1531 diff lock location

[mchasal]

Hi all,

Well after some delays getting the dozer blade, my tractor was finally delivered. I've taken a couple of snaps of the diff lock and they are located in my TBN album and I'll be adding more there soon.

I don't find that it hits my leg at all. I do understand why it is a lever and not a pedal, but it's not really a great solution. The left foot isn't doing anything at all on the tractor, so a pedal on the left would have made a lot of sense, though the linkage would have been more complex. I played with it a bit and it does pop out of lock once tension is off the drivetrain. I am able to get my left foot over to step on the bend in the arm and keep it engaged, but it's a bit awkward. I plan to do "something" about it. Not sure what yet.

I'm surprised your dealer wouldn't let you drive it. It's a bit silly to expect you to buy the thing without ever taking it for a spin. It's possible he thinks you're just a "tire kicker". Dealers get a lot of those and I ran into one that did that to me. Maybe if you go back a second time he'll take you more seriously, if not, I'd find another dealer. Mine is from Sosler's located near Middletown, NY.

Mike

 

[mchasal]

Should probably add direct links since my album is starting to fill up /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Diff lock
Closeup

Mike

 

[BillG_in_TX]

Mike,

I always thought that a differential lock should be utilized to get unstuck, and not for extra traction when working. I think it's designed to unlock and not be used with FEL work, etc.

 

[mchasal]

That's possible. My last tractor (19?? MF 202) had no such feature, so I don't have a lot of experience with it. I've heard of folks that hit it when pushing into a pile to prevent losing momentum. It's usually better to not get stuck at all than to get unstuck. I could be all wrong here. Regardless, just from an ergonomics perspective it would be better to be somewhere else as the right side is pretty occupied. Obviously, it wasn't a big enough deal to keep me from buying the thing, and I'm really not worried about it.

Mike

 

[ovrszd]

I currently run a JD but I use my diff lock a lot!!! A lever that I have to repeatedly engage with my hand would not suit me well at all. Isn't it odd that manufacturers do things like that?? It's common to see Hydro tractors with a treadle on the right side to run the hydro and just in front of the treadle is the two brake pedals??? What's up with that??? Makes you wonder what they are thinking!!!! My most use of diff lock is to get out of situations that just needs a little boost without engaging 4x4 or applying the brakes which robs power. Diff lock should be spring loaded and unlock as soon as there is no need. With that in mind you will be constantly holding the lever to keep it engaged in that type of situation where it's needed repeatedly, rather than just resting your heel on a button. Just always amazes me when I see things that are so poorly designed. And the engineers get paid how much????? /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[JerryG]

I have been in more than one situation where I wished that I could lock the differential lock in and move my foot. These are usually steep dangerous situations where the tractor could turn over. When MF was in the industrial business, they made very heavy off-road forklifts. Several different models of these forklifts had a differential lock that was activated by a shift lever. You had to hold it in just like the foot operated lock, but you didn’t have to use your foot and it worked great. Heck, I may change mine over to one like that. I have some extra shift rods.

 

[JerseyRay]

Yeah, Sosler's, that's where I was. I talked to the thin fellow "Ray". He seemed nice and all. I guess he thought I wasn't serious. It was the second time I was there. First time was a couple month's ago. Probably didn't remember me. But when I mentioned the diff. being on the left side he said there's no tractor made with it there. 10 minutes down the road at the JD dealer I saw some 3320's with it on the left. Go figure.

 

[keltonkrew]

I may be off topic here, but on the MF GC2300 that I just bought, my diff lock is on the left that you can push/hold with your left foot. It's in a perfect location, no hands required.

granted these are different models, but this MF model does have it on the left as a pedal.

 

[mchasal]

I'm surprised to hear that about them. They were very nice to me from the start. Maybe it's because I was with my friend who had his John Deere hat on? (They gave him a Massey hat on the spot). Maybe something just made it obvious to them that I was serious? Who knows? They are definitely a bit of a hometown dealer, which has pros and cons. Some of my paperwork could have gone more smoothly, but it all got done. I just got a diecast model of a tractor that they sent for my son out of nowhere. This is a big 1/32 scale model that was priced at $25. So a con and a pro /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
FYI all 3 of the guys there are named Ray. Which again, has pros and cons. You can always say "Hi Ray" when you call them, but when they say "Hi, it's Ray from Sosler's" when they call, it doesn't really help.
I have a sneaking suspicion that all the Massey dealers have some sort of agreement to not compete or something. I had a similar thing happen when I called Abele in Albany, which is a pretty big dealer, to ask for pricing. They asked where I was from, and after that gave me really sky high pricing. I think it was even over MSRP. So maybe when they think it's someone who's not local, they assume your just looking for lower pricing to bring your dealer down and just try and shut you out. Like I said, just a suspicion.

Mike

 

[boutym]

I'm surprised to hear that about them. They were very nice to me from the start. Maybe it's because I was with my friend who had his John Deere hat on? (They gave him a Massey hat on the spot). Maybe something just made it obvious to them that I was serious? Who knows? They are definitely a bit of a hometown dealer, which has pros and cons. Some of my paperwork could have gone more smoothly, but it all got done. I just got a diecast model of a tractor that they sent for my son out of nowhere. This is a big 1/32 scale model that was priced at $25. So a con and a pro /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
FYI all 3 of the guys there are named Ray. Which again, has pros and cons. You can always say "Hi Ray" when you call them, but when they say "Hi, it's Ray from Sosler's" when they call, it doesn't really help.
I have a sneaking suspicion that all the Massey dealers have some sort of agreement to not compete or something. I had a similar thing happen when I called Abele in Albany, which is a pretty big dealer, to ask for pricing. They asked where I was from, and after that gave me really sky high pricing. I think it was even over MSRP. So maybe when they think it's someone who's not local, they assume your just looking for lower pricing to bring your dealer down and just try and shut you out. Like I said, just a suspicion.

Mike

Old thread, but when I bought my GC2610 I had a similar experience with other dealers. I tried to pit Sosler's against Geoff's in CT and a few other dealers and they wouldn't compete against each other. In fact, Geoff's pretty much refused to sell me the tractor given I wasn't in CT. A few years later I found that they won't pickup/drop off outside of CT because of DOT issues, so that may have been the reason. Dealers also tend to think they won't get the service revenue if there's a dealer closer to you. I've since had opportunity to have Geoff's service my tractor. Nice people, but not so sure I care for the service I got. Tractor didn't idle right when I got it back and running in reverse is much slower than before. Never could get a response on why this might be.

I ended up buying from Sosler's. It was a bit of a gaggle and they refused to let me drive the tractor before purchase. They also told me they would provide free transport to/from for warranty issues during the warranty period (2 years for residential use), but when it came time to transport after the first year they refused and played the transport is the responsibility of the customer card. Needless to say, I will not do business with Sosler's simply because I will not spend money with a business that doesn't honor their word.