Cold weather tips

[Bigfoot]

This tip mostly for when the lights go out and you depend on electricity for heat. Pitch a tent in the living room and heat it.

 

[TCRanch]

You used the scissors on the long johns I'm guessing.,.

I already neutered him when I took over the ranch

 

[BFE]

Wood ashes from the stove is a really bad idea if you want to stay on the wife's good side. That stuff tracks everywhere.

Wood ash makes the best floor dry, much better than store bought.

 

[BFE]

Leave vehicles unlocked if possible. If locks are frozen, put alcohol on the key and try to get it unlocked. May take multiple times. Heating the key a little may help. Careful if the key has a chip. Cover the lock with a piece of tape prior to the freezing rain/snow. Put a tarp over the vehicle you need most - prior to the weather.
Doors frozen shut - Prevent by applying a thin film of lubricant on the rubber weatherseal. WD40, silicon or vaseline.
Add antigel additive to the diesel before cold weather. Put a heavy tarp/blanket over the vehicle and add a source of heat under the vehicle - smudge pot, hair dryer, propane heater, etc. Takes a while to get it heated up.
Don't park steel or rubber track equipment on wet dirt. Can freeze to the ground at cold enough temps. Park on rock, concrete or wood.
Don't set the parking brake. Brakes can freeze to drum or disks. Blow down the water on air brakes before freezing weather.
Copper pipe can be thawed with an old Lincoln style ac arc welder at a low setting. Clamp the two cables to the two sides of the frozen point and turn the welder on. I have never done this, but have read that it works. Best to only do this on a section with no soldered joints.

Jumper cables do the same. It works on any metal pipe.

 

[BFE]

Put a feed sack over your frost free hydrants to keep them from freezing in the extreme cold and wind. This will insulate the standpipe long enough for it to drain out.

A length of hose in the exhaust was mentioned earlier as a heat source. That's what I do to thaw frozen water meters for the rural water district I contract with. Two inch suction hose fits perfectly in Chevy exhaust pipe. Turn the water on and the small flow that starts as whatever is frozen starts to thaw will speed the process.

Buy starting fluid by the case in the summer.

 

[Atimm693]

Gasoline works. Old timers would put a splash in when problems started. Some put a gallon into a tank of #2 before problems started. No, I don't know how big their tank was.

That's a very bad idea with newer equipment. High pressure common rail systems do not respond well to lack of lubricity, and the bill to repair them is a big one.

The old stuff would run on pure gasoline and not be hurt by it if not ran too long, that's not the case anymore.

 

[callmefence]

Got cracked drain valves in both shop air compressors..... never thought of that.

 

[Texas G@l]

Well,crap,better check those,too.

 

[MurraysMutts]

Got cracked drain valves in both shop air compressors..... never thought of that.

Dangit!
Theres something that ain't normal!

 

[Lee VanRoss]

I like and use YAKTRAX on my boots. You can find them at yaktrax.com In the past 6 months I have undergone a complete
knee and hip surgery . The last being mid January. I am back to feeding my little remnant herd of 15 cows and their now feeder
calves 700 lb mosa minos. I can do all but run the loader tractor (which Doc forbids!) . Did put the calves on a selffeeder when I
got the hip replaced. Cows are getting supplemental feed as they are in 3rd trimester. The YaxTrax are the best device I have used
thus far to insure good footing on an icy surface. I can get around just fine without any aid other than the YakTrax.