Snow 2020 Mechron 2200 PS won't shift into 4WD below freezing.

[Rod in Forfar]

Clearly there's something freezing up in the linkage or cable, because it works smoothly the instant it thaws out in the shop.

The way the cable is run there is a low point where a drop of moisture could freeze...

While I had it on the hoist I noticed that the rad hoses run along the frame for a considerable distance, and thus are exposed to raspberry thorns and prickly ash spines. Has anybody put a belly plate on his Mechron? I see that the frame is drilled and tapped for it. I'm thinking I need a flat piece of 49.5 X 24.5" aluminum, or preferably a durable plastic. Any suggestions?

Finally, it took three tries with the pre-heater this morning to get it to light up. -15C or 15F. I have Rotella 5W40 synthetic in it. Has anyone installed a block heater on a Mechron? It goes down to -40 here in winter, and if I can get the shifter to work, I plan to drive the Mechron around the property all winter. It was easy to wrap the passenger door and rear area with 20 mm vinyl from the local marina, then construct a headliner from sheets of expanded vinyl out of a packing case.

Thanks,

Rod in Forfar, Ontario

 

[shovelmike]

I am not familiar with your machine, perhaps re-routing the cable and keeping it well lubricated would relieve the problem. Regarding a belly pan, a search online reveals sources of HDPE sheets of various sizes, better yet..it seems that you are very good at improvising, perhaps you can find someone giving away a used bed liner, cut to size and make the shield.

 

[Rod in Forfar]

I spoke to my Kioti dealer today about the machine's issues. He asked if I could level the cable so there would be no low point to freeze, so I got at it and relocated the cable and it now shifts smoothly in the cold. He suggested a generic rad hose heater works best on this model. There is one one of those on my TAFE. He offered a Kioti 5/16" plastic belly plate at a not-too-outrageous price, so I ordered one.

 

[the old grind]

I have the same issue with my Mechron. Cables won't budge until the machine warms up.

Parking my mailbox runner bicycle out in the weather causes the same issue, tho' replacing all cables is <$10 US if they get rusty inside the jackets.

btw, I bought the skid plate set and suspension guard bits. It's only that I have a flail mower that I rarely drive over risky stuff and haven't installed them.

 

[Robin Veerman]

Hey Rod,
I'm just south of Bancroft and I've only seen -40C once about 30 years ago, and I hope to never see it again. See -30C a few times a winter though and it makes me appreciate the wood stove on those cold days. I have a CK30HST that came with an inline block heater and I used it often when the weather was -20C or colder until one day when I plugged it in and turned to walk away the heater started to smoke and caught fire right before my eyes. I replaced the lower rad hose with a new hose after removing the heater and refused to install another heater. The Heck with that!! My tractor is always inside and so I've relied on the glow plugs ever since. The key on those really cold days is to cycle the glow plugs twice or even three times before cranking the engine. She fires off good all the time. I also use AMSOIL 5w30 Synthetic year round and the pour point is -43C so I know that the oil flows right at first crank. Not sure how that compares to your Rotella. I do keep a battery tender on it all the time too. No problems with starting in the cold 3 years on now. Here is a link to the AMSOIL Signature 5w30 DHD. Ships right to your door, easy peasy. Dutchy
Diesel Engine Oil: Shop Engine Oil for Diesel Engines - AMSOIL Canada

 

[perrypower]

There are suspension guard kits and a plastic belly plate that can be purchased from your dealer. As far as the cable freezing up, you could try squirting WD-40 (or anything else that displaces water) in the cable sheath to prevent it from freezing up.