Cold Weather Operation; Necessary Preparations Prior To The Winter Season; Operation During The Winter Season - Kubota KX015-4 Operating Instructions Manual

Cold weather operation

Operating the excavator at an ambient temperature below 5 °C is regarded as cold weather operation.

Necessary preparations prior to the winter season

If necessary, replace the engine oil and hydraulic oil with those of the viscosities specified for winter.
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Only use regular diesel fuel with winter additives. Do not mix petrol and diesel fuel.
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Check the battery's state of charge. In case of extremely low temperatures, it may be necessary to remove
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the battery after work and store it in a heated room.
Check the antifreeze strength in the cooling system (page 124). If necessary, add antifreeze until the protec-
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tion ranges from -25 °C to -40 °C.
Apply talcum powder or silicone oil to all rubber seals at the windows, the cab door and the side window guide
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rails.
Lubricate all locks, except the starter switch, with graphite lubricant.
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Grease the cab door hinges.
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Fill the washer system with a antifreeze window cleaner (page 103).
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Operation during the winter season

The excavator must be cleaned after work is finished (page 124); Special attention must be paid to the crawl-
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ers, the front attachments and the piston rods of the hydraulic cylinders. If the excavator is cleaned with a
water jet, it must then be parked in a dry, frost-free and well-ventilated enclosed space.
If necessary, park the excavator on boards or mats in order to prevent freezing to the ground.
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Before starting, check if the piston rods of the hydraulic cylinders are free of ice to avoid damage. Also check
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if the crawlers are frozen to the ground. If so, do not take the excavator into operation.
Be careful when getting on and off, the crawler could be slippery.
STOP
Start the engine (page 68) and let it run at idle speed until the engine has accommodated to the outside tem-
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perature. Before you start working with the front attachments, warm up the excavator until the operating tem-
perature is reached.
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Operation