The Glenwood post., 1918-01-05
RUNNING A FARM
CAR IN THE WINTER

] have owned and operated an auto.
mobile on my farm for the past three
years and have run the machine in all
kinds of weather. Ny car is just about
as useful to me during the winter as
at any other season of the year; in
fact, there is but little time in winter
when an automobile cannot be used, if
one knows just how to handle it and
will be careful in its operation. A
neighbor and 1 keep our machines in
the same garage which is heated, hence,
we have no trouble in starting the mot
or in the coolest weather. The major
ity of farmers, however, keep their ma
chimes in garage that is not heated.
With the temperature at 80 degrees and
lower, the starting of the motor is
certainly no child's play. With the
pulsations of its great 'heart stilled
and-its sarteries' filled with a fluid so
chilled that it seems impossible ever
to again establish circulation, what
wonder that the owner pronounces the
obstacles insurmountable after perhaps
several hours of hard work. But the
secret once learned is not readily for
gotten, and by doing just the right
things, one gets his motor into condi.
tion for taking care Of itself at once.
The first move should be to be sure
there is ice in it. If only freezing, or
q trife below this point, it may be
wise to fill the radiator with boiling
water, thus ameliorating conditions
quickly for the pump, crankshaft, car
burster, and lubricating system; but it
10 important that this hot water be
drawn Of soon If the obstinacy in start
ing docs not disappear, because in cold
weather, tho water in the radiator will
freeze with startling suddenness even
though boiling but few minutes pre-
vious. As = general rule, perhaps the
wisest way it to use hot water only
for pouring onto a heavy packing Of
flannel placed about the carbureter and
possibly the pump, if trying the crank
carefully shows that part to be icy.
With / warm carbureter, a good mix
tuTe Of gas may be obtained and u.s.
uaIy hot cylinders will soon follow
moderate. cranking il the batteries are
intact. If they are not, then it is well
to prime the, cylinders with gasoline
where priming cocks are provided. II
the cylinders are not furnished with
printing cocks, you may in severe cases
remove spark plug and prime through
the opening made by removing the plug
but I would not care to follow this
practice, as it will wear the threads
jim the cylinder and, in time, result in
the loss Of compression, which, in this
case, is very difficult to stop.
When the motor begins to run, the
next thing to do is to fill the radiator
with cold water since it will be getting
warm with every explosion, and if the
motor does not run smoothly at the
start, Just keep it running and spend
no time borrowing trouble or adjusting
the carbureter. With the entire. sys.
tenn cold, if there is lack of unifor-
nifty in the pulsations, just be patient.
Summer time will soon arrive under
the hood and then the carbureter will
be right without making any adjust
ments, the same as it was in warm
weather. The first winter l operated
my machine monkeyed with the car
bureter which caused lot Of trouble.
If the carbureter is tampered with for
q cold start, it will not work right
when the motor gets into the proper
heat.
Proper oiling of the car is just as
important in winter as at any other
time of the year, but it is fact that
many machines in operation in cold
weather are insuficiently fabricated.
! keep my lubricating oil warm all
the time when using my car in winter
I have a holder for the can fixed on
the muffler, therefore, the oil is always
ready and is as handy as can be de.
sired. 1t is an old "saw' in the
operation Of machinery that one drop
sf oil on the right spot will do more
good than a gallon poured on the
ground. Much oil is wasted and many
antos worn considerably more than
they ought to be because the oil does
not get to the spot intended. This
nay be. due, first to the fact that in
cold weather the oil il too thick to run
'pp hill and into the many crooks Of the
various bearing. and, second, because
sone Of the large and cool surfaces
chill the oil So that. it does not get