The Dreaded Winter

Myles Clifton

   Winter time can be tough on everyone and everything. Livestock especially. Constant rising and falling temperatures. Freezing, thawing, mud, its an endless cycle. One of the real trials of winter for farmers with livestock is dealing with freezing waterers and troughs. Sometimes you can get by with some added insulation, heaters and heat lamps. Other times you can just have small inconveniences likes the ball on a waterer freezing.

   A great solution for that is a heat gun. Whether corded or cordless, they’re a great way to thaw things out. With lots of fittings and parts now being plastic, they can be easily damaged in the cold. Melting the ice is a good way to avoid any damage to these parts and fittings.

   During a hard freeze last winter a cordless heat gun was in daily use for about two weeks straight for me in the mornings. Often times it worked faster than trying to pour hot water in or on the waterer. While feeling tedious it was a great way to get the job done. Thawing the ice it allowed me the gradually allow water start flowing again or allowed me the easily break a ball free in the opening of the waterer without breaking anything. 

Another common winter problem is draining on batteries. Colder temperatures make cold starts difficult. So regular battery maintenance is a good idea. Winter months sometimes means equipment isn’t getting as much use as it typically would the rest of the year. You may may a tractor with a loader that is quickly used to put out a quick bale of hay, then its parked and shut down immediately. This can be a hard on your batteries. Extra power for a cold start and a short run time means the battery doesn’t often have the time to recover. 

   Battery chargers and maintainers are a great way to keep your equipment ready to run in the cold. Large high amp chargers for powerful and fast charges. Or small and low amp chargers that can provide a slow and steady charge that can greatly increase the longevity of your batteries. 

   There are also newer solutions for battery trouble these days as well. Boost packs, or jump packs have been around for awhile. But the decrease in size and the increase in power has really changed over the last few years. While they’re a great tool to have year round they’re especially useful in the winter time.

   I experienced this same situation myself more than once this winter already. It's cold, it's windy, but it's time to feed. Plus, its easier to get around when the ground is froze then when its thawed. The block heater was plugged in, but still the tractor wouldn’t start. So I grabbed my Noco Boost Pro 150, hooked up the cables, turned it on, turned the key on the tractor and it instantly fired up. No messing around with stretching out battery cables and trying to hook up another tractor or truck for a jump. Jump packs are a simple, fast solution to hard starting winter days. Especially, when you’re on your own and a tractor is in the back of a crowed shed.

   For solutions to your winter woes be sure to contact Clifton Tool & Supply LLC in Perryville. Call (573)517-1242 or check us on Facebook at Clifton Tool & Supply. ∆

   Myles Clifton: Contributing Writer