My hour meter jumped ahead!

[Ken Cunningham]

I thought the hour meter only worked when the tractor was actually running.

 

[PitbullMidwest]

Are you sure you're reading the meter hours, and not tenths of hours?

Builder, good call. It's probably 4.9hrs + 1.5hrs = 6.4 hours. 6.6 hours would only take 12 more minutes of use

 

[Champy]

I noticed that in that hour and a half, my hour meter had jumped ahead 17 hours. What happened? Can a dead battery make that happen?

I can second verifying the tenths of an hour response as a possible cause (since I've done this myself). If you actually worked it for 1.7 hours (1 hr-42m) and then misread the meter.......it would appear to be 17 hours more.

 

[jimgerken]

The responses were fun though, weren't they?

I cannot tell by your description if the time warp ahead event happened during the battery charge, or not. If it did, my bet is on poorly-rectified AC voltage squeeking thru and the hourmeter being affected by that AC. If your battery charger is like most, the rectifier section is a simple unit, for cost reasons.

 

[daBear]

Come back curdog, we were just having a little fun. Actually you got some pretty good ideas also. I would probably tell folks I was a piano player in a cat house before I told them I misread a hour meter though. lol, just kidding.

 

[curdog76]

Yeah, I wish I had misread my hour meter. It doesn't have tenths though. The dealer said to take off the negative battery cable from the frame and clean off the paint and reattach it. I did that after the battery got recharged. I haven't had any more problems since. I've been mowing a lot lately and the battery has stayed charged. I am still 17 hours ahead on my hour meter. I take the key out every time I get off the tractor. The dead battery must have screwed with the meter somehow. Thanks.

 

[BobRip]

Yeah, I wish I had misread my hour meter. It doesn't have tenths though. The dealer said to take off the negative battery cable from the frame and clean off the paint and reattach it. I did that after the battery got recharged. I haven't had any more problems since. I've been mowing a lot lately and the battery has stayed charged. I am still 17 hours ahead on my hour meter. I take the key out every time I get off the tractor. The dead battery must have screwed with the meter somehow. Thanks.

I am guessing this was some strange currents when you tried to start on a dead (or weak) battery. Currents can go very high and when the key is turned off electrical spikes are generated. An electronic digital meter (it is digital right?) can jump in these circumstances. If it's not digital, some spikes may have damaged the circuitry and it may contimue to misbehave. Watch it closely the next time you mow.

 

[J_J]

Yeah, I wish I had misread my hour meter. It doesn't have tenths though. The dealer said to take off the negative battery cable from the frame and clean off the paint and reattach it. I did that after the battery got recharged. I haven't had any more problems since. I've been mowing a lot lately and the battery has stayed charged. I am still 17 hours ahead on my hour meter. I take the key out every time I get off the tractor. The dead battery must have screwed with the meter somehow. Thanks.

I believe something similar happen to someone else on the forum.

If you want to know if the hour meter is active when the switch is on, just turn it to the on position for about 1 hour and then check the results.

You can not reset it, but you can unhook the meter for the amount of time you desire to correct the true tractor usage.

I am not saying to do this , but some people will disconnect the hour meter in order to show less hours on the tractor, and then hook it back up when they sell it. There is no way to tell, unless there is a hidden meter some where on the tractor. The rental business is aware of this practice. Some of them can monitor the running time on their machines remotely and know exactly where the machine is.

 

[Redbug]

I have a GMC truck, and have noticed the engine hours had gone back in time. It has happened twice. I notice it when changing the oil when writing the hours down on my log. So, I would say that it happens even in tractors. Why...I don't know. Seems like a mechanical counter run by electricity would be more accurate than a solid state one.

 

[daTeacha]

I believe something similar happen to someone else on the forum.

If you want to know if the hour meter is active when the switch is on, just turn it to the on position for about 1 hour and then check the results.

You can not reset it, but you can unhook the meter for the amount of time you desire to correct the true tractor usage.

I am not saying to do this , but some people will disconnect the hour meter in order to show less hours on the tractor, and then hook it back up when they sell it. There is no way to tell, unless there is a hidden meter some where on the tractor. The rental business is aware of this practice. Some of them can monitor the running time on their machines remotely and know exactly where the machine is.

Yeah. I bought my old B7100 at an auction. There was also an L series there that showed only 45 hours or so. The seat was shot, the paint faded, the tires worn, etc. Either the thing had gone around the clock or someone disconnected the proofmeter.

Regarding the space-time warp -- if you use that method to reset things, you have to be sure to drive through it in reverse the second time or your proofmeter will jump by 17^2 hours next time through, which will mean you missed a service interval and your tractor will have a seizure and die shortly thereafter.