2014 BX-25D 50 Hour Service.... Problem

[Johnkn]

I had my BX25 picked up by my local dealer for its 50 hour service. Service completed and the tractor was delivered to my home when I was at work. I was pleased that they had taken the time to clean it, leaks in the grapple repaired etc. I get on and fire it up, let it warm up for a moment and moved the tractor forward. The pedal feel was significantly different. The pedal was super slow to return to center. Unlike some others reports my pedal and braking always worked perfectly. Now when letting off the forward or rearward pedal the pedal took seconds to return to center and sometime never returned, almost like a spring was off or something was binding. Forward or rearward, same issue, and on flat ground sometimes the tractor would continue to keep moving. I went to put it in the shed, I'm looking at the grapple to make sure it didn't hit anything and **** if the tractor didn't creep 5 feet in reverse and back into the wall. I called the dealer and told them to come get it and mentioned that while I've seen reports of braking issues mine had always worked perfectly. The guy on the phone said " that problem was with the early BX25s and that had been resolved 10 years ago." A comment that really scared me. So we"ll see what happens. Oh, 3-4 times I put it in hi range, 3000 rpm and backed up almost full speed. Took my foot off the pedal, the pedal failed to return to center for perhaps 2 seconds, tractor didn't slow then instantly it centered and it felt like I hit a wall. Wish me luck. No brake issues going in and now this.

 

[s219]

If the treadle never returns to center on its own at all, then I'd suspect the return spring got broken or disconnected. I'd encourage you to crawl under the tractor (engine off, key removed, wheels chocked) while a helper moves the treadle back and forth with their foot. Look for the mechanism that's moving an look for the return spring to see if it's doing it's job. You can download parts diagrams from Messicks to study the design on paper.

It's also possible they messed up the damper on the HST treadle or it suddenly failed. Neither seems plausible to me though. But look for what appears to be like a little shock absorber connected to the linkages for the treadle, and observe what's happening. That damper should control the rate the treadle returns to center. It has an adjustment to control that rate. Look for signs that someone fiddled with that.

Basically, the spring is what will tug the treadle back to center when you remove your foot, and the damper controls the rate at which it returns to center. If either of them are stuck or binding, it's going to act weird like you have described.

The treadle also has a couple grease points, and a lack of grease can impede motion. Not sure if the recent 50-hr greasing would have screwed up something in that regard though.

BTW, the braking issues some have described are directly tied to the damper and its adjustment, and result in consistently poor or no braking when letting off the treadle. What you have described is a lot more erratic and a lot less consistent, so to me it sounds like a more obvious issue, like something stuck in the mechanism or a part of the spring or damper not being connected right.

 

[Johnkn]

Thanks for your response, we'll see what happens. It just torques me though that it stopped perfectly before the service and now it's hosed. Always something....

 

[94BULLITT]

There is an adjustment on the damper on the hydro pedal. IIRC the spec for a BX is it is supposed to stop in 8-10' on concrete when you let of the pedal at full speed in high range.

 

[Jeff F.]

It seems that they pressure washed it to clean it. It's possible debris got into the linkage in the process. I agree you will need to look under the tractor to see what's going on

 

[JFoy]

Take a look at Paul Shorts' video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdEq4pqFb5I

 

[s219]

That is a great video -- Paul has diagnosed and corrected the issue perfectly and it's clear as day in this video. I can't remember how many times I have told people here on TBN it's just a simple spring/damper adjustment and nobody believed me.

 

[4shorts]

That is a great video -- Paul has diagnosed and corrected the issue perfectly and it's clear as day in this video. I can't remember how many times I have told people here on TBN it's just a simple spring/damper adjustment and nobody believed me.

Thank You :thumbsup:

 

[s219]

Thank You :thumbsup:

Hey, thank you!!! Love all your videos and custom fab work.

 

[Johnkn]

Dealer picked it up, we'll see what happens. When complete I'm going to drive over and test it before they bring it back.

Seems I was one of the chosen few to have the pedal work right and stop the tractor properly since new, now I can only think that someone untrained got under it and adjusted something (damper or spring) that didn't need adjusting. Or as was suggested, the pressure washing blew some debris into it. More to come. thanks