Storing and Starting a Mini Excavator Through a Canberra Winter
Sub-zero mornings from May to September are hard on batteries, oil and operators. A storage and start-up routine for the coldest capital.
Canberra records more frosts than any other capital, and a machine left in a paddock at Hall or a driveway in Gungahlin sits at minus five on a July morning. Small diesels cope, if the owner does.
Where to keep it
A shed, ideally. Under cover the battery stays warmer, the hydraulic oil starts thinner, frost does not sit on the tracks and deck, and rust slows. If a shed is not possible, a tarp over the machine (not touching the exhaust) and timber under the tracks keeps the worst off.
Battery
Cold halves cranking power. Keep terminals clean and tight, and put a trickle charger on any machine that sits for more than a fortnight. A battery that struggles in April will fail in July; replace it early.
Oil
Engine oil: a 10W-30 (or 5W-30 where the manual permits) for winter rather than 15W-40. Hydraulic oil: a multigrade or a lighter ISO grade for the Tablelands. Check the manual and do not mix grades.
Fuel
Keep the tank full to limit condensation, and use fresh diesel. Winter diesel in the ACT is blended for cold, but a tank filled in summer can wax in a hard frost; a fuel additive in autumn is cheap insurance.
Starting
Wait for the glow-plug light every time. After the engine catches, idle for three to five minutes and work the boom, dipper, bucket and swing gently until the hydraulics move freely. Full-throttle digging on cold oil is the most common cause of pump damage on small machines.
Frozen ground
The top few centimetres of clay freeze on the coldest mornings and are hard on bucket teeth. Rip the crust, or start later; by ten the sun has usually done the job. Beneath the crust the clay is wet and sticky; keep the machine on hard-stand where you can.
Daily routine
Check oil and coolant before the first start, grease every pin (water gets into dry bushes and freezes), clean the undercarriage before parking so clay does not freeze in the track frame, and park on timber with the bucket and blade down.
The right machine
A cab turns a Canberra winter into a working season. The R32 PRO is the choice for full-time operators; the R18 PRO suits owners who can wait for a sunny morning. Put your hours into the running cost estimator with a winter oil and battery allowance.