JD 770 Hood Release Argh!

jmerrill · Jan 21, 2012

My hood release lever pulled loose without opening the hood. It now just flops around, clearly disconnected from whatever it is supposed to do. I have tried to re-seat it, kind of blind, but without success. Is there any way to open this hood other than by this lever? Seems like all the bolts and pins holding the rest of the covers are accessible only when the hood is lifted. Tried to get in via the spring loaded front grill, but can't get it off. Maybe there is a trick to that. Kind of a "catch-22" when the only way to access a broken hood release is to open the hood, which you can't do with a broken hood release!

Brimstone10x · Jan 21, 2012

I have worked on many of these tractors but do not know a trick if the rod comes off.maybe if you remove the lower dash and remove the two bolts that mount the rear of the hood/ hinge, maybe you could atleast get the side covers off. then remove the battery/ front grill , the front support that the latch mounts too comes off fairly easy , then you would have the front support with the hood atached , maybe you could then reach in and work the latch,maybe a much easyer way but since its not in front of me Im just guessing. good luck

Tractor Pilot · Jan 21, 2012

jmerrill,

Yes, you can get to the hood latch via the battery compartment. You might have to pull the battery to get a little more room for your arm & hand to maneuver.

There is no trick to getting off the spring loaded front grill (No latches, screws, etc). Just give it a good tug at the top of the grill just below the headlights. It is a tight fit so it might take a little effort to break free. I attached some pictures from my JD770. Hope this helps.

Bruce

jmerrill · Jan 21, 2012

Tractor Pilot: you had the right approach. I put a little muscle behind it and got the grill pulled out, then disconnected the springs and removed the grill. That gave me access enough. Turns out that the latch can be manipulated from below with a screw driver. Popped the hood open and then had access to everything. Found that the cotter pin had broken and fallen out of the handle (shown well in your pic). Couldn't find the spring but replaced it with a $0.69 one from the local hardware store and a new pin. All is now well and I thank you and Brimstone for helping. Got the driveway plowed late today. Yay!
John

Daddysfats · Mar 10, 2020

Tractor Pilot said:
jmerrill,

Yes, you can get to the hood latch via the battery compartment. You might have to pull the battery to get a little more room for your arm & hand to maneuver.

There is no trick to getting off the spring loaded front grill (No latches, screws, etc). Just give it a good tug at the top of the grill just below the headlights. It is a tight fit so it might take a little effort to break free. I attached some pictures from my JD770. Hope this helps.

Bruce

Not sure if this will work against an older post, but I am in need of a grille spring. In this picture you can see them clearly. Should I just grab a spring or two from the hardware store or does anyone know where to find a set of those? Just want to be sure I have the right length/tension so it doesn't fall off again.

Thank you, Andrew