Thought my 3550 had me stranded 5 miles from my truck.

wwdiii · Aug 13, 2019

I知 a member of a 5300 acre hunting lease/club, temper company land. I was brush hogging one of my spots about 5 miles from camp where I parked my truck in camp.

I dropped a right front and left rear tire in a low spot at the same time, buried my brush hog and stalled my tractor. My 3550 is an HST. I started it and pushed the rear pedal and nothing same for the forward pedal. Both pretty mush just went to the floor and something didn稚 seem right. I could tell it was going into gear, could feel it go from low, Med and high etc.

I walked around to see if I had knocked a hose off or etc. Started it a couple of times. Called my wife and told her I may have walk out if I can稚 figure this out. I had water etc, but I did not want to hike out, it was about 95 and 80 degree humidity. I may be in decent shape for 63, it would have been long hot walk out at Mid day.

I was more worried how I was going to get my tractor to the dealer, the would have had send a tech out.

After I drank some water and thought about things. I climbed back up, stated it worked the 4x4 lever a time or two and it decided to move. One thing I noticed the 4x4 indicator didn稚 light up. Other than the indicator light it worked fine and I finished my work.

I called the dealer and explained what happened to the service Mgr who I know well. He said the switch was an easy fix but wasn稚 sure about what happened and said bring it.

I think when I changed from 4 wheel to two earlier that day I didn稚 move the lever all the way and it jumped between 2 and 4 wheel when I stalled it. Or a stick pushed it between 2 and 4 wheel drive.

All I know I was glad when I pushed that pedal and it backed up, I thought I was in for a long hot hike out. I feel brush or limb knocked my switch out.

I知 going to play with it around the house next time I go to my lake house where I keep my tractor. I want to see if it does the same thing or I can make it do the Ssame thing again.

bridge4 · Aug 13, 2019

Good to hear you got home safe! I don't think my tractor even has a 4x4 indicator light, at least it's never went on for me. Hopefully you get it figured out! I had trouble shifting out of 4w yesterday, and just left it engaged, am going to try to straighten it out myself this afternoon. Let us know what you find!

wwdiii · Aug 13, 2019

I googled my problem and it took me to a posting on this site from a couples of years back. Seems like it was an connector or controller for the HST. It took the dealer a while to figure it out. I hope mine doesn’t do it again.

bridge4 · Aug 13, 2019

wwdiii said:
I googled my problem and it took me to a posting on this site from a couples of years back. Seems like it was an connector or controller for the HST. It took the dealer a while to figure it out. I hope mine doesn’t do it again.

Thanks for updating. Did you figure it out, or did the dealer?

wwdiii · Aug 13, 2019

bridge4,

I have not taken it to the dealer. I work in Houston but keep my tractor at my place near Lake Same Rayburn 3 hrs North of Houston. I'm going to use it around my place in the country and see what it does, but not going back for two more weeks. Wife has be staying in town which I can't stand. When I can, I'm going to get under it and find the switch for 4x4 indication and see if I can fix that. Its under warrenty, tractor only has 14 hrs. I have to trailer it an hr to the dealer both ways and I never have much time. My service manual tells me a lot about rebuilding the engine, but little about connectors and electronic controls. I'm going to check connectors and get a better understanding of the controls when I push a pedal.

If it quits on me again its going back to the deal. My gut tells me if it was a connector that came loose it would still be setting 5 miles from camp in the woods. I think it had to do with me not having it all the way in 2 wheel drive. I am going to try to recreate that problem again and see if I can replicate that problem.

Good thing I have a really good dealer, J5 tractor in Buna, Texas. Service mgr told me to bring it by and he would have a new indicator switch put in while I waited and talked deer hunting with the guys.