Preparing for my first 332 winter

[MCRapper]

Man, I have loved my first summer with my "new" 332 and am now setting up for winter in Ontario. I found a 4 way plow and purchased/installed a 3 way hitch from Bill Reugg. I have 3 questions:
1) What is my simplest approach to installing a block heater? I saw one post about a magnetic unit and I saw a screw in on a larger JD.....suggestions?
2) How do I access the drain petcock for my radiator
3) Should my plow have skid plates

 

[Scott 730]

1. There is no substitute for a properly installed, factory style block heater in a core plug. Magnetic heaters are a waste of energy and time as far as I'm concerned. I know others disagree. I tried them years ago. Junk, IMO. YMMV.
2. I have never had to drain my 332 so IDK.
3. Skid shoes may help on a soft unfrozen surface. I have never used the shoes on my blade. When plowing snow from the concrete slab onto the grass, I just pick the blade up slightly and carry the blade so it doesn't dig in. The factory shoes are pretty small on my 54 blade. They would probably work better if I welded a bigger plate on them.

 

[plattman]

With those chains and weights, it will be a snow plowing beast. I had similar setup on a heavy snapper and no stopping it.

 

[cjunrau]

Man, I have loved my first summer with my "new" 332 and am now setting up for winter in Ontario. I found a 4 way plow and purchased/installed a 3 way hitch from Bill Reugg. I have 3 questions:
1) What is my simplest approach to installing a block heater? I saw one post about a magnetic unit and I saw a screw in on a larger JD.....suggestions?
2) How do I access the drain petcock for my radiator
3) Should my plow have skid plates

I think with such a small unit I would be building it an insulated dog house and just put a small heater in to heat it up. Would help the transmission and it would need about the same care as the engine.

 

[caterpillar guy]

Plowing snow is like pushing dirt no replacement for power and weight. In Ontario they can get a lot of snow if near the lakes. I would want more tractor for snow duty. Just me. And yes skids would help keep it out of the dirt/lawn if you have to plow on softer dirt /sod.

 

[Tslinger]

Not a plow guy on garden tractors... I run back blade on an 8N for my plowing reference... With a plow, you're going to want to think about what you're getting over the whole season. In other words, you're going to need to start the season pushing further out of the way than you need, because once you move it there, it's going to turn in to an iceberg unless your weather lets it melt. Next storm, you aren't going to be able to push it that far, so leave yourself some room.
On the garden tractor, I much prefer a blower. Never met a storm I couldn't handle with my father's JD 140, or my Case 444 with their associated 4' wide blowers. No worry about the next storm as you can always toss the snow over the last pile. (until you get a crazy year, and need a bigger machine to push them back, but that's rare here at any rate)
Regardless, you've got a good looking setup. Enjoy the seat time you get, just push it back to start.

 

[Steve in IL]

If you can access the oil pan on that machine, you might consider an oil pan heater. You just glue it to the bottom of your pan. Does a great jjob of heating the engine from the bottom. Also, I think heating oil is more important that heating coolant.

We have one on a NH TC21. Works great. IIRC, it was made by a company in Canada.

 

[Tim in New York]

Think you will be very happy with the capability of that set up. I have only 3 small JD weights on the back of my 345, loaded ag tires, and some big wheel weights. It pushes snow very well, so much so that I use it as my main plow tractor and keep the farm tractor as a backup. Only problem I have had is getting stuck a couple of times in a bank when I pushed to far and the front end got hung up.

 

[504]

I would use one that goes in the core plugs. But I have never had to plug in a yanmar, the332 and the 455 have always started on the glow plugs.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

Not a plow guy on garden tractors... I run back blade on an 8N for my plowing reference... With a plow, you're going to want to think about what you're getting over the whole season. In other words, you're going to need to start the season pushing further out of the way than you need, because once you move it there, it's going to turn in to an iceberg unless your weather lets it melt. Next storm, you aren't going to be able to push it that far, so leave yourself some room.
On the garden tractor, I much prefer a blower. Never met a storm I couldn't handle with my father's JD 140, or my Case 444 with their associated 4' wide blowers. No worry about the next storm as you can always toss the snow over the last pile. (until you get a crazy year, and need a bigger machine to push them back, but that's rare here at any rate)
Regardless, you've got a good looking setup. Enjoy the seat time you get, just push it back to start.

Good advice. My uncle takes it to an extreme. He starts out pushing the snow all the way across his front yard to the far side. Some winters it's piled all the way back to the driveway.

 

[MCRapper]

Thanks for the insights! These days, a plow is more practical up here in easstern Ontario than a big blower if there is space to push it like I have. I had a 60" blower on my gravely but used it twice the past couple of years as just not enough snow and when we do get it, the rain usually follows.

 

[Mcrafty1]

The first thing I would do to get that tractor ready to plow snow with is get some type of cab/protection from the weather....but I'm old and have became a bit spleeny. That's not to say the other things you mention don't need done.

 

[38 Sears Roebuck]

If you come across a snow blower for it, buy it. Blowers work so much better than trying to push snow. I have a Cub Cadet 107 with a snow thrower. It does a nice job.

 

[ss55]

If you come across a snow blower for it, buy it. Blowers work so much better than trying to push snow. I have a Cub Cadet 107 with a snow thrower. It does a nice job.

2X on the snowblower.

 

[Russ from MN]

Good advice. My uncle takes it to an extreme. He starts out pushing the snow all the way across his front yard to the far side. Some winters it's piled all the way back to the driveway.

That's why a blower is so much nicer, you don't tear up the lawn making a place for snow you might get. Magnetic heaters work fine, just don't expect it to heat an engine to operating temperature in an hour! We have a block heater on our JD 4600, but I put the magnetic heater on the oil pan too, as I run 14-40 oil, but I seldom start it in cold weather