or so,I then let the engine run for 15 minutes and just listened to it to make sure therer were no leaks or what ever.I hoped inside ,eased up on the pto,having 85 horsepower it cranked up my new 8 foot blower with eaze.Lets remmember to that my driveway is half a kilometre long,and she walked down there with eaze.I have brand new tires on this girl and one pass is all i needed to do.I can,t thank you all enought for the advise you all gave me,I felt more than confident drive this big girl down the lane in that storm and knowing I had done all the correct pre-checks that one should do.I do have some questions on the gearing and such,but I will now post that question as I,m not 100 percent sure on the gear positioning.
Thanks For all your help,in my neck of the woods I need this girl in top shape and with all your help, I now have here there!
Matt

 

[Nouveau Redneck]

I don't think that you're supposed to heat glow plugs for an hour. Is it maybe a block heater?

 

[matf]

Yup ,it,s the blocker heater,sorry for the confusion,sure glad i have one to.
matt

 

[jdemaris]

The either actually dries out the cylinder walls. Enough either sucked into the engine can clean all the oil from the cylinder walls and pistons.

Overload an engine with ether and it can do much worse. I've had to rebuild many that had all the top piston rings shattered, ring lands blown off the pistons, and cylinder heads or precombustion chambers cracked.

 

[TreePointer]

Due to the low sulphur diesel now being sold it is a good idea to add a non alcohol based additive to help with fuel system lubrication. This will also help with the cold temp. gelling problem others have mentioned. I have made it a habit to add this to every fill up on my diesel truck.

Same here. All my diesel fuel gets an additive

Summer:
http://www.powerservice.com/dk/default.asp?view=app
Winter:
http://www.powerservice.com/dfs/default.asp?view=app

 

[walterboatwright]

Also remember your 1085 is a row crop tractor .And it has a higher center of gravity.Its the evil twin of the 285.If your operating in the snow ,make sure the lighting doesn't reflect from the snow flying around.Also now the area your going to work .The block heater is the best option on that Perkins.Keep your fuel topped off.Snow is forgiving ,ice is not.

 

[Tracor_Newbie]

:MTF_wel2:
:wwp:
:wwp:
:wwp:

 

[matf]

Thanks for the great advice everyone,so far so good with the tractor,done everything everyone mentioned and workin good.
I do have a question about backing up with the blower going and going down a small hill our driveway has.What happens is the tractor wants to increaase it,s speed due to fact we are going down a hill,it,s almost like it,s free wheeling.I am in low range to.The only way I can solw her down is to push in my clutch and apply my brakes,I thought the tranny gears would hold me at same speed but they don,t. am i doing something wrong with my gearing? I do have a high range and low range on the left side of my dash,could it be that?
Other than that ,i take it nice and slow and get the job done.
thanks ,matt