Tires TC40D Freewheelin' not

[Tractorganic]

When I have my TC40D up on jack stands, in neutral, brake off, pto off, She won't freewheel which I need her to do so I can rotate a tire to put on chains.
Is this normal, is there a cure? Nothin' in the manual.
Thanks,
Chris

 

[jinman]

With both rear wheels in the air, you should easily freewheel just like shifting into neutral and rolling downhill. My guess is that your brakes may be adjusted a bit too tight. The PTO is nowhere in the wheel drivetrain, so you only have the brakes and transmission. One thing additional is 4wd. I believe it should also be disengaged.

EDIT: Yep, I'd bet it is 4wd. You want your front wheels to brake anytime 4wd is engaged. The only way to do that is to keep them connected to the rear axle where the brake is located.

 

[Tractorganic]

I get a thrill when I look in the reply box and see "Jinman". I know I'm about to get help! So what I think I should do next is release that handle on the left of the seat to go into 2WD and I'll probably have to do that with the engine running and before I jack it up.
Do you think using a 1500 lb rated jack one wheel at a time is pushing my luck?

 

[TO_Bud]

Yep, always good to hear from Jim and his flow chart approach to problem solving, always sound advice. Regarding shifting out of 4wd, it seems to me it would be easier to do that as you normally do with the tractor on the ground, might be less work than moving jack stands around.

 

[jinman]

No, you don't have to have the engine running. It's completely mechanical just like shifting the Range Lever. Since the rear wheels are already in the air, it should come out of 4wd like a knife through butter. If you've already taken it off jackstands, go ahead and try to shift out without anything running. If it won't shift, start the engine and lift the front wheels with the loader before shifting out of 4wd. I think you'll be pleased with the result.

BTW: One rear wheel in the air should be able to rotate with the transmission in neutral because of the differential action after you've shifted to 2wd. It will be a tiny bit harder than with both tires in the air, but you should be able to do it. The Range Lever MUST be in neutral with the brakes off though. Block the tire on the other side for safety so the tractor doesn't roll with no brakes set, or make sure your loader is sitting on the ground. On fairly flat ground the loader should be all you need to hold the tractor on its spot while jacking.

 

[jinman]

Oh yes. . . a 1500 lb jack will be at it's limit, especially if the tires are loaded. A 2-1/2 ton floor jack would be more my choice. If the tires are not loaded the 1500 lb jack will probably be just fine, but it would never be the best choice for the job. Is it a scissor jack or a hydraulic jack? I'd get a cheap floor jack and give it a try. Any of these jacks will work just fine, even the really cheap ones are 1.5 ton. Are you sure the jack your using is only 1500 lb rated? That just sounds very light duty. Did you mean 1.5 tons? That would mean the jack is rated at 3000 lb.

 

[Tractorganic]

I had to release the 4 to 2 wheel drive lever while she was on the ground and running, then shut 'er down and did my blocking and jacking. Turns out the floor jack's good for 2 tons. I first looked at using my 20 ton bottle jack but it couldn't reach the axle. First tried the 2 ton under the backhoe rear mounting plate but heard a loud crack:confused2:. Can't see any metal cracks (see picture). I moved to the sway bar mount on the axle and, using a stout wooden block, jacked her in the a enough for tire to clear the ground.
WHEEL SPINS EASILY. won't this be great for re-mounting the tire chains.
BTW sure will be hard to fit my jack stand under the axle w/ the jack and block. Any ideas?
Any guesses on the crack sound, it wasn't the jack.
Thank you,
Chris

 

[jinman]

Check the tightness of all BH mounting plate bolts. Sometimes the bolts are snug, but not tight. When you apply pressure, the plate shifts on the bolts and pops. My loader subframe loosened up and I didn't discover it until one bolt was out and the second loose. The subframe creaking was my first clue something was wrong.

I also had a problem getting a jackstand under my tractor. What I did was to put wood below the jack platform so it could not drop (see photo below). That was my "temporary" jackstand and you could do the same with yours, especially if you use a smaller block on top of the jack.

 

[lhfarm]

When I have my TC40D up on jack stands, in neutral, brake off, pto off, She won't freewheel which I need her to do so I can rotate a tire to put on chains.
Is this normal, is there a cure? Nothin' in the manual.
Thanks,
Chris

Chris,
As a side note, I "drive" my chains on. Lay the chains out behind the tractor. I use a bungee cord through the wheel, to hold the ends of the chain. Just ease forward and the chains well ride up the tire. Learned the method from TBN folks. Sure makes a tough task easier.

 

[Tractorganic]

Re/ drive-on chains I'm concerned about the cross chains (the straight pieces not the ladders) falling into the tread grooves instead of staying up on the treads like the dealer instructs. I've got "v" bar ladder chains and R4 tires. Chances are good I'd catch a lot of grooves by driving on but, I'll try it.
Alternately; I think I'll take your suggestion of attaching an end to the tire with a bungee but then start levering the raised wheel around(anyone know of a good tractor wheel rotating lever?), winding chain on, stopping to place each cross chain on top of it's tread. I'll then do the end connecting and tightening.
The thing is, if we don't have a forecast of significant snow between now and April, I may have to wait 'till next season unless I just go out and practice in the mud.
Thanks a lot,
Chris