Vent: My loader kept stalling in the cold until I tried this

I was on a winter job and my skid steer would die every morning when it got below freezing. I checked the fuel lines and filters, but nothing was wrong. Then I remembered an old timer saying to wrap the fuel tank with insulation. I used some leftover foam from a plumbing job and duct taped it around the tank. Now, I start it up and let it run for ten minutes before I move it. No more stalling, and it saves me time waiting for a tow. It's a simple fix that cost me nothing. Hope this helps someone else dealing with cold ops.

4 comments

4 Comments

phoenix_martin401mo ago

Totally works, hugotaylor! I did the same with pipe wrap on my old backhoe and it ran fine even at -5.

hugotaylor1mo ago

Zero degrees Fahrenheit, does that insulation really stop fuel line freeze?

rileyprice1mo ago

Yeah, the zero degrees part is what gets you. My buddy tried that insulation wrap on his plow truck last winter when it hit about that cold. It slowed things down, but his diesel still got a little gummy in the lines overnight. He said it helped for sure, but he had to add an anti-gel treatment to the tank to be safe. The wrap alone wasn't quite enough when it sat that cold for that long. So it helps, but you probably still need to treat the fuel.

nancy_wood28d ago

Honestly, how often does it actually hit zero where you are? Around here, the weather folks panic over a forecast like that and we get maybe one night of it. A good winter blend fuel from a busy station usually handles it. I've seen more problems from summer fuel left in a tank than from a single cold snap.