Another new Yanmar 424 owner

[raymondjunk]

Drove 2 hours to pick this machine up yesterday and I've been super excited to get her into action. Admittedly, this is my first real tractor, but I've already been pretty disappointed. ...and the level of disappointment seems even greater on the heals of such feelings of excitement and anticipation. Mahbe some of you gurus can ease my mind about my observations.
1. The HST. This thing groans so loudly I can't even hear the roar of the diesel cranked up to 3500 RPMS. FWD, Reverse, High, Low, 2wd, 4x4... it is loud and it does not stop. I get the impression this might be normal but...
2. Reverse. I might as well put it in neutral and push it to back the thing up. ...particularly if I'm on any sort of hill. I mean, it won't even budge if there is any sort of incline.
3. 4x4. My 1st full day of ownership and I tried to pick up a load of spoils I had dug with the backhoe and got this thing S-T-U-C-K stuck in the mud ...in 4wd, mind you. While I was gradually inching my way out thanks to the awesome hydraulics behind the loader, I had my 2 front wheels up in the air and out of the mud. When I accelerated either forward or in reverse, I noticed that NEITHER of the front wheels were turning. I shifted to 2wd and back to 4wd multiple times to make sure I wasn't mistaken, and I wasn't. 4wd was not inspiring any movement from my front wheels.

Now, I know I'm a newbie and I recognize that all 3 of these issues seem in some way related to the transmission. Anyone familiar wmough with this machine and/or these issues to be able to tell me how much of this is ignorance on my part and how much might actually be a problem with the tractor?
My hopes and my wallet are counting on my ignorance this time...
Help!

 

[Tonyinohio]

Raymond, none of that is normal or acceptable. Sounds like a return trip is in your future. There is a forward and reverse limiting bolt under each pedal. When you get a different unit adjust them down and you will see more umph for reverse. Best of luck.

 

[blackhecilopters]

For the first 2, sounds like your parking brake is on. I hear a slight whine under power but it pretty much goes away around 3000+ RPM. Something isn't right.

 

[raymondjunk]

Thank you for pointing me to the bolt under the pedal. That's all it took to resolve the issue with reverse.
After that last post, I propped the tractor up on the loader in the front and the backhoe in the rear, so that no tires were touching the ground, and tried 4wd again. This time, all 4 wheels turned. It seemed like the front wheels were turning at a slower rate that the back, but indeed they were turning.
While that was certainly a relief to see, I know for a fact that they weren't turning while I was stuck in the mud.
Could that be due to the lack of traction in the rear?
Could it simply have been mud caked on the wheels preventing them from turning?
Perhaps just the fact that I had not yet adjusted the bolt under the reverse pedal?
...though I'm fairly certain I would have tried the FWD pedal too while stuck in that mudhole...

 

[raymondjunk]

I agree. It sounds AND feels like the parilking brake is on.
I haven't had much chance to get time behind the wheel, save for thag test I mentioned above, of the 4 wheels off the ground. However, after the bolt adjustment under the reverse pedal, that "HST Groan" seemed less exggerated in the little bit of test driving I undertook. It wasn't as bad in FWD as in REV, but I may adjust the bolt under the FWD pedal if it seems more pronounced next time I give her a whirl.
Thanks!

 

[Tonyinohio]

It really does sound like you have the brake on. I drove my New Holland for 2-3 minutes while bush hogging once last year with the brake on. It was laboring hard and I was scratching my head why since the grass wasn't that tall! Live and learn and then pass on the knowledge

keep us in the loop. hopefully the fix is just that simple.

 

[Gods Country]

A couple things to consider.

Light tractors suck in the mud. Light tractors with r4 tires really suck in the mud. Light tractors with r4 tires and no rear differential lock really, really suck in the mud. IIRC for some inexplicable reason Yanmar did away with the rear diff.

If you are in some real slop rear chains will help beyond belief.

Were your rear tires spinning when you were stuck?

 

[raymondjunk]

A couple things to consider.

Light tractors suck in the mud. Light tractors with r4 tires really suck in the mud. Light tractors with r4 tires and no rear differential lock really, really suck in the mud. IIRC for some inexplicable reason Yanmar did away with the rear diff.

If you are in some real slop rear chains will help beyond belief.

Were your rear tires spinning when you were stuck?

Yep. Rear tires were spinning and throwing slop all over me and the new tractor.

 

[Tonyinohio]

For what it's worth, I was in a dtich area and ended up on 3 wheels with the left front reaching for the bottom of the ditch. 4WD was useless until of light applied the brake. Worked like a basic limited slip diff.

 

[raymondjunk]

For what it's worth, I was in a dtich area and ended up on 3 wheels with the left front reaching for the bottom of the ditch. 4WD was useless until of light applied the brake. Worked like a basic limited slip diff.

That's a curious statement... So are you saying that with a light application if brakes while also pressing an accelerator pedal, you were able to get all wheels to turn?
Having gotten my 424 TLB completely bogged down in the mud 2 out of 2 times I dared go near it now, I feel rear diff lock might have been a necessity for my uses.
That said, I've also had opportunities to put her to use outside of any mud patches and really enjoyed digging stumps with the hoe, grading the driveway with the loader, picking up railroad ties and loads of dirt and transporting them effortlessly, unlike used to be the case with my wheelbarrow, shovel, pickaroon and several gallons of sweat...