BX2230Dude
Silver Member
It seems like every couple of weeks someone starts a thread with "I drove my BX with the parking brake on, did I do any permanent damage? Why doesn't Kubota put a dashboard light or buzzer to warn you when the brake is on?" I guess I'm not the only one who occasionally forgets to release the brake. When I do I've always noticed it after driving a few yards when the tractor feels sluggish. It's very annoying when you frequently get on and off the tractor to do something and have to set/release the brake each time.
It rained last weekend here in Northern California (no seat time), so I spent some time lying under my tractor in the garage to see if I could solve this problem. I studied the parking brake lever and found a good spot to mount a micro-switch. The switch is wired normally closed (NC). When the parking brake is released it depresses the switch and opens the circuit. When the brake is set it allows the switch to close, turning on the dashboard light. I decided I wanted a dashboard indicator light instead of a buzzer. A buzzer would have to be pretty loud to be heard over the engine, and I didn't want to hear the buzzer every time I got off the tractor to put something in the bucket, attach an implement, etc. I went to Radio Shack and bought a 12vdc red LED for $1.99 (part number 276-270). This little LED is super-bright when looking straight at it, even in direct sunlight. I mounted it in the top edge of the dashboard, which made it very visible from the seat.
Total out-of-pocket cost: $1.99 plus tax. I already had the micro-switch and the wire, split loom, etc. were left over from when I added front/rear lights to the tractor (an earlier post to TBN).
The first photo shows the parking brake lever and the micro-switch. The brake is released and the lever is depressing the switch.
It rained last weekend here in Northern California (no seat time), so I spent some time lying under my tractor in the garage to see if I could solve this problem. I studied the parking brake lever and found a good spot to mount a micro-switch. The switch is wired normally closed (NC). When the parking brake is released it depresses the switch and opens the circuit. When the brake is set it allows the switch to close, turning on the dashboard light. I decided I wanted a dashboard indicator light instead of a buzzer. A buzzer would have to be pretty loud to be heard over the engine, and I didn't want to hear the buzzer every time I got off the tractor to put something in the bucket, attach an implement, etc. I went to Radio Shack and bought a 12vdc red LED for $1.99 (part number 276-270). This little LED is super-bright when looking straight at it, even in direct sunlight. I mounted it in the top edge of the dashboard, which made it very visible from the seat.
Total out-of-pocket cost: $1.99 plus tax. I already had the micro-switch and the wire, split loom, etc. were left over from when I added front/rear lights to the tractor (an earlier post to TBN).
The first photo shows the parking brake lever and the micro-switch. The brake is released and the lever is depressing the switch.
