Almost had a SEDGEWOOD!!!!!!!

RegL · Oct 12, 2005

I know this thread is pretty old, but I just had a situation that could be related to the fire I had last year. Day before yesterday, my son and I were in the shop looking for something when the PT, that was sitting out in the yard, started to crank all by it's lonesome. Like some ghost wanted to go for a joy ride. Kind of scary having the rouge PT running around snapping at folks with the grapple bucket.Anyway, after the dumb stare my son and I gave each other for a couple seconds, I scrambled to find a wrench and disconnect the battery cable. I actually bought a disconnect switch last winter after the fire. It's hanging on a nail in the shop and I think I'm going to get it installed this time, right after I get the PT on my insurance policy which I have been meaning to do for some time.

I did a little on the spot trouble shooting and determined that the start relay was being energized from up stream toward the ignition switch. The tractor had been sitting out in the heave rain for a couple days and once I got things dried out there was no more problem, so I'm pretty sure short was caused by moisture , probably in the ignition switch. I wonder if that can be replaced with one that's more weather proof. I'll check right after I get that disconnect switch installed, lol.

stray · Oct 12, 2005

Good INFO Regl!! Thanks for sharing.

weaver · Oct 16, 2005

That is strange that the fire has started from starter sol. I have a 1430 with 70 hours on it and when I shut it off to go to lunch it started all by itself and actually ran( I left key in it). Also the other morning i woke up and the starter solienod was trying to start the motor (No key in ) and drained the battery. When I leave it unattended I unplug battery leads. Did any of you have these problems before fire?

Sedgewood · Oct 17, 2005

That is strange that the fire has started from starter sol. I have a 1430 with 70 hours on it and when I shut it off to go to lunch it started all by itself and actually ran( I left key in it). Also the other morning i woke up and the starter solienod was trying to start the motor (No key in ) and drained the battery. When I leave it unattended I unplug battery leads. Did any of you have these problems before fire? 

Wow, this is very interesting. The investigator who investigated the fire in my 1845 pointed out that the start wire to the solenoid was carrying current when it burned through (evidenced by a "blob" of copper at the severed ends). We never did figure out exactly why that wire would have been carrying current, at least not to my satisfaction. To this day I don't know definitively what caused the fire. I hadn't experienced the "self-starting" prior to the fire (I was out mowing when she took fire) and it just didn't seem reasonable that it would be "self-starting". I didn't hear anything over the noise of the engine any mower but your experience makes me wonder....

I haven't had this happen since I rebuilt the tractor after the fire but I most likely replaced whatever might have been causing the "self-starting" - the whole thing was rewired.

So, IF a 1430/1845 etc. can "self-start" while already running and IF that "self-starting" might have caused my fire, if I were you I would take this very seriously and try to find the exact cause ASAP.

I'd be very interested if hearing what you find.

Good luck,
Sedgewood

J_J · Oct 17, 2005

It is easy to check out your switch if you have the know how, and a meter,

I had starter problems, and fixed them by running a new start wire through the tunnel. It would be very difficult to visually check all those wires through the tunnel. If your switch is good, It would have to be a couple of wires in that wire bundle that are rubbing together.

RegL · Oct 17, 2005

( It is easy to check out your switch if you have the know how, and a meter,

I had starter problems, and fixed them by running a new start wire through the tunnel. It would be very difficult to visually check all those wires through the tunnel. If your switch is good, It would have to be a couple of wires in that wire bundle that are rubbing together. )

Your right JJ,that electrical troubles can be easy to find if their in solid. The problem with this trouble is that it's very intermittent and when it happens, one is more worried about finding a wrench to remove battery cables than find a meter to shoot trouble. The latest self cranking trouble I did at least isolate to upstream from the start relay, probably in the switch or somewhere in the black box in the engine compartment.( I have to open that thing up some day and see what's in there.). I had left the tractor out in some very heavy rain so I figured it was water related.

J_J · Oct 17, 2005

Did PT give you guys any kind of electrical diagram to use in trouble shooting your system. They claim that they don't have any electrical drawings for my 1445. I just do trial and error when any thing goes wrong.

I believe that I would put the PT up on blocks before starting some serious trouble shooting. It just might want to start, and drive away on its own. What I am getting to is, that you don't want to put yourself in danger in case wiggling those wires causes it to start. You might even try squirting water in the switch or wetting everything down.

I was an electronics technician in the Navy many years ago, and I still call on some of that experience to help me solve problems.

I don't know how complicated your system is, but in mine, I by-passed the old start circuit and wired in a new one, I know the color wire, where it is located, and what to do if it doesn't work.

Pt should get a clue, about their machines , and who works on them. IT IS THE OWNER. , and therefore, they should go to extra ordinary efforts to keep us inform. This crap of having to call Terry about every little thing is for the birds. Warranty, what a deal, they get to send out new parts and hope that the owner don't whine a lot about putting the part in.

It wouldn't take much for another company to come in and surpass them in building machines and overwhelm them in customer support, providing detail manuals, and electrical diagrams, pictures, etc. There is nothing high tech in the machines. We as a collective body could probably build a machine, but we don't have the money.

A little off the beaten path, but there , I said it.

menchhofer · Oct 17, 2005

Pt should get a clue, about their machines , and who works on them. IT IS THE OWNER. , and therefore, they should go to extra ordinary efforts to keep us inform. This crap of having to call Terry about every little thing is for the birds. Warranty, what a deal, they get to send out new parts and hope that the owner don't whine a lot about putting the part in.

It wouldn't take much for another company to come in and surpass them in building machines and overwhelm them in customer support, providing detail manuals, and electrical diagrams, pictures, etc. There is nothing high tech in the machines. We as a collective body could probably build a machine, but we don't have the money.
)

Amen. Very good comments and so true. Could not have said it better myself.

BobRip · Oct 17, 2005

When I bought my PT 422 I was told that it was not designed to be left out doors. The key switch sure does not look water proof. I suggest you find a friend who is good at electrical trouble shooting and isolate this problem.

Bob Rip

blackwell · Oct 18, 2005

After using PT's for over 10 years and our people have put over 12,000 hours on 6 models and now on the second generation of three models, we have never had to call Terry to ask tech questions nor do I have a problem with PT's parts manuals. I don't understand all the complaining, unless you don't understand the simplicity of the PT or you want PT to give you all the vender numbers. nobody does that.
I can easilly find the part in any PT parts book, then just call their parts dept and you have the part in a day or two. I have always got the right part the first time and at a reasonably price without searching on ebay or thru surplus hyd books.
I have designed and built special eg for industry most of my life, it is easy to design things, but it is very hard to design things that are simple, and a PT is one of the simplist designs I have ever seen, yet it works great. I do not see how PT produces them at the price they do, I have looked thru their plant and their entire place is run like the design of a PT, simple, efficent, accurate, and very clean.
I think most of you complainers, would like for PT to give you every drawing of every part and the source of every component they purchase, ask CAT or JD and they will laugh at you. They give you plenty of information and supply quick parts service, so whats the problem? Look around, maybe it's the person do the repair. I'd like to see the tractor some of you would would design, especially if it looked like some of the "attachments" seen on TBN that were built for PT's.
I have seen some of the high tech things PT has been testing and it is cutting edge technology, however PT tells me they are worried that they will make their machines to complex for the average owner to repair and to sell thru servicing dealers would add at least 30% to the current price and push their price out of the market range.
I for one, say keep it simple, strong and priced right, and I will keep coming back and I believe others will to.
EB