Staying warm

[92U 3406]

How does a guy keep his digits from freezing in winter? I don't know what's going on but I seriously couldn't last more than 5 minutes outdoors today at -2C with TWO pairs of gloves on. I couldn't even feel my fingers!!! I'm no stranger to -35C (only worked out in those temps the last 8 or 9 winters lol) but that -2C felt colder than -35C. I'm actually considering turning in my service truck and becoming a shop guy if it keeps being this unbearable.

Any suggestions?

 

[pushbroom]

I used to have about 50 head of cattle and would be outside every day looking after them. I tried all sorts of gloves and even battery operated heated ones. Never did find anything I loved. Froze my hands so damn bad the one day I was almost puking when they warmed up. Ever since then it doesn't take anything for them to get cold. I dont do many service calls, but when I do a run a second set of gloves on the defrost vents. Allows you to swap out every 5 mins or so to a piping hot pair of gloves.

 

[funwithfuel]

Once you let them get frostbite, or close to it, it is just gonna suck forever. Poor circulation is another cause. Pushbroom hit the nail on the head, keep gloves warm and dry and in rotation. Where mittens when you can.

 

[DIYDAVE]

I learned years ago, mittens keep your hands warmer. Don't do us wrenchers much good, but when operating in cold weather, a always use fur lined leather mittens, MMMMM warmth!

 

[Vetech63]

I take a torpedo space heater with me when the temps are super cold. I hate having to run the welder for it but its worth it to me. I also will leave my truck idling on the job so I can take warm up breaks. The brown jersey gloves (100% cotton) have been the best gloves I have used and they are cheap.

 

[Junkyard]

I don’t know what it is but my hands go through phases in any given winter. One day it’s like they’re impervious to cold and the next it could be 60 and they’d be sensitive to it. We have some gloves that are warm, not too thick and have some rubber on them to help grip stuff. I’ve gotten pretty good at doing things with them on. I also stick the little warming packs in them when it’s bitter cold. Another trick is to stick a couple larger heating packs in the pocket of my hoodie under my coveralls. Seems like when you’re trunk is warm everything else handles the cold better.

It seems like once they’ve gotten bad cold on a particular day that’s it for the day. You just can’t seem to get them warmed back up. I’ll take any advantage I can get, extra gloves warming up in the truck, a heater when I can find a way to direct some warm air into the area I’m working. The older I get the less I like cold and the more sensitive I seem to be.

Anybody hiring in Hawaii or the Caribbean? Haha

 

[92U 3406]

I'm going to try and dress a little warmer today. Going to wear my winter overalls and a jacket and see if keeping my core warmer keeps my hands from freezing up as fast.

 

[Delmer]

Eat enough calories, keep active enough to keep your core temp up.

You're still young, right? It only gets worse, and I'm not nearly as old as a lot of the guys here. Kinda like how a finger tears easier and doesn't heal as fast, after many decades and many tears.

 

[Junkyard]

Here are the gloves I like. There are similar ones available almost anywhere. These seem to be the right thickness etc.

 

[ianjoub]

Once you let them get frostbite, or close to it, it is just gonna suck forever. Poor circulation is another cause. Pushbroom hit the nail on the head, keep gloves warm and dry and in rotation. Where mittens when you can.

I have the same problem on the other end of the spectrum. I have had heat stroke and heat exhaustion too many times. I can do very little in hot weather now. This is particularly unfortunate as I live in FL. It was low 90's yesterday.

 

[colson04]

Anybody hiring in Hawaii or the Caribbean? Haha

There is work in the Caribbean right now after those hurricanes. I know a couple crane operators from Michigan are down in St. John right now and loving it.

 

[GregsHD]

I've had good luck wearing cotton glove liners under XL Nitrile gloves, also keep disposable hand warmers in my pockets for when my hands do start to get cold.

Keep your head and core warm and keep your blood pumping. Luckily my mother knits me super warm Wool touques and socks and I've got different degrees of insulated coveralls, some are good to -10c, next pair to -20c, and my heavy Helly Hansen pair that I only wear below -20c, they've kept me cozy even at -45c. Of course long underwear, multiple layers, multiple wool socks.

Winter is the reason I have an enclosed heated service body, all my tools, parts, oils are warm, I can remove parts from a machine and take them into my mobile shop to thaw out while I clean/swap fittings/reseal etc.

Stay safe

 

[DIYDAVE]

I've had good luck wearing cotton glove liners under XL Nitrile gloves, also keep disposable hand warmers in my pockets for when my hands do start to get cold.

Keep your head and core warm and keep your blood pumping. Luckily my mother knits me super warm Wool touques and socks and I've got different degrees of insulated coveralls, some are good to -10c, next pair to -20c, and my heavy Helly Hansen pair that I only wear below -20c, they've kept me cozy even at -45c. Of course long underwear, multiple layers, multiple wool socks.

Winter is the reason I have an enclosed heated service body, all my tools, parts, oils are warm, I can remove parts from a machine and take them into my mobile shop to thaw out while I clean/swap fittings/reseal etc.

Stay safe

Good idea, ever seen how ice cold screwdrivers snap the tips off?

 

[Wytruckwrench]

Has anybody used the Webasto style cab/bunk heaters? I have been thinking about rigging one up to be portable and blow heat on where I’m working. Haven’t been around one to see how well they work.

 

[Junkyard]

We have the cheap propane heaters on the older rigs, the kind that screw on to a bottle. They do a fair job of taking the bite out of the heat. A couple years ago I had to dig into a Cummins motor when it was around zero. I rigged a tarp up, a small heater near the engine enclosure and a nipco setting on the ground under with a 90 degree turning the heat up. Guys chuckled at me....that will never get warm you’re wasting time blah blah.

Guess where they all were a couple hours later....can I grab something for you? Need any help? Haha

 

[Wytruckwrench]

I use a weed burner into a 4” pipe with holes in the sides that works pretty good with tarps over you.

 

[funwithfuel]

When those things are working, they are incredible for how small they are. Only downside I see is the btu's aren't there to heat a large or open area. But in a dinky cab , you'll be sweating in short order.

 

[Tenwheeler]

We have the cheap propane heaters on the older rigs, the kind that screw on to a bottle. They do a fair job of taking the bite out of the heat. A couple years ago I had to dig into a Cummins motor when it was around zero. I rigged a tarp up, a small heater near the engine enclosure and a nipco setting on the ground under with a 90 degree turning the heat up. Guys chuckled at me....that will never get warm you’re wasting time blah blah.

Guess where they all were a couple hours later....can I grab something for you? Need any help? Haha

My X boss walked up and saw one of those. Exclaimed that is a real work stopper. Not enough heat to work just enough to stop everyone at it.

 

[Shimmy1]

How does a guy keep his digits from freezing in winter? I don't know what's going on but I seriously couldn't last more than 5 minutes outdoors today at -2C with TWO pairs of gloves on. I couldn't even feel my fingers!!! I'm no stranger to -35C (only worked out in those temps the last 8 or 9 winters lol) but that -2C felt colder than -35C. I'm actually considering turning in my service truck and becoming a shop guy if it keeps being this unbearable.

Any suggestions?

Kinco Cold Weather. Get the ones with the knitted wrist. I've never been able to figure out who the hell wears the ones with open cuff, completely useless to me. Keep gloves dry at all cost. Once they get wet, you might as well throw them away, they're never the same. Another option, plenty pricey and not the best for wear and tear are snowmobile gloves. Here are the Kinco.
https://www.kinco.com/product/1927kw

 

[John C.]

Been reading this with interest and re-read it this morning looking for enlightenment. Yesterday I was out looking at a dozer with the temps in the twenties. Got out of the truck, put on the heavy coveralls with an extra sweat shirt and sock hat and then started checking fluids. Was opening a latch to get to the transmission dipstick and noticed my hand slipping off the latch. Basically I couldn't feel the latch with the fingers on my left hand. I pull the heavy glove off and shoved my hand in my pants pocket and felt the heat draining away from my leg. The shiver ran up my back and I decided it was time to get the engine running on the dozer and wrap my gloved hands on the exhaust stack. I do a lot of writing on a clip board when going through a machine and I've never been able to read my scratchings when wearing heavy gloves. I'd look at a few things and then pull the glove off and do some scratching, then put the glove back on and hold both hands on the exhaust pipe to get feeling back in them. I believe that if I were pulling heavy wrenches it would have gotten the blood flow going and my hands might have been warmer but holding a clipboard and pushing a pencil is probably the worst thing I've had to do in the cold. I think I'll try the two glove solution next time. A thin pair under a thick pair.

This age thing really sucks!