New to Me 743B

[Atilathehun99]

I've just upgraded from late 70's technology (722) to early 90's (743B). I'm getting to know the 743B and have now and later will have more questions that I know the members of this forum will be glad to weigh in on.

Today it was about 30 F and I let the glow plugs go for first a full minute. It then took a couple more 10-15 second heat/start attempts before it did start. That was not un-expected. I let the unit warm at low-mid throttle for about 10 minutes before operating.

My primary question is this - how long should I let the unit warm up before using it? I know the answer is temperature dependent but I'm interested in hearing the opinions and experiences of y'all.

Regarding the glow plugs and starting this is my first diesel anything. I've operated a lot of diesel powered construction equipment but almost all has been Spring through Fall and not Winter. This unit has a block heater as my 722 did which I intend on using it when temps get lower. It's installed but I haven't plugged it in some I'm assuming it works. A secondary question is - how long should the block heater run before starting? I know that too is temp dependent but as above opinions/experiences welcomed.

Thanks in advance for all replies.

 

[Bobby the T190]

Subscribed, even though here in southeast Tejas we don't typically have extreme extended cold weather.

 

[brdgbldr]

I've just upgraded from late 70's technology (722) to early 90's (743B). I'm getting to know the 743B and have now and later will have more questions that I know the members of this forum will be glad to weigh in on.

Today it was about 30 F and I let the glow plugs go for first a full minute. It then took a couple more 10-15 second heat/start attempts before it did start. That was not un-expected. I let the unit warm at low-mid throttle for about 10 minutes before operating.

My primary question is this - how long should I let the unit warm up before using it? I know the answer is temperature dependent but I'm interested in hearing the opinions and experiences of y'all.

Regarding the glow plugs and starting this is my first diesel anything. I've operated a lot of diesel powered construction equipment but almost all has been Spring through Fall and not Winter. This unit has a block heater as my 722 did which I intend on using it when temps get lower. It's installed but I haven't plugged it in some I'm assuming it works. A secondary question is - how long should the block heater run before starting? I know that too is temp dependent but as above opinions/experiences welcomed.

Thanks in advance for all replies.

I usually look at the coolant temp gage to tell when the engine is warmed up enough. Once the needle starts moving you should be good FOR THE ENGINE.

What people don't really talk about is warming up your hydraulic oil. This can be done by first letting the engine warm up, this will also turn the pumps and start to warm the hyd. oil. Then moving the lift and tilt, unloaded, for a while will help warm it. If you want to warm it in a hurry you can run the lift all the way down or the tilt all the way up so that the relief valves engage. This puts a little more pressure on the pumps to help warm the oil.

The block heater on a diesel engine is great. A preheated block wears less when being started and always starts easier (On my newer electronic machine, the glow countdown is much much shorter when I preheat the block). You can use the block heater any time of year, not just when it is cold out. I always let it run for at least an hour before starting the machine but you could run it a lot longer if you wanted to. You could technically leave it plugged in whenever the machine is parked. It just depends on how much you want to pay for the electricity and the heating element will eventually fail.

You can tell if the block heater is working or not by plugging it in and putting your hand on or near it. Just be carful you don't burn yourself.

 

[Dr.SidewayZ]

Honestly I do 15 second glow plug cycle and crack the speed control about 1/8 to 1/4 of the way off idle. Once the temp gauge starts to move you should be fine honestly it runs cold so really the only way you're going to get remotely any heat in the oil is using it as the oil is super slow to warm up. Just make sure you're using the correct oil for your environment. Also I've make a couple videos on how to do various common issues on it that tend to cost a bit that you can do at the house/farm here

Hey guys I'm new here and I make Tutorial videos on YouTube for our bobcats mostly 743b and similar variants. Here are a couple examples of videos that I've done.

How To Set Bobcat Creep in LESS Than 8 MINUTES

Bobcat Steering Bushings Replacement: A Step-by-Step Guide

How to rebuild Bobcat drive motor for less then $100

Just a couple examples hopefully someone finds some use for them and hopefully it helps someone out! I look forward to being on here more often and helping out in any way I can. Hope y'all have a good evening and rest of your week
-Mike

let me know if you have any questions
Best of luck