Earlier this winter, when I wanted to go blow the first snow, the tractor was totally dead. It worked just fine a few weeks earlier when I mounted the front snow blower. Lights and turn signals worked, and battery checked O. K. After reading comments here on TBN, I concluded that the problem very likely was in a little black box with a label on it reading "SAFETY CONTROLLER". I could not find a dealer with the right equipment to diagnose the unit. A new one is about $450, with no chance of returning it if the problem is found to lie somewhere else. I wasn't willing to chance getting stuck with paying that much for something that I possibly did not need.
After doing two passes from my garage to the road and back, a total distance of 4000 feet, with my Ariens 24" walk behind, I had the driveway passable, but my 83 year old body told me that this was not something I wanted to do all winter. Closest NH dealer used to be 25 miles away, but they have gone 100% Kubota, so now the closest one is 60 miles away. We are in the "snow belt" with a lot of so called lake effect snow, so I felt a bit desperate.
I tried a few things electrical. 12V was going to the glow plugs, but not to starter solenoid and to fuel solenoid on the injection pump.
After a lot of head scratching, two pieces of wire, one from key switch to injection pump and one to the starter solenoid now has the TC30 up and running again. All the government mandated safeties are bypassed. The tractor works just like an old fashioned tractor. No "safeties"! The only thing missing is the indicator light on the dash for the glow plugs, but as I am smart enough to limit the use and not burn up the glow plugs, I face winter without fear.
After doing two passes from my garage to the road and back, a total distance of 4000 feet, with my Ariens 24" walk behind, I had the driveway passable, but my 83 year old body told me that this was not something I wanted to do all winter. Closest NH dealer used to be 25 miles away, but they have gone 100% Kubota, so now the closest one is 60 miles away. We are in the "snow belt" with a lot of so called lake effect snow, so I felt a bit desperate.
I tried a few things electrical. 12V was going to the glow plugs, but not to starter solenoid and to fuel solenoid on the injection pump.
After a lot of head scratching, two pieces of wire, one from key switch to injection pump and one to the starter solenoid now has the TC30 up and running again. All the government mandated safeties are bypassed. The tractor works just like an old fashioned tractor. No "safeties"! The only thing missing is the indicator light on the dash for the glow plugs, but as I am smart enough to limit the use and not burn up the glow plugs, I face winter without fear.
