TC45D - issues/questions

[kloswerkes]

Just had my recently purchased 2001 TC45D delivered today.

I drove it for about 1/2 hour. Temp was around 9 degrees.

1) The temp guage might not be working, as it never moved.

2) There was another issue with the hydraulics, or something,
as every few seconds you could feel like a thump.
From behind the tractor, you could actually see the 6ft snowblower move up and down when this happens. This continued the entire time it was running.

3) Another issue: I stopped while driving up a hill.
I then switched to turtle, and the tractor wouldn't move.
The more I increased pressure on the pedal, the more the engine would bog down.
The only way I could get it to move was by switching to rabbit.
Tried this twice just to make sure it wasn't a fluke.

Are these issues related?

 

[jinman]

1. The not heating up issue can be one or all of three things: 1) the gage is not working, 2) the thermostat is not working, 3) the coolant is bypassing through the hose from the block to the radiator on the right side of the tractor. The final problem is fixed with a shutoff valve installed in the drain line as shown in the attachment.

2. Move your hydraulic lift lever away from the top stop just a bit and see if the hiccups of the lift stop. If you look at your right lift arm where it enters the casing (the upper portion of the lift as shown in the attachment 2) you will see an adjustment that stops the lift if it goes too high. If this is out of adjustment and you raise the lift all the way to the top, it will cause the lift to hiccup. If your lift is hiccuping at any position, then you probably have a slow leak inside the lift cylinder and the hydraulics are correcting as the position drops.

3. What range were you in? Were you in high range? If you were in high range, it is common to stall the transmission going up a hill. On steep hills, you will have to switch to low/rabbit to go up. Now...if your transmission pulled better in "rabbit" than it did in "turtle" then I would say your buttons are reversed (or the wires are swapped). It is impossible for the transmission to pull more in rabbit than in turtle. Are you sure you did not get that backwards?

 

[Soundguy]

I think Jinman is right on. Especially on the linkage / leak issue. Due to the way the ford unlaoding valve is made. the leakdown happens, then the circuit regenerates.. causing the bounce.
My 7610s does it if I have 2-3 thousand pounds on the lift and low rpm... the hiccup is more pronounced at lower rpm on mine.

Soundguy

 

[DocHeb]

Just had my recently purchased 2001 TC45D delivered today...

3) Another issue: I stopped while driving up a hill.
I then switched to turtle, and the tractor wouldn't move.
The more I increased pressure on the pedal, the more the engine would bog down.
The only way I could get it to move was by switching to rabbit.
Tried this twice just to make sure it wasn't a fluke.

Tractor Bogging Down:
For maximum FEL and 3 point hitch lifting capacity, the tractors engine needs to run at ~2600 RPM to generate the hydraulic flow/pressure to do the job.

If you are not experienced with Hydrostatic Transmissions, I suspect you are are running at too low RPMs and are using the HST pedal like an accelerator. It is really an infinitely adjustable torque adjuster. It you want maximimum torque at the wheels, you must be in the low range/turtle, RPM at ~2600, and the slightest pressure on the pedal - you will move slowly, but you'll be amazed at how much torque you can get. It is not good for diesel engines to be operated in a manner that causes them to "bog down."

 

[DocHeb]

Jinman had a great photo from the past that showed one problem with a thermostat:

The bypass "dingleball" flops into the thermostat opening and never lets the thermostat close enough to let engine heat accumulate. Other great discussions and solutions for this topic can be found in Cold TC45

 

[kloswerkes]

Thanks for your responses!
It made me feel a lot better to hear it might not be too serious.
Nothing like getting a new tractor and needing to do repairs right away.

I took your advice and looked through the posts I could find on these issues.

Jinman, I know it doesn't make any sense, but that it what I experienced. I am not experienced in hydro, and after reading through some of your (and others) previous threads, maybe I was pushing the pedal down too far, and at low RPMs or something. It has been well below zero since then, and it won't warm up until Friday. I'll try everything again then and report what I find.

After getting responses here and in another thread (under Buying - Re: Advice on a Used TC45D purchase?), I read through the links you posted and did some other searching. Won't tell you how long I spent, but it was awhile.

Jinman, maybe you posted this already, but I couldn't find it. Do you have a short list of all the problems you've had/fixed/are aware of? I found this: (NH - Boomer Gotta Know Info), but then I found some other problems you had when you first got your tractor (pedal plate welds?Where the TC45D is NOT deluxe). Which I stumbled across while searching for the word “bulletin” (I think). So I’m wondering what other problems am I missing/not aware of? I’m going to check that plate as soon as I get home…. But it sure would be nice to have a checklist to go through…

I for one would appreciate a comprehensive list (and would've liked to read it before I bought mine used). It would be nice to have it "sticky" at the top of the forum too, so we don't have to search for it. You guys who are veterans here might not realize how helpful this would be to some us.

Also, as I'm reading through the old posts, many of the links are no longer working (an upgrade to the site in the past, I'm guessing?), so the photos and cross links aren't helpful/useful anymore. Can we make (and keep) an updated list of gothchas?

I’ll be glad to start a new one, or maybe we can update the old one? Which is best?

After reading through all the things you veterans have been through, I am in utter admiration. You went through h*ll and back, and took detailed photos along the way, in order to help the rest of us avoid the pitfalls. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you (deep bow - or high five, whichever you prefer).

 

[TrippleT]

I was under the impression that the D stands for deluxe. If you have a TC45D it should be a deluxe. Just a few more features is all. You will find Jinman to be very thorough. There are others that are on here as well. It is a good place for tractor owners to become really informed.

 

[jinman]

Kloswerkes, it sounds like you have done a pretty thorough search for postings about the TC40D/TC45D tractors. I can answer some of your questions, but I sure don't know every issue or number associated with New Holland service letters and ASIST program bulletins. Since your tractor is a 2001, it is very close to the same vintage tractor as mine. My welds on the HST pedal mechanism may be a single occurance of poor welds. I don't kow of anyone else who had that problem here. Other problems seem to happen to more than one person. Here is a list of things that I know about that are common:

1. Weak joystick shaft leading to early failure - fixed
2. Early transmission problem in the gear portion of the HST transmission that allowed affected tractors to pop into neutral when going downhill. This was an actual recall of tractors with a certain set of serial numbers. Mine was not affected.
3. HST pedals that don't return to neutral when your foot is lifted. This was cured with a stronger spring and always keeping rpm above 2000.
4. Tilt steering column faults/failures
5. HST filters blowing in cold temperatures
6. Battery acid leaks and damage to radiator and HST coolant lines
7. Soft metal in 3PH lift arms on some tractors ( This would only show up with a maximum 3PH lift causing the arms to bend downward.)
8. Cooling system not getting warm and failure of temperature gage
9. Lots of moisture fogging problems in the instrument panel
10. Brake pedal engaged switch out of adjustment
12. Stiff or binding parking brake handle
13. Stiff or binding 3PH lever
14. Bad cruise control magnets or switches
15. Several failures of glowplug timer relay
16. Several failures of the rabbit/turtle switch or relay
17. Wires under the tractor broken or snatched loose from limbs
18. PTO brake/clutch early failures

That's the "paranoia" list that comes to my mind. There may easily be something I have overlooked, but I think I listed most of the recurring problems that more than one of us has seen. DocHeb may be the person with the shortest use of a tractor before having to return it to the dealer for service. I think he got all of 18 minutes time before a collar slid off a splined shaft and his tractor would not move. Those kinds of things you just cannot predict or prepare for.

The best advice I can offer is to read, read, read and that way you will be prepared. Don't expect your tractor to fail, but be ready when it does.

One other thing. You posted the same question in two different forums. That is forbidden by TBN rules and I'm surprised you did not get moderated. The reason that is not a good idea is that someone reading only one post does not know what has been said in another post or forum. For whatever reason, it is undesirable by TBN. I would suggest keeping things in one place so you and we can find it easy. Just a suggestion...

 

[kloswerkes]

Jinman,

Thank you for that list, there were several on there I hadn't come across yet (#1, #7, #10, #12-#18). #11?
Now I know why you advised me to check the cruise and the rabbit turtle before I bought.

You mentioned "One other thing. You posted the same question in two different forums.". I did a bunch of posting yesterday, and if I did that, then it was unintentional and I apologize.

I did start a thread requesting factory NH service bulletin #s. If that is what you meant, then I see that as a separate issue/question.

This question/thread is meant to find out all the TBN members known issues (whether the factory acknowledges them or not).

The other question/thread(Bulletin #s) is intended to find out the Official List of NH acknowledged issues(service letters?). I was also hoping someone would list some things out of that Top Secret NH Upgrade/Modification book ("Product Improvement Book") in that thread. Is the official name for that "ASIST program bulletins"? Your mentioning that in this thread is the first time I've heard that term....thank you!

I expect the TBN known issues list (this thread) will be quite a bit larger than the NH list..... I’m thinking that if the tractor I bought had been used for light duty, some of the issues that others had (like breaking the welds on that plate), might be undetected until someone actually uses the tractor……and by then it’s out of warranty. I’d rather know ahead of time. And since the dealers in my area don’t seem to have any idea about _any_ issues with these boomers, it would be nice to know if the factory has acknowledged it or not.

I also stumbled across the post you made years ago mentioning that the hydro pulling power of the TC45 is the same as the TC35. Something else I didn't know that I bet the dealers (in my area) don't know either…..

 

[mikim]

My plain ol' TC45 is a 2001 (non D model) and I've had almost no issues with mine other than the steering wheel actuator being screwed up several times. You've done a lot of research - more than I did certainly - and you're surely up on what things to look for. So-o -- maybe now it's time to make sure your actuator will work properly -- and GO FER IT!