fatboycowen
Silver Member
Yesterday, we got our first snow (late). It wasn't much, and was icy rain mixed in, so it was heavy stuff, maybe 3 inches. I was anxious to try the tractor. I still don't have a place to store it covered.
Someone at some point moved the original ignition to the top of the dash, right side, probably so they wouldn't keep shutting off the tractor with their knee.
I was stupid. I thought it through months ago, but forgot. I never covered the dash area. The ignition was frozen. It took some time, but i managed to get the thing warmed up enough to get the key in, and eventually to turn. However, when i did, the ignition was broken. Basically, the start position was the "on" position.
I went out and bought a universal ignition switch from a local auto parts store and began figuring it out. The original key appeared to have an "on" position and start, so i figured this would work. I dug through the manual to figure out wiring, and realized it wasn't going to be easy. Once wired up, the glow plugs stay on, since the universal switch keeps the accessory part on constantly. Once the tractor was warm, i decided to disconnect the glow circuit. The manual says that the tractor will activate the glow plugs if the coolant is low enough temperature, even in the "on" position. And, according to their diagram, the "on" position doesn't include the glow circuit. The tractor was already somewhat warm, so i couldn't test it with the glow wire disconnected.
So, tonight, i'm going to find out if this works. The glows will either work or not. If they don't, i see 2 choices. One is to put an inline switch in the glow circuit, so i can turn off the glow plugs once it's started. The other is to order another factory ignition switch.
What would you do? I have a feeling the bobcat ignition is unique. I'm not sure if the kioti switch will work. The bobcat switch has a nice factory connector (i wired the new switch to the old connector, to keep it intact). The kioti switch, on michigan iron, is like 66 bucks. The universal i got was like 10... I haven't yet called the bobcat dealer.
Thoughts?
Someone at some point moved the original ignition to the top of the dash, right side, probably so they wouldn't keep shutting off the tractor with their knee.
I was stupid. I thought it through months ago, but forgot. I never covered the dash area. The ignition was frozen. It took some time, but i managed to get the thing warmed up enough to get the key in, and eventually to turn. However, when i did, the ignition was broken. Basically, the start position was the "on" position.
I went out and bought a universal ignition switch from a local auto parts store and began figuring it out. The original key appeared to have an "on" position and start, so i figured this would work. I dug through the manual to figure out wiring, and realized it wasn't going to be easy. Once wired up, the glow plugs stay on, since the universal switch keeps the accessory part on constantly. Once the tractor was warm, i decided to disconnect the glow circuit. The manual says that the tractor will activate the glow plugs if the coolant is low enough temperature, even in the "on" position. And, according to their diagram, the "on" position doesn't include the glow circuit. The tractor was already somewhat warm, so i couldn't test it with the glow wire disconnected.
So, tonight, i'm going to find out if this works. The glows will either work or not. If they don't, i see 2 choices. One is to put an inline switch in the glow circuit, so i can turn off the glow plugs once it's started. The other is to order another factory ignition switch.
What would you do? I have a feeling the bobcat ignition is unique. I'm not sure if the kioti switch will work. The bobcat switch has a nice factory connector (i wired the new switch to the old connector, to keep it intact). The kioti switch, on michigan iron, is like 66 bucks. The universal i got was like 10... I haven't yet called the bobcat dealer.
Thoughts?