low fuel

[greggz]

have a brand new MF 1526, was going great. than it would NOT climb a slight hill.

as a city slicker (born again) these tractor things are a puzzle. now I was on the second red line on gas gauge...verrrry low.

could that have caused this issue?

also, how do u engage the transmission rear wheel lock? cannot do it.

thanks.

 

[Cataclysm]

Not trying to be harsh here but you really need to read through the owners manual. It will likely answer those questions and possibly save you and your tractor from harm.

 

[thclimer]

have a brand new MF 1526, was going great. than it would NOT climb a slight hill.

as a city slicker (born again) these tractor things are a puzzle. now I was on the second red line on gas gauge...verrrry low.

could that have caused this issue?

also, how do u engage the transmission rear wheel lock? cannot do it.

thanks.

Do you have Hydro transmission? If so, the more you press on the peddle the less power you will have, you need to either shift to a lower gear or increase throttle. My 1736 will increase the throttle automatically as you press on the forward or reverse peddle.

To engage the rear differential lock on most tractors there is a small lever which you apply pressure with the heal of your foot to lock the wheels together. Generally the manual will tell you to not engage it while you are moving, however I have found you may need to press it slightly while you are moving very slowly to make it catch and then you need to keep your foot on it to keep it engaged.

 

[deanocraft]

I would not recommend running a diesel out of fuel. Although I have not done that myself, I hear it is a pain to get going again. I always err on the side of caution and keep that thing full!

 

[JWR]

A couple of comments: About running out of fuel, most of the newer machines have an electric fuel pump that you hear running the minute your turn the key before turning it the rest of the way to start. These machines are far less of a problem when you run out of fuel than the old ones -- I've had dealers tell me they are in fact self-priming. Even so I think there are little primer pumps hidden around near the injection pump & I would NOT run out of fuel just to try it. Second, I have a MF2660 that, as delivered,would not climb a 40% slope even with a 1/3 full tank of fuel. Reason: the pickup in the tanks was not properly designed and went up on shore dry. MF replaced that with a different pickup arrangement. You would be surprised how many tractors today are made for the "flat-land city fellers" and are very poor at steep ground applications. Third, Climber made some good observations and maybe you were not in low range ? Was the engine quitting or just the running out of power in the gear range ? Fourth, I'm about to wonder like Cataclysm if you need a little more owner's manual time. Surely you were not thinking that locking the rear wheels together was going to add power or gearing somehow ? The rear axle lock will guarantee both rear wheels turn (if any of them turn) and guarantees 3 out of 4 wheels turn if you are in 4wd. But you did not say you lost traction. (??) Maybe we're not understanding the whole picture.

 

[greggz]

torq

A couple of comments: About running out of fuel, most of the newer machines have an electric fuel pump that you hear running the minute your turn the key before turning it the rest of the way to start. These machines are far less of a problem when you run out of fuel than the old ones -- I've had dealers tell me they are in fact self-priming. Even so I think there are little primer pumps hidden around near the injection pump & I would NOT run out of fuel just to try it. Second, I have a MF2660 that, as delivered,would not climb a 40% slope even with a 1/3 full tank of fuel. Reason: the pickup in the tanks was not properly designed and went up on shore dry. MF replaced that with a different pickup arrangement. You would be surprised how many tractors today are made for the "flat-land city fellers" and are very poor at steep ground applications. Third, Climber made some good observations and maybe you were not in low range ? Was the engine quitting or just the running out of power in the gear range ? Fourth, I'm about to wonder like Cataclysm if you need a little more owner's manual time. Surely you were not thinking that locking the rear wheels together was going to add power or gearing somehow ? The rear axle lock will guarantee both rear wheels turn (if any of them turn) and guarantees 3 out of 4 wheels turn if you are in 4wd. But you did not say you lost traction. (??) Maybe we're not understanding the whole picture.

yes, I read the manual, they leave lots out though.
my main problem was torque..it seemed to have lost the will to climb a small hill that it did the previous day.
I was guessing at the low on gas idea; thought if I was low on fuel maybe the injectors were being starved.

the axle lock was a conundrum. I wanted to use it in ONE location where I did spin in moisture.....chhhhrrriiiist!!!! no way to do it . manual say you will hear a click. after first use it will disengage on using pedal. dealer says; you have to stand on it for the brief time needed. can I get a witness/??? WHO IS RIGHT/~/`?

thank you for abiding my ignoramce

the gear it was in was snail. LOW? did better in turtle...which s correct? manual silent on these matters

engine did not quit. just stopped on the hill.

 

[SteveM70]

I have never ran a 1526 but with the tractors I have ran, you can't get the rears to lock reliably setting still. When a rear wheel slips, I stop, press firmly on the diff lock then start out again easy. Once the wheel slips again the diff lock engages. There should be noticeable travel in the lever when it goes in.

 

[JWR]

Oh dear... Unless your engine was sputtering or missing the problem was not fuel level. Regardless, fill the thing with fuel and remove that concern.

Thclimber described really well above how to engage the rear axle lock. Press down on it hard while barely moving until you feel it go in. Unusual, but possible, it went in very easy and you didn't feel it go in. Either way you have to keep heavy downward pressure on the little lever at your heel to keep the rear axle lock engaged. If on slippery surfaces you can tell whether both wheels turn or not. If one spins and the other does not, you failed to get it engaged. Did you have the machine in 4wd when you were losing traction or not ? The rear axle lock is intended for unusual situations where you are stuck or need more traction than otherwise available. I doubt that rear axle lock is something you need right now.

Was the engine running wide open, full throttle, when you stalled and could not climb the "slight hill ??" This does NOT add up at all.

A MF 1526 has a hydrostatic transmission. Also has 4WD. Apparently not offered otherwise (going by Tractor Data info on the web.)

About snails and turtles: You have 3 ranges -- low, medium and high (no matter what symbols are used to indicate those ranges.) There is undoubtedly a rabbit symbol on the faster of the 3. They ARE in order of low to high. Low gives you most pulling power, high gives you most speed but less pulling power. If nothing else, go to a flat open space, run the engine up to a fast sounding rpm, try each range and see which range makes you go the slowest with the forward/reverse pedal fully depressed forward. You really have to learn enough about the machine to figure out which is lowest range, which is next lowest, etc. If it is not obvious, go to the dealer who sold it to you and make him give you some training, answer questions and show you. As best as I can tell, I think you need to do that anyway. Do not be bashful !! You paid the money, you have at least that level of support coming to you. Assuming the dealer has another model identical or sufficiently similar to yours it is not like you have to take it back to the dealer. Worst case, have them send a support person to your site and clarify any problems or issues.

 

[greggz]

thanks

 

[greggz]

thanks. I did read it. manual says push diff lock pedal down while stopped; hear a click and it is engaged. as to the basics of going up a hill and what gear to utilize...zero mention. you may have tractor experience, I don't. that's why I came here.

but thanks anyway.