Steiner 430 Max will not shift to low range

[lfh1]

Hello, I am new to posting in this forum. Have read lots of posts from here. Just never had anything to ask...till now. I just bought my first Steiner tractor. It's a 430 Max with the kabota diesel engine. It has 800 hrs on it and seems to be in excellent running/driving condition. I bought it from a used equipment dealer who doesn't normally sell Steiner (so they know little about them). After getting it home I discovered that I wasn't able to shift it from hight to low range. Neither the front nor rear drivers even want to budge. The tractor didn't come with an owners manual. I have tried parking it on flat ground and turning the levers...is there something I am doing wrong? Thanks

 

[prs]

Stay on level ground and as you back up a little and maybe go forward a little, AND ALL VERY SLOWLY, attempt your shift. On Ventrac, there is a safety pin that has to be pulled before shifting and replaced to lock the the shilf one done. Hoe this helps and that you have not found the reason the tractor was for sale...

prs

 

[lfh1]

Stay on level ground and as you back up a little and maybe go forward a little, AND ALL VERY SLOWLY, attempt your shift. On Ventrac, there is a safety pin that has to be pulled before shifting and replaced to lock the the shilf one done. Hoe this helps and that you have not found the reason the tractor was for sale...

prs

Thanks for your help. I will attempt and will report my findings.

 

[lfh1]

Thank you for the info. Indeed the steiner also has a locking system. After PRS said that the ventral has pins that need to be removed before shifting, I saw 2 bolts that need to be removed for the steiner. After removal of one bolt per shifting lever, I found it easily shifts from high to low with the engine off, shifter in neutral and gently rocking the tractor back and forth while shifting.

 

[prs]

Seems unlikely to be the design, quite akward. Any chance of getting a manual"

prs

 

[sandman2234]

Not uncommon for Steiner's to require a bolt removal in order to change gears. You do it so seldom, it isn't a big deal.
David from jax

 

[lfh1]

I have been trying to build a relationship with my nearest steiner dealer. He sent me the link Steiner Manuals - Steiner Turf. Then you just have to enter in your model number...mine being 75-70008a. And you can select your manual. However the link to my op manual is broken at the moment :S.
And yes...removing of a bolt to switch gears seemed very foreign to me.

 

[prs]

sandman makes a good point; I have used high gear, but not because I needed it, just to see what's up with it. I sometimes use it to tram down my driveway to a lower field, but by the time I shift and then shift back, I saved no time at all with the extra speed over about 3/10' of a mile. So, mine chiefly stays locked in low.

prs

 

[Industrial Toys]

This threw me at first too. My bolts were in. I didn't like the machine much when I got it and thought this method of gear change was quite retarded! I took the bolts out and left them out as I have a large property and low gear is too slow to get around.

I have gotten used to it and enjoy the machine and the niche it fills. The problem is, I have found my weekend friend and helper cutting grass in high gear and I would have trouble explaining the gear change procedure to her.

Since the two axles are totally separate, I would find it hard to believe that BOTH have the same issue.

Curious, if anyone ever runs one axle in neutral.