Diff Lock on a new Mahindra 1526

[dickfoster]

I have a brand new 1526 and I was out in the snow the other day and I managed to get myself stuck, one front wheel and one rear wheel spinning. Just step on the diff lock pedal and I should be good right? Not so much, I could not get the diff lock to engage no matter what I did. I weigh about 250 and standing on the pedal, so I think I was pressing hard enough. If I attempt to move slowly, I can feel the gear teeth, but I could not get it to lock. I called the dealer and he just said that this diff lock is a common problem really difficult to operate and nothing they can do. It feels like I just don't have enough pedal travel. any Ideas?

Thanks!

It sounds to me like your dealer sucks. Just press the pedal with the one wheel turning slowly and it should drop in. The teeth in the diff gears need to align for it to lock up. Hold the pedal down till you're unstuck then let go. If the gears are bound up it might stay locked so steering from side to side will allow it to free up.

 

[Roger66]

It sounds to me like your dealer sucks. Just press the pedal with the one wheel turning slowly and it should drop in. The teeth in the diff gears need to align for it to lock up. Hold the pedal down till you're unstuck then let go. If the gears are bound up it might stay locked so steering from side to side will allow it to free up.

All of these descriptions on how to engage are exactly what I had expected. While slowly trying to move forward standing on the pedal I can even feel the tops of the teeth sliding by, but I think my pedal is against the stop and just won't go in. There must be an adjustment. I need to clear a hole in the garage so I can get it inside and take a good look.

 

[RNeumann]

If it's like mine it does have a rod that can be adjusted. Look on the right side just in front of the axle. The linkage travels over top of the trans from left to right side.

 

[oldpilgrim]

All of these descriptions on how to engage are exactly what I had expected. While slowly trying to move forward standing on the pedal I can even feel the tops of the teeth sliding by, but I think my pedal is against the stop and just won't go in. There must be an adjustment. I need to clear a hole in the garage so I can get it inside and take a good look.

No need to stand on the pedal. Properly working, it takes very little pressure to make it work.

 

[dickfoster]

No need to stand on the pedal. Properly working, it takes very little pressure to make it work.

Force is never the answer. Don't be like my wife who is like the proverbial bull in a china shop. Fixing all the stuff she manages to break is a full time, never ending job. Dainty she ain't.

 

[Sysop]

Agreed with everyone here. You want the spinning tire rotating as slowly as possible so the lock can fully engage. Standing on the lock while spinning the tire hard isn't going to fix anything. There is only a few places throughout the rotation it will lock (some only two). It may also engage easier while rotating the spinning tire in reverse rather than forward.

If the weight of your foot and a full rotation in forward or reverse doesn't engage it, there must be something binding or out of adjustment preventing it from engaging.

Absolute worst case is dickfoster's wife (or similar) broke the lock off inside the diff.

 

[Mattt2778]

Force is never the answer. Don't be like my wife who is like the proverbial bull in a china shop. Fixing all the stuff she manages to break is a full time, never ending job. Dainty she ain't.

That's funny, sounds like my wife. For some reason I continually feel the need to remind her that the item in question did not just magically break, but that she in fact broke it, dumb on my part though as it get me nowhere.

 

[1stDeuce]

OP, if you can feel the gears popping by but not engaging, and the pedal has reached a limit of travel (Like the floor?) then it is definitely in need of adjustment.

Depending on the adjustment style, it may be possible to bend it back out of adjustment if you're mashing it when the teeth aren't lined up rather than just applying a sensible amount of pressure. (IE, just a bit more than it takes to move the pedal...)

Take a look, make an adjustment, get back to work.

 

[Dave Pee]

You can always perform a fair weather test: try to lock the diff while turning a corner. Bet it locks up just fine.

My JD annoys me, when I am dumping stuff into a hole, I need the brake so I dont fall in (think sink hole). But then to back out, I need to keep the diff locked, all with one foot to use!!

 

[k0ua]

You can always perform a fair weather test: try to lock the diff while turning a corner. Bet it locks up just fine.

My JD annoys me, when I am dumping stuff into a hole, I need the brake so I dont fall in (think sink hole). But then to back out, I need to keep the diff locked, all with one foot to use!!

This is where a hydro tractor really excels, as you get up to the slope of the hole, put your foot on the reverse pedal and hold yourself with the reverse pedal not the brake. If for some reason you need to go a bit deeper into the hole, just let off of the pressure of the reverse pedal and you will "drift" further down slowly. And if you need the differential lock to back out, then it will be under your left foot. So the two feet you were originally equipped with will suffice. One of the many reasons I like hydro transmissions.