5103 JD stuck with parking break on

[Michelle K linnane]

I parked my 5103 JD the other day and now I can not shift it out of Park
There is a whole in the boot of the bottom of the shifter. I took boot off and can feel a spring which gives when I push down on it. Could it be possible for water to get in the boot and freeze something in place on the tranmission? No matter how I try I can not shift the tractor from the park position into gear. Engine starts and everything, but can not free it from park. This tractor is about 3 years old and it has been on the 20 degree temp her, so if there is water down in there you can bet it is froozen, Does anyone have any suggestions. If I could move it I would place in heated barn.
Thank you in advance
Michelle

 

[jd110]

It is possible that shifter is frozen. Do you have any way to get a heat source to the tractor? Maybe a portable heater with extension cord. Maybe you could make a small "tent" around the heater to keep the heat in long enough to thaw it out. Also it is possible shifter is jammed or if the tractor is parked on steep incline, there could be enough pressure on park pawl to make removal difficult. If you could have someone rock the tractor wheel while you try to shift out of park, it might free it up.

 

[kjung17]

If you have access to a portable heater. Place the heater near the tractor. Not so near as to blister the paint. Cover with tarp, if possible. Good luck.

Hmmm... apparently I was 3 minutes late.

 

[Zebrafive]

Good advice JD110.
I too would start by having someone try rocking it to see if it's just locked up from position (slightly up or down hill)
If you do not have a heater, a propane lantern or coleman lantern will work, but you need to trap the heat with a tarp.

 

[jenkinsph]

If you have a loader you may try rolling the buckets cutting edge down and tweaking the rollback a little to free up the transmission. Very likely it is in a bind. I would try this first as it only takes a moment to do before attempting to tent the tractor.

 

[RPW]

First hand knowledge on this. All suggestions are great but it doesn't solve the problem. You will need to replace the boot (about $10.00). There are 4 bolts on the bottom of the shifter. Remove boot and bottom plate. Lub generously with WD40 to start with. Wait until temp above freezing to get it out of park. Problem is it's not frozen their but has had water infiltrate the housing. There is a rod that goes into the tranny and that is where the water has frozen. In my case I removed the boot and filled the cavity with WD-40 and after the temp warmed up abit was able to get it out of park. The WD-40 will migrate into all places and remove the water. Now next year your shifter will be abit stiff but will loosen up with use. Hate to say it but been there done that. The boot seems to be the weak link here and I do this date don't know why it developed a hole. Neither could my JD dealer.

Good luck.

-Edit- BTW; This happened last year with me. Now when it gets cold I leave both range and shifter in neutral and use the bucket to "lock" the tractor in place.