B2400: Slow-going up hills

[bryk]

I bought a used B2400 (60 hours, FEL, 6 ft. back blade, MMM) a few
months ago. Last weekend we got 18 inches of snow (which is a big
deal in Northern Virginia). In plowing one part of a dirt road that is on
an incline, I found the tractor basically came to a stand-still...not enough
HP to keep moving. I would have the throttle full-on and wasn't going anywhere.
The tires were not spinning. I raided the blade and still no forward movement.
I went into reverse and went down the hill (it isn't too steep) a few feet, put it
back in forward (HST is great) and only got a few feet forward before it stopped
again. I was really surprised I wasn't able to easily drive up this mildly steep hill.
I had to stop-reverse-forward about 15 times to get up the hill.

I know I'm carrying a lot of weight (FEL, blade, MMM, filled tires). I have R4 industrial
tires (brand new). But, I wasn't plowing and the snow at that point was only 6-8 inches.
I know I wasn't losing traction (wheels were not spinning).

This happened a fair amount when I was plowing heavy snow...in which case I would
raise the blade and push the snow I had collected off the street. In general I was
a little disapointed with the HP on the B2400...I really expected it to perform better.

Can anyone comment on this? Could it be something related to transmission fluid? (I know,
I should have checked that before I posted this note...I will when I get home). Possibly
a blockage in a fuel filter? Or, is this not unexpected for a B2400?

Next year I will definitely take off the MMM after mowing season ends. I wasn't comfortable
moving deep snow with the deck attached. Gotta finish that design for the shed soon...

Any comments appreciated, especially from you fellow B2400 folks living in snow country (Frank!)

bill
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[Anonymous Poster]

My BX is the first tractor i've had with hst, just so happened the day I bought it someone posted a thread about the hst. goes kinda like this don't push the pedal to the floor, you might think of it as a manual tranny. If you put the pedal to the floor it would be like starting up in 4th gear in a car/truck... so no umff to the rear end. Give it throttle and feed in the pedal for the direction you want to go.

Cheers
Tony

 

[NY_Yankees_Fan]

Did you have the tractor in low gear, turtle? That can make a big difference in power to the wheels. And like Tony said, easy on the peddle. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[bryk]

Tony and Tom,

Thanks for the replies. Yeah, I had it in low gear. But, I might have been stomping
on the throttle...not sure. I didn't realize that was a bad thing to do! I will definitely
see how the tractor operates differently by applying less throttle. Thanks for the
suggestions. Call me an HST newbie! ;-)

bill
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[Bird]

Bill, I've had the same thing happen with both a B7100 and a B2710, but only when I forgot I was in high range instead of low.

 

[pemad]

I have a BX2200 and drive mine up and down a VERY step incline with the loader and backblade on it. I can tell you it is REAL step as if I ever went sideways I would definitely do a roll over. I also pulled a 700lb boat hoist up the hill this year with ease.

I can say from my experience that there has got to be something wrong with your tractor as your B2400 is a lot more machine than my BX2200.

Another note is to check and make sure the parking brake is not on. I have left my one a few times and the tractor can not move too well in high or low gear.

I hope this helps!

pemad

 

[SteveV]

Sounds like there's a problem. If your at a standstill going uphill, the engine better have stalled or something is up with the tranny. Unless you're going up a 30 degree incline, high range shouldn't be a problem in 6-8 in of snow. I operate mine in a foot of snow when skidding logs(400# on 3pt, FEL and loaded rears). My guess is it's all about the fuel. Make sure you're firing all three cylinders with winter fuel. SteveV

 

[TresCrows]

You must have a transmission problem, when my B2410 comes to a stop in low range the wheels either keep turning or the engine will stall. The conditions you describe would not cause my 2410 to even break a sweat so I figure you must have a problem. The lever on the floor is not a throttle! It is a control lever to the hydro pump which works a variable output swash plate etc to control torque. The throttle is the lever up by the steering wheel, run it at about 1800-2200 RPM.
In high gear my tractor will also come to a stop wheels spinning or engine stalling. High range is good for light FEL and for transport and mowing but any heavy work I go in to low range. Luv that HST!!!!!! J

 

[Egon]

Just curious.
Does the motor rpm drop as the tractor slows down and stops ?
Are there any unusual smells?
Does it operate ok on level ground?
Egon

 

[TIMCOM]

First thing is to check for some bad fuel. I got some and it really saps the power on my B2400. Change the fuel and the fuel filter as a cheap first start. You can look at your fuel filter bowl and often see if its got water in it. I would also remove the mmm, that will increase your clearance alot , it might be hanging up in the deep snow. Like Frank we get snow by the foot here in upstate New York, but I have no problem with my Bota. Once though I let it slip out of 4wd and went nowhere fast and couldnt figure it out for a minute or 2.