Gator 6x4 - A Few General Questions

[smarley]

Hi Guys,

I have posted a few questions about buying a new Gator in recent weeks and as luck would have it, we ended up buying a 6x4 Gator that a friend had for sale.

As you would guess, I will need some help in coming up to speed on maintenance etc and I wondered which manual to purchase. Can I get by with the Operator's manual or do I need the Technical manual?

I was also curious about a bit of grinding when getting the unit into forward. The previous owner would push the brake pedal all the way to the floor to get it into gear. Seems like a strange way to do this, so I thought I would ask. I know that engine RPM is critical, so I will set that correctly just as soon as possible.

Thanks for any help! I'm sure that I will ask for your help in the future as well as this is a somewhat older unit.

Great forum!

Steffan

 

[ctlguy]

Grinding when going into gear is normally high engine rpm issue like you stated. Did you end up with current style 6x4 (air cooled) or older version (liquid cooled). The very earliest liquid cooled version had a tendancy to foul spark plugs if just "puttering" around. Needed to throw the kids on it every once in a while to blow her out good. I always thought they where a good machine even though steering in the mud or ice was not that good. An operators manual will provide enough info for general service.

 

[MrChris]

If it shifts smoothly with the engine off its more than likely your idle speed is set too high.

 

[smarley]

Thanks guys,

I have to admit that I don't know all of the details of the gator. It is sitting in the driveway of the new (to us) property that we are purchasing. We close on the house on Thursday and then I will get a chance to inspect the unit and determine just what I have and make a few adjustments to the idle etc.

It appears to be fairly old, although the hour meter shows 288 hours (and I did determine that the meter is functional). For $2k with a newly rebuilt engine (by the local Deere dealership), I thought that it probably wasn't a bad deal. I like to work on motorcycles and cars, so it should be fun fine-tuning the Gator.

More details (and I'm sure questions) to follow.

Thanks for all of the help,

Steffan

 

[Michelle K linnane]

I have had a 6X4 for 8 years and it has grinded when in going in gear most of the time. And mine is not from high engine RPM. Almost of the gators I
have driven do it,, not that makes it ok but general observation.

 

[ctlguy]

I have had a 6X4 for 8 years and it has grinded when in going in gear most of the time. And mine is not from high engine RPM. Almost of the gators I
have driven do it,, not that makes it ok but general observation.

I am not sure that I agree completly. I have driven literally thousands (exageration probably just hundreds ) of these machines and gear grinding is not typicall if they are running the way they should. That said however it could be a little difficult to keep the very first liquid cooled units tuned.

 

[smarley]

I have heard people complain of gears grinding and that when they replaced the "clutch buttons". the problem went away.

From what I can gather, these buttons are installed on the face of the secondary clutch and if worn, somehow add to gear grinding possibilities. Can anyone explain how the clutch buttons work?

Thanks again,

Steffan

 

[ctlguy]

I guess I am by no means a clutch expert but worn clutch parts can certainly contribute to shifting issues. They are a comet clutch if that helps in your research.

 

[Branchchipper]

I have had a 6X4 for 8 years and it has grinded when in going in gear most of the time. And mine is not from high engine RPM. Almost of the gators I
have driven do it,, not that makes it ok but general observation.

I have owned a 2001 6x4 since new. It has always "clunked/ground" momentarily when shifting from N to forward or reverse, including when we drove it out of the dealer's shop, where it had just been assembled. Experienced JD mechanic there said "don't worry, they all do it." In my experience this is accurate. On mine, this noise is now minimal at idle, but would be noticeably worse if the engine was above idle speed, so correct idle RPM is definitely important.

I agree with the poster above about owner's manual being sufficient- it is very detailed, and I have done all of the maintenance on this machine using it. That includes the "extra" steps for the diesel engine...

This is a very tough machine- it has a few design- related limitations (above-mentioned steering in snow/mud, clutch free-wheel on steep hills, low ground clearance) but has served us very well for over a decade.
It has pulled or hauled everything we have asked it to, including some pretty ridiculous stuff!

 

[JESSE1]

One thing to do occasionally is remove the clutch dust cover and blow out the dust/dirt that has built up inside it. The owner's manual shows how to do this.