First issue with 1430, weak drive power.

tommott77 · Jan 8, 2022

Hi all, so i’ve got my first issue with my 1430. Just some background, I bought the last diesel 1430 that was the showroom floor model. Tractor shows 17 hours, but the hour meter was unplugged when it arrived, so it could definitely have some more hours than that. It’s still on its original oil and filter.

A couple days ago the tractor did not want to start in upper 20° weather after the first couple tries. Seemed like a weak battery as the starter solenoid was clicking but the motor wasn’t turning over. About the fifth try the motor turned over and the tractor started reasonably well as it typically does in these temps. Upon driving I immediately noticed a problem as the drive power was very weak. It would hardly react to any initial input of the treddle pedal in forward or reverse. It seemed to get better as the tractor warmed (oil perhaps) up, but still did not have the instant torque that I was used to upon initial input of the pedal.

Yesterday iwe had temps in the teens and 20 most of the day. Again tractor wouldn’t start in the same fashion for most of the day. At the end of the day when it finally got to about 32° it started. Again the drive power was severely compromised. It would take about 3 of 4 seconds of any type of input pedal input to get the tractor to move at all in reverse. I was just moving it around so didn’t get a chance to see how it did once warmed up.

I’m assuming my first step will be to change the oil/filter. I believe they call for changing the oil at 50 hours. What type and weight oil do most people use recommend? Up here in the NC mountains it can get into the teens or lower and still have some 90° summer days.

Aside from the oil/filter anything else I should be checking out? I assume the drive system is 100% a hydraulic circuit and the battery weakness should not have any effect on it? It’s weird that the issue started as soon as the battery started struggling, I guess it’s possible that the battery/start issue can be a byproduct of an motor/pump issue and/or compromised oil though.

LittleBill21 · Jan 8, 2022

you checked the hydro fluid level? does it sound different, like the hydro's are going into relief?

tommott77 · Jan 8, 2022

I checked the oil when it first happened. Oil level looked correct. Oil looked very clean. I did notice that the oil cap was a bit loose, was worried that some condensation could’ve worked it’s way into the oil.

Nothing really sounds different and it doesn’t seem to be in relief.

m5040 · Jan 8, 2022

Did you notice that when you let off the treadle the tractor was slow to respond (stop)? If so you are not letting it warm up enough. The entire hyd system is designed to operate with a certain viscosity oil and when cold like the temps you are describing, you throw off all the engineering. You will need to keep warm or give it 5 to 10 min to "thin out" the oil. Or change to a lower viscosity oil only for winter.
Your electrical problem sounds like a bad relay. Find and replace. PT should send you one for free.

tommott77 · Jan 8, 2022

m5040 said:
Did you notice that when you let off the treadle the tractor was slow to respond (stop)? If so you are not letting it warm up enough. The entire hyd system is designed to operate with a certain viscosity oil and when cold like the temps you are describing, you throw off all the engineering. You will need to keep warm or give it 5 to 10 min to "thin out" the oil. Or change to a lower viscosity oil only for winter.
Your electrical problem sounds like a bad relay. Find and replace. PT should send you one for free.

That was my initial reaction. I had previously ran the tractor around Thanksgiving in similar temps and it didn’t act like this though. The other day it did seem to be at or close to full power once warmed up. Even then though the pedal was still slow to react and didn’t have the torque from initial pedal input that I was used to. From playing around with it that day it seemed i could kind of “trick” and keep constant torque out of the pedal by quickly going back and forth in forward/reverse once it felt like hydraulic pressure had built up in the system. When I would slow down or come to a stop, and it felt like the pressure went back down to idle, it would be slow to react again.

What type/brand oils do most folks use/recommend? Do most people switch oil weights from winter to summer?

ponytug · Jan 8, 2022

Sorry to hear that you are having issues!

Two things occur to me; 1) cold oil, which always makes for sluggish response, 2) that there might be a small air leak in the suction side of the pumps. For #2, start up the engine and look through the oil filler port in good sunshine or a bright light. If you have bubbles or foam, you have an air leak and you want to get after the issue pronto. Most likely it is that the suction oil filter is loose or there is a particle of something on the gasket. However, as it is a new machine, I would also check all the hoses connections and see if they can be tightened.

At 17 hours, it wouldn't hurt to go over your hose fittings and tighten everything up.

The factory oil should be good for hundreds of hours if you don't get dirt or water into it. I change it when it changes color.

All the best,

Peter

seville009 · Jan 8, 2022

I use 15w40 oil in my skidsteer, tractor, and zero turn mower (just so happens the specs for each call for that oil weight).

use it all year (Northeast - 100 degrees to negative 20) (if it's colder than 20 below zero, I don't go outside.......)

key to starting/operating in cold temps is (1) strong battery (highest cca you can find), and (2) let it idle and warm up for ten to fifteen minutes (until you hear the engine running nice and smooth).

actual movement with the hydro pedals tends to be slower in the colder weather; not a huge amount, but a little.

SpringHollow · Jan 8, 2022

If my tractor is that cold, I let it warm up first because the hydraulics will be sluggish including a slower response to the pedals.

scotts562 · Jan 8, 2022

you might try bleeding the hydraulic system just to make sure there air didn't somehow get into the system. It could also be ice in the hydraulic lines.

I am not familiar with the newer 1430's. Does it have a hydroback with a cable attached to the foot pedals or does it have a valve at the foot pedal?

My older machine has the cable and loves to break the bolt on the pump end of the cable. When that bolt is going bad it acts very similar to what you describe. If the newer machines have the valve, disregard this.

I suspect your starting issue is related to your hydraulic issue. When you hit the starter, it is also turning the hydraulics. It sounds like something in the hydraulic system is not letting fluid move as it should which is putting more resistance against the starter. To help troubleshoot you could try getting all four wheels off the ground and see if they are trying to move when you try starting the engine. Might also take a look at the pto circuit since that is about the only place the electric and hydraulic systems come together.

It is interesting that you are having to "trick" the hydraulics to maintain pressure even when warm.

RegL · Jan 8, 2022

tommott77 said:
Hi all, so i’ve got my first issue with my 1430. Just some background, I bought the last diesel 1430 that was the showroom floor model. Tractor shows 17 hours, but the hour meter was unplugged when it arrived, so it could definitely have some more hours than that. It’s still on its original oil and filter.

A couple days ago the tractor did not want to start in upper 20° weather after the first couple tries. Seemed like a weak battery as the starter solenoid was clicking but the motor wasn’t turning over. About the fifth try the motor turned over and the tractor started reasonably well as it typically does in these temps. Upon driving I immediately noticed a problem as the drive power was very weak. It would hardly react to any initial input of the treddle pedal in forward or reverse. It seemed to get better as the tractor warmed (oil perhaps) up, but still did not have the instant torque that I was used to upon initial input of the pedal.

Yesterday iwe had temps in the teens and 20 most of the day. Again tractor wouldn’t start in the same fashion for most of the day. At the end of the day when it finally got to about 32° it started. Again the drive power was severely compromised. It would take about 3 of 4 seconds of any type of input pedal input to get the tractor to move at all in reverse. I was just moving it around so didn’t get a chance to see how it did once warmed up.

I’m assuming my first step will be to change the oil/filter. I believe they call for changing the oil at 50 hours. What type and weight oil do most people use recommend? Up here in the NC mountains it can get into the teens or lower and still have some 90° summer days.

Aside from the oil/filter anything else I should be checking out? I assume the drive system is 100% a hydraulic circuit and the battery weakness should not have any effect on it? It’s weird that the issue started as soon as the battery started struggling, I guess it’s possible that the battery/start issue can be a byproduct of an motor/pump issue and/or compromised oil though.

Your 1430 is behaving normally. The one I bought 2012 has behaved that way in the cold since I got it. The older one I had was more responsive. It had a different pump with bigger orifices so cold oil could flow through easier.
Sometimes I put a portable jump box on the battery and use a squirt of starting fluid. ( starting fluid is not a recommendation, just what I do).