L3400 grinding and shifting problem

[praha]

My new L3400 grinds every time I shift from neutral. When in gears /loader work/ it is OK.
MY dealer told me , that I have to wait 2 seconds, hold the pedal for at least 2 seconds before shiffting. Sometimes that is not enough, it has to be held longer and I must be very gentle and carefull to move the shifter into the gears without that terrible grinding sound.
I should be able to push the clutch and shift ..without waiting!!!
Please, tell me what you think about it.

Thanks,
Joe

 

[Shimon]

Are you coming to a complete stop? You must be stopped, clutch pushed in then shift. 2 seconds sounds long. As long as you are not moving you can clutch and shift right away.

 

[simonmeridew]

I'm with Shimon: you have to be stopped all the way,and it'll shift without a clash. ..... forget about 2 seconds, but completely stopped, then you can shift without a clash. If anything different have your dealer try it. 2 seconds is .....! and you shouldn't need to listen to that stuff.
My 8N doesn't need that and it's 55 years old.
simonmeridew

 

[praha]

Absolutely,
the tractor is not moving at all when it happens.
The dealer said that I would have to live with it. It has 17 hours on it and it has this problem from day 1. It is at the dealer right now and I think I am not taking it back unless the problem is solved.I paid a premium dollar for it and I should get a working product. Am I wrong?

Joe

 

[cp1969]

It's an unsyncronized transmission. Any relative movement between the two gears you're trying to engage will produce grinding. How is the dealer going to solve that? The only thing that would be in the dealer's control and can cause excessive grinding is a dragging clutch and I would expect that the dealer has ruled that out.

You have to think about what's going on in the transmission before you try to change gears and the amount of time you have to wait varies. The rpm of the engine has a huge effect on this.

The part about having to be stopped isn't a hard and fast rule, either. I shift my L3000 between 5th and 6th all the time while mowing and rarely grind gears.

Maybe you should consider getting a hydrostat.

 

[praha]

cp 1969,
the dealer said there's nothing they can do. They checked everything. They also talked to Kubota.
Again, I don't think I have to put up with it. I wasn't aware of this problem until I started using it. I paid a premium dollar for a broken tractor???!That's what I believe is not right and I think I should have a perfect tractor. My knee hurts after 2 hours , since I have to fight with the clutch all the time. Plus how long does it take to damage the gears?


Joe

 

[rbargeron]

Do you know if the dealer has tried adjusting the clutch linkage? It sounds like the clutch isn't fully disengaging. It also sounds like the dealer isn't really taking this seriously. It is possible the clutch disc, or pressure plate is defective. They'd have to split the tractor to get to it which may explain their resistance. You should not have to accept this condition. Ask the dealer to produce another tractor just like yours and see if it does the same thing.

IMHO waiting 2 seconds should not be necessary. If the transmission oil was really hot, and if the engine speed was over 2000 rpm, then MAYBE it would take a couple seconds for the viscosity of the oil in the transmission to bring the gears to a stop. But under normal operating conditions the tranny gears coast down very fast once the clutch is disengaged in neutral.

If you have a floor jack and stands you could test whether the clutch is dragging. With the wheels off the ground and the tractor safely supported, start it up and put it in a forward gear. Let the clutch out and the wheels should turn. When you push in the clutch they should stop. If they keep turning the clutch is dragging (not disengaging).

 

[wushaw]

My Little 1980's something 15hp Mitsubishi grinds also, it is a non-syncroed tranny. If I wait for everything to spin down...a few seconds then it won't grind...grinding on a non-syncroed tranny is just the nature of the beast.

If you don't want to hear grinding gears...get a HST. Your knee won't get sore doing FEL work either.

 

[cp1969]

cp 1969,
the dealer said there's nothing they can do. They checked everything. They also talked to Kubota.
Again, I don't think I have to put up with it. I wasn't aware of this problem until I started using it. I paid a premium dollar for a broken tractor???!That's what I believe is not right and I think I should have a perfect tractor. My knee hurts after 2 hours , since I have to fight with the clutch all the time. Plus how long does it take to damage the gears?


Joe

If you think your tractor is broken, you need to ask the dealer to let you demo an identical model and see if it behaves the same way. If it doesn't, you've got a legitimate complaint. OTOH, if it does the same thing, it's like wushaw and I have said...it's the nature of a gear transmission--get a hydrostat if you can't live with it.

 

[praha]

The thing is , I did not buy a hydro, I don' t want a hydro, I want a simple gear tractor...working as it should.

rbargeron,
they said they did all adjustments. Rpm was 900 and I have a problem shifting anytime, cold or hot.
I will ask the dealer to do the test you suggested. I think it is dragging , since sometimes I feel turning gears thru the shifting lever.. relatively long time after I push the clutch down.
The other demo does not do it.

Joe

 

[ccsial]

When shifting from neutral it is normal to have to wait. This is not a faulty tractor, it is the nature of the beast.

If you don't want a hydro and want to get rid of the neutral problem you need a glide shift type of tractor, But the L3400 doesn't come in that flavor.

One trick that works on my 1910 is to shift to the lowest gear first and then to the higher gear while the clutch is depressed. I guess the lower gears are turning slower and don't grind as much.

The only time this is an issue though is from neutral. If I'm moving back and forth there is no grinding as long as I'm stopped.

 

[Mahana79]

When shifting from neutral it is normal to have to wait. This is not a faulty tractor, it is the nature of the beast.

If you don't want a hydro and want to get rid of the neutral problem you need a glide shift type of tractor, But the L3400 doesn't come in that flavor.

One trick that works on my 1910 is to shift to the lowest gear first and then to the higher gear while the clutch is depressed. I guess the lower gears are turning slower and don't grind as much.

The only time this is an issue though is from neutral. If I'm moving back and forth there is no grinding as long as I'm stopped.

My L3400 behaves similiar. when going from fwd to rev i.e. doing loader work i dont get very minimal gear grind. if i put it in neutral let out on the clutch and then back in to put it back in range i.e. stoping to open a gate. i will grind the gears.

 

[praha]

Yes, that is exactly the case.
Will GL 3240 be different?? ...I like the size of L 3400, that's why I chose it.



Thank you guys,

Joe

 

[ccsial]

Yes, that is exactly the case.
Will GL 3240 be different?? ...I like the size of L 3400, that's why I chose it.



Thank you guys,

Joe

I'm not familiar with the GL3240 but the GL's come with 3 options. DT which is gears, GS (Glide Shift) which is gears but has a shuttle that shifts without grinding, and the HST. It sounds like you want a GS.

I've never driven a GS but I don't think you even need to clutch when changing gears. Just to stop.

 

[RayMunising]

Yes, that is exactly the case.
Will GL 3240 be different?? ...I like the size of L 3400, that's why I chose it.

The DT version (gears) in the GL line is a fully synchronized main and shuttle transmission with 8 forward and 8 reverse gears. If you don't mind using a clutch the DT transmission in the GL is the way to go IMO and is a whole different animal than the trans in the L3400. Once you pick a gear range (high-medium-low) it is similar to using a standard trans in a car/truck.

The GST is simpler to operate because you don't have to use the clutch but is a more complex trans.

The HST-Plus is a non-gear transmission.

The GL line also has a live independent hydraulically activated PTO clutch that is superior to the PTO system used in the L2800/L3400.

 

[praha]

I wish I had this kind of experience 3 month ago.
I did not know what to expect, what to ask, no idea what I was buying.
I just wanted a smaller tractor, with an excellent reliability and good resale.

The difference between L3400 and GL 3240 was only 1200 hundred dollars.
I chose a smaller, lighter, tractor............'cause my rig is F 150....

The tractor has been a good machine otherwise.

Thanks guys for you time .

Joe

/weekend Yooper/

 

[RayMunising]

The L3400 is nonetheless a workhorse. Just like anything else the more you use it the more you'll get the hang of it. Unsynchronized standard transmissions like your L3400 has have been around a long long time. I'm sure it'll serve you well.

 

[Goog]

I have an L3400 HST and one of my co-workers has an L3400DT. He said you have to pause just a second or two when shifting. He expected that when he bought it because that is how most non synchro tranmsssions work. This is normal operation.
He let a friend run it recently and he was grinding gears. He told him to slow down. It is a tractor not a Ferrari. I love my HST but I have driven gear tractors and that is why I chose an HST. I like to just use that one pedal.
But that is why they make both choices available. Good luck with your tractor. Brian

 

[ccsial]

I used to be a gear man. The L3400 didn't have enough speed ranges for me though. (I like my 1910, 12 forward and reverse) My dealer talked me into the HST and now I would never give it up.

 

[praha]

It is a workhorse , indeed. What bothers me, that the other L3400 on a dealers lot shifts perfect....so is 2800.
And I believe you guys when you say you have a same problem.


Joe