Eliminate Cold Weather Cable Freeze-ups
Contributed by a sweeper operator in the cold New England area of the U.S.:Where I'm located, up in the cold climate of New England, there are some special problems. At extremely low temperatures of zero degrees and below, I have to work with rubbish, salt, sand and blowing snow. One of the problems that this brings up is a difficulty with keeping mechanisms from freezing up in the winter months.
Two that I had trouble with were the Vernier throttle cable and the 'T' handle choke cable on the Kubota. They would freeze solid, probably from the constant pressure washing of the truck and the accompanying condensation. I kept replacing the cables, although that was just a temporary, stopgap measure.
Recently, I have hit upon a solution (quite literally!) that works great. I disconnected both cables at the engine, and pulled the inner cables from the outer casings. Using an air gun, I blew out the water from each casing. Then, with the aid of a hand oiler, I put about 1/2 cup of permanent antifreeze into the outer sleeve before re-inserting the inner cable. This not only has worked to lubricate the casing, but has completely eliminated my freeze-up problems.
Have an idea that would be helpful to others in the industry? Please let us know what it is.
