TC45D Cruise Control Problem

[rogerson]

Can anyone tell me if they have ever had an issue with the cruise control on their tractor not operating.

Mine was working fine, then all of a sudden when I go to engage it, as long as I press the button, the green illuminator light comes on, but as soon as my finger leaves the button the light goes off.

I am not sure if the cruise in engaging while I hold the button or not.

I know the cruise releases when you step on the brake and that is what it is like. How would I check a faulty plug or connection?

Jeff

[LarryD]

You're not the first person to have this problem. A search in this forum should bring up a couple of threads at least.

You can do a quick test to see if the magnet is engaging by turning on the ignition and pushing the cruise switch. If the break is off you should hear it engage on the plate. No audible click means it could be the relay or the safety switch operated by the brake pedal.

My problem was the brake pedal safety switch was misaligned. On my 33D you can see it very clearly from below so I would imagine yours would be visible as well. I just realigned the switch and everything was good.

[jinman]

Originally Posted by rogerson

Can anyone tell me if they have ever had an issue with the cruise control on their tractor not operating.

Mine was working fine, then all of a sudden when I go to engage it, as long as I press the button, the green illuminator light comes on, but as soon as my finger leaves the button the light goes off.

I am not sure if the cruise in engaging while I hold the button or not.

I know the cruise releases when you step on the brake and that is what it is like. How would I check a faulty plug or connection?

Jeff

Jeff, LarryD pretty much covered checking the cruise. The only additional thing I'd do is to push an HST pedal before pressing the cruise button. That way you can see if it holds as long as you hold the button. You can do this while the tractor is moving too, but it's easier to test with the ignition on and the engine not running. You should hear a click and the pedal should hold.

As LarryD said, check the brake switch under the left side of the platform. It's possible you also have a cruise latch relay problem or the switch on the fender sometimes becomes wet or gets dirt into it. Unfortunately, you may also have a burned out magnet.

If you have an Operator's Manual, there is an electric schematic in the back. Look at Frame 6. It has the cruise control relay, switch, and magnet shown for electrical troubleshooting. The relays and switches just have numbers, but you can match them to the legend at the bottom of the page. I've gone through all my schematics and penciled in the actual name beside the relays and switches instead of just those numbers (K-10 is the Cruise Latch Relay).

[lhfarm]

My problem was caused by a mouse chewing the wiring in the joystick tower.
Here is the discussion http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/n...witch-not.html

Good luck,

[jinman]

Originally Posted by lhfarm

My problem was caused by a mouse chewing the wiring in the joystick tower.
Here is the discussion http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/n...witch-not.html

Good luck,

Barry, I believe your problem was the rabbit-turtle switch and his is the cruise switch. I'm not saying his problem is not rodents, just that it's a different circuit.

[rogerson]

Okay, now I am really embarrassed.

First, some background. The cruise had been working fine. The day before I had taken the tractor to a local non-NH dealer to have the under carriage arms installed for my 702C plow sub-frame (reason using this dealer is that I do not have a NH dealer close, and this shop does great work on all makes).

I picked up the tractor after work was done (I road it to and from) and was travelling back and decided to save my right leg a bit and engage the cruise. The light would come on as long as I held the toggle switch, but as soon as released it would turn off.... was the cruise engaging as long as I held the switch? I don't even know.

So my first instinct is that the garage disconnected something in error.

I crawled under the tractor checked all of the connections and couldn't find an error or disconnected plug.

Then it hit me (after I had posted) that if the brake is applied, the cruise shuts down.... could it be an error in the brake switch or disconncted....

No, all in order.... but wait.... the lever that locks the two brake peddles together is actually lodged in front of the face of the other peddle, holding it down slightly..... could it be holding it down far enough to trick the cruise to thinking the brake was engaged and thus the cruise inoperable...?????

Yes!!!!

Okay, so move the lock lever back into position, allowing the brake peddle back up to the top and all is good.....

So thanks for all of your help to all...... and I am embarassed...

Jeff

[dqdave1]

Same thing happened to me.

[jinman]

Originally Posted by rogerson

So thanks for all of your help to all...... and I am embarassed...

Jeff

...and a lot more of a cruise expert, huh?

[lhfarm]

Originally Posted by jinman

Barry, I believe your problem was the rabbit-turtle switch and his is the cruise switch. I'm not saying his problem is not rodents, just that it's a different circuit.

Well, at least it was a switch! Glad it was an easy fix.

[MoyockHeel]

I see that you found your problem, but I had a similar problem with my TC40DA, in Sept. 2006, when it was under 20 hrs. I was initially told by the dealer's service dept that I was not going fast enough, that it was operator error, that it was my imagination, etc. They advised checking for a loose wire, checking fuses, etc. Upon having the tractor taken back to the dealer to replace the Instrument Panel because the hour meter quit working at 24 hrs., they looked at the cruise control. It was an issue with the brake pedal and the magnet, described nicely in a previous post in this thread. What yours is doing is exactly what mine did, and the dealer eventually fixed it. They replaced the magnet, and adjusted something on the brake pedal side. i.e, there were multiple issues that their verbal troubleshooting advice to me would not allow me to fix, simply. It works fine, now.