# dipstick heater for bobcat diesel



## amscapes03 (Nov 24, 2003)

i have a Bobcat B250 Backhoe with a Kabota 3 cylinder turbo diesel. i won't even attempt to start it this winter without some sort of block heater. i've heard through the grapevine that someone out there makes a dipstick heater. anyone ever heard of such a product, and if so .....where i can get it.


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## cog-1 (Oct 7, 2005)

I wouldn't recommend a dipstickheater, they are kind of junky in my opinion. I am assuming it is an air cooled engine so a coolant heater is out of the question. We have purchased heaters that go on the bottom of the oil pan, they work pretty well. I just put a 500 watt heater on the bottom of the hydraulic tank on a motor grader, temp on outside of grader was 18 degrees while the temp of the hydraulic oil was 65 degrees, pretty happy with that. It was a glue on heater, approx 5"x8", 500 watt, got it at our Carquest store for about $100. One thing to look out for is you prep the surface right; also they get REALLY HOT!! I measured the temp with one of those laser thermometers, said it was almost 300 degrees so be sure there is nothing near it like hoses, wiring, etc. Also if you have glow plugs it is a good idea to check them and make sure they are all good before it gets too cold as that would make it hard to start too.


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## Spudgunner (Aug 23, 2006)

I can't imagine a turbo'd diesel that doesn't have liquid coolant...but I assume they exist (?).. My Kubota BX-23 tractor has a normally-aspirated, water-cooled 3 cylinder engine. I installed the kind of block heater that replaces a freeze plug. Works great. The stick-on heater sounds like a decent option as well. I'd get the engine model and visit the Kubota dealer or get back with Bobcat.


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## cog-1 (Oct 7, 2005)

I guess I assumed it was air cooled as he didn't mention a block/coolant heater and didn't read the whole post...we had a couple bobcat ski steers that were not liquid cooled...sorry to mess anybody up, of course I agree the best type of heater goes in a core plug hole on liquid cooled engines..


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## Kramer (Nov 13, 2004)

tractor supply has both a dipstick heater and the magnetic kind


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