Freewheeling downhill on a new TC55DA

[Roto]

I would think if it broke traction then you would know by trying the brakes, If the brakes brings you to a haul that it wasnt a traction problem but if you cant seem to get the brakes to stop you very good then its a traction problem.

i say put weight on the seat and do it again and jump off and run and turn around and video it for us to see hehehehehehe

Mike

 

[jt7157]

Roto--that's just what I was thinking, so I collected all the necessary stuff only to discover my camcorder is on the blink. Tomorrow I am going to try to duplicate the problem, on the same ground of course. I was not able to get by my dealer today. Thanks again to everyone for your responses.

 

[shaley]

Shaley - do you mean when it's running? You do get full enging braking while it's running, and nada when it's not. You need the hydraulics under pressure to keep the EHSS engaged. No engine, no engagement.
Jim

Kinda forgot I had posted to this thread until I saw it pop up. Good info for EHSS owners.
Thanks Jim, Now I understand how the EHSS works. That makes sense and I'm pretty sure I get engine braking on hills. It just seems wierd when you jump off in the driveway and the thing rolls towards the house. I pretty much as a rule drop the grader box and set the brake now.

Can't wait for the video

 

[jimmysisson]

I would think if it broke traction then you would know by trying the brakes, If the brakes brings you to a haul that it wasnt a traction problem but if you cant seem to get the brakes to stop you very good then its a traction problem.

If you're in 4 wheel drive, headed downhill, rear wheels off the ground, and you stop them with the brakes, the fwa driveshaft will stop, too (or slow) and the front wheels will stop (or slow). Same if the engine is holding you.
Without brakes engaged, generally one rear will lose traction before the other, and will turn backwards because of the differential. Even if you're not looking for that, you tend to notice when a drive tire stops or reverses when you're traveling forward. This sounds like a now-it's-in-neutral problem. Fun to speculate, though, not knowin' the facts.
Jim

 

[BTDT]

How's the fluid level in the transmission? Could it be coming out of gear because on the slope it's losing/not getting enough fluid to keep it engaged? Just wondering, sounds kind of dangerous to me. Hope the dealer can explain what is going on.

 

[Ford850]

I tested this with my new DX55 last night. First I read my operators manual. Then tested on a steep hill while brush hogging. I tested several times, first without my seatbelt attached and then with it attached.

Results WITHOUT seatbelt:
At least 6 times down the hill.
I leaned forward due to the hill, and each time it shifted to nuetral.
I could also lean to the side and forward (more to the side though) and it shifted to nuetral.
It seemed to be right on the threshold of the switch, where it only took a fraction of a second or flicker of the switch to shift to nuetral.
If I leaned harder on purpose (for more than a second) it would kill the engine.
One time I lifted off the seat a bit more and it killed the engine.
With the tractor engine and mower noise I could barely hear the alarm, most times I didn't hear it.
I could depress the inching pedal while coasting (or after coasting to a stop) and it would shift back into gear. I could also stop with my brakes.

Results WITH seatbelt attached:
I tried at least 4 times, leaning forward and to the sides.
I Could not get it to shift to nuetral or kill the engine.
A much safer feeling with the seatbelt.

It was a good test for me to run. I now undertand my tractor better, and will wear the seatbelt whenever possible. I was surprised at how high you sit on these new tractors. I test drove them before buying, but unless you step off a 50 year old tractor and onto a new one, it is difficult to understand the difference. On my old ford 850, I felt like I needed to stand to see occasionally. I didn't feel like I needed to stand for a better view when driving the DX55.

 

[FULLPULL]

I checked mine yesterday also and agree with Ford850 last post .If i stood up it killed the motor and went in neutral .Using seatbelt the tractor worked as it should i couldnt kill the engine or make the transmission go in neutral.

 

[jimmysisson]

Not TOO surprising that a feature that makes some things safer makes others more dangerous. I'm not crazy about the tractor deciding it should be in neutral, or shut off, against my wishes. I've been as aggravated as any other codger when a new machine had more safety stuff than I was used to from older rigs, and grateful once in a while when an accident was avoided. As the poster said, this is a good opportunity to learn your machine. And wear the durn belt.
Jim

 

[FULLPULL]

I am going to read the seat belt section of the manual there should be more info there on the seat saftey switch.

 

[Roto]

First thing i ever do is bypass the seat switch to make it think your in the seat. I jump off the tractor all the time to do stuff and cant have it stalling on me or going into neutral. It may be a good safety feature but i will live on the edge.

Mike