Brand new 2538 pops out of gear. Dealer has had it for a month.

[DavesTractor]

Well, I hate to say it...but my new tractor is coming out of M gear also. Not as bad at the first one, but is still doing it after only 10 hrs on it. It has happened 4 times so far. The shifter just doesn't feel right. It's as if there are either 5 detents in the M area, or none at all. If I line the shifter up exactly with the M on the decal, the shifter moves toward H until is goes to N. If I put it too far forward of M, it goes toward L til it hits N. I think I've found a happy place for it, but there is no positive feeling of it going into a detent. But even that is not fool proof. I still have to keep an eye on it because it will move either forward or backward. Thankfully I don't use M gear very much.

So my plan for the future of this tractor:
1) Live with it for a while...watch if getting better or worse.
2) Not even mention it to the dealer yet. (He would kill either me or himself...maybe both)
3) Wait for Mahindra to figure out exactly what the problem is and a for-sure solution.
4) Keep up to date with other owners (here) who are having the same problem.

It is very important for us to stay in contact until a solution is found. I really like my new 2538 and I don't want to see it torn completely down chasing a ghost. This problem needs to be addressed by engineers, not mechanics. I have a 5 year warranty so I'll give them time to figure it out.

You are a nice guy, but you need to report this to your dealer ASAP. Then continue to be a nice guy as they solve the issue. Drive the tractor carefully until they solve it. They will solve it.

 

[dickfoster]

You are a nice guy, but you need to report this to your dealer ASAP. Then continue to be a nice guy as they solve the issue. Drive the tractor carefully until they solve it. They will solve it.

Yeah they can't fix what they don't know about. What do you think is causing it, Dave? Is it the machine or perhaps something he is doing, or maybe just bad luck? There are 2538's all over the place so you'd think it would be more prevalent if it were a design issue. Fate certainly isn't being very nice to this poor guy. I'd be feeling put upon by now.

 

[DavesTractor]

Yeah they can't fix what they don't know about. What do you think is causing it, Dave? Is it the machine or perhaps something he is doing, or maybe just bad luck? There are 2538's all over the place so you'd think it would be more prevalent if it were a design issue. Fate certainly isn't being very nice to this poor guy. I'd be feeling put upon by now.

We haven't had a 2538 do this ourselves, and we have sold quite a few, so this is a just a guess. I'd say the range shaft is walking back and forth, too much end play. This is generally simple to fix. Not easy, but simple. By the way, if you took all brands of tractors and did the "downhill under compression" test, I suspect you would find a number of tractors that will do this. But for a guy that is on flat ground, he will never experience it. And if you line up 10 2538's, maybe only 1 will do it due to stacking of tolerances in the manufacturing process. We sold 55 of the 5010's real early in production. We had three do this. We fixed them with hardened shims properly placed. And it was Mahindra that solved it via one of there excellent service reps. He came here and tore a tractor apart himself, it was impressive. He measured, then added a few thousands via a shim, and it was perfect. Like a mad scientist. We never had an issue with later production units. But I have always wondered, if we had a big hill and tested every tractor for this, would we see a few? I don't know, but if you google this sort of thing many brands pop up.

Where we see it is when a guy has a big property and he cruises from one area to the other, or even down the long driveway to get the mail and he is not under load, rather he is coasting or even under compression. It seems to always involve a downhill. The same tractor can pull a plow buried deep and never come out of gear while working.

Dick, I've never seen this occur on a Mitsu trans, you are good to go I think. Different design of the shaft that holds the range gears.

 

[DavesTractor]

Let me add that the issue can be as simple as a bad detent that holds the lever. But if that is the case, and operator can easily hold the range shifter from walking.

 

[JerryK]

Maybe he is trying to put it in Med by lining up the shift rod with the sticker. The sticker really only lets you know the general area where that gear is at. If you try to force it into low or high with out the teeth lining up, you can bend the shift rod or forks internal to the transmission, and that would effect where M was the next time you tried that range. There is a lot of ' feel ' in using a manual not-sync transmission... I even mis-shift the six speed in my Dodge Cummins sometimes, and it is a GREAT transmission...

 

[kennywayne99]

Maybe he is trying to put it in Med by lining up the shift rod with the sticker. The sticker really only lets you know the general area where that gear is at. If you try to force it into low or high with out the teeth lining up, you can bend the shift rod or forks internal to the transmission, and that would effect where M was the next time you tried that range. There is a lot of ' feel ' in using a manual not-sync transmission... I even mis-shift the six speed in my Dodge Cummins sometimes, and it is a GREAT transmission...

Hey guys I was using my new 2538(10 hrs.) today and it popped out of M range on me twice. I could watch it slowly slip out if gear too.The problem was I wasn't getting it fully seated into M range. You can't go by the sticker I had to pull a little past that. It's a little tricky sometimes you can't feel it lock in range, but once you see where it needs in relation to the sticker you'll remember it's position. I'm not saying that this is everybody's problem but it worked for me thankfully. So far so good.

 

[dickfoster]

Hey guys I was using my new 2538(10 hrs.) today and it popped out of M range on me twice. I could watch it slowly slip out if gear too.The problem was I wasn't getting it fully seated into M range. You can't go by the sticker I had to pull a little past that. It's a little tricky sometimes you can't feel it lock in range, but once you see where it needs in relation to the sticker you'll remember it's position. I'm not saying that this is everybody's problem but it worked for me thankfully. So far so good.

These must be HST machines since my 1538 shuttle only has two gear ranges high and low.

 

[DavesTractor]

Hey guys I was using my new 2538(10 hrs.) today and it popped out of M range on me twice. I could watch it slowly slip out if gear too.The problem was I wasn't getting it fully seated into M range. You can't go by the sticker I had to pull a little past that. It's a little tricky sometimes you can't feel it lock in range, but once you see where it needs in relation to the sticker you'll remember it's position. I'm not saying that this is everybody's problem but it worked for me thankfully. So far so good.

If you can hold it in gear easily by hand while it is trying to move to neutral, then it is generally just a detent problem. If it walks to neutral despite trying to hold it in gear...then it is more serious. It would be great if the entire issue could be solved with changing detents or detent springs. We've never had a 2538 with this issue, so we have not yet had the chance to solve this.

 

[Tater John]

O.K. - an update on this issue. Was mowing with my 2538 yesterday and popped out of gear (middle range) again going down a slight incline at about 1700 rpm's. If it had happened in different location could have been serious. As it was, no big deal. This is third time for this tractor. Tractor has 40 hours, first two times it popped out was I believe about 25 hours, also mowing and also on incline, also in middle range. So called dealer today to see about any new information on the situation. He called the area rep and was able to talk to him and dealer called me back within 20 minutes. He said area rep acknowledged the problem and said that there was a part (he mentioned the word detent or detant in the sentence when talking about the problem) that was not strong enough and would have to be replaced. He said they were working on getting that accomplished. I was thinking about getting my first service (50 hour) done by the dealer and also getting this matter corrected as well, and dealer told me to call him when I got to 50 hours and they would see if all could be taken care of at same time. So evidently Mahindra has figured out what the problem is and is working on the fix. I suppose they are working on getting the replacement part made and available so the work can be done. I must say I really do like this tractor. It fits my needs so well. I had OLD tractors before and never had a loader. Love the hydrostat for mowing and the loader work. My 60 yr. old back loves the loader. I will soon be one of those fellows who didn't know how he ever got along without a loader (and pallet forks, which I'm finding as handy as the bucket). PLenty of power for 6 foot bushhog in case anyone is shopping and wondering about that, as I was before my purchase. Thought I'd pass this along for benefit of those experiencing same issue.

 

[Eddievalleytrailer]

I wonder, once a repair is set for this problem if Mahindra will contact all 2538 owners like auto mfg's do? It could be a very dangerous problem. I have a rather steep section I have to bush hog that has a straight drop off at the end. I back down, then pull up, back down...etc. I do this in low and 4x4, of course, but if it came out of gear there it'd be real trouble. The problem is when it comes out of gear, 4 wheel drive is also lost. Plus, neither of my 2538s have/had very good brakes. Not that big of a deal, it's a hydro...until it comes out of gear, then it's rear brakes onl