Four Wheel Drive Indicator

[etpm]

My Yanmar SA425 does not not have a 4wd indicator on the dashboard. The 4wd is controlled by a lever. Up is 2wd - down is 4wd.
I am thinking about using a tilt switch (mercury?) or a magnet switch. When the lever is down then the switch will complete the circuit activating the dash LED. Has anyone else addressed this? Any ideas are welcome.

I use cylindrical proximity switches in my shop. I have found that they can be easily damaged sometimes. But looking on Amazon I found these switches: Amazon.com
They look more robust than the typical cylindrical ones I see for the same price and they even come with mounting hardware. They can handle 300 milliAmps of current. So a LED used with these would be perfect. There are gobs of 12 volt LED indicator bulbs on Amazon. Here is a link for some waterproof ones: Amazon.com
Eric

 

[WinterDeere]

A parking brake dash light has rarely ever stopped me from driving off and heating them up. Dummy lights remind me of who I am! hahaha

A light won't stop you from starting your trip with the parking brake or 4wd engaged, but it should at least save you from getting too far down the road, in that mode.

 

[SmallChange]

a mirror down by my feet would be totally useless in short order

Absolutely. I was hoping something around knee height would work.

 

[BlueKnife]

Absolutely. I was hoping something around knee height would work.

In the environments where I have run a tractor, mirrors are almost always useless in short order, no matter where they're located on the machine. Not necessarily from breakage, just from getting covered in dust and grime. If you were operating in a low dust/dirt environment, that might change. I have to assume that the OP has some sort of mobility issue that prevents him/her from easily leaning forward and seeing the lever or reaching down to touch it briefly. That being the case, an indicator light would certainly be easier to see than a reflection in a dirty mirror.

 

[BlueKnife]

I would rather verify that the lever is in the appropriate position for the activity rather than assume that the switch for a dummy light is operating correctly. Dummy lights like that quit working often enough, especially on off road machines, like a tractor, that I'd want to be verifying manually anyway, making the light moot.

 

[Oaktree]

Mine's in 4WD probably 95% of the time, so I don't really need an indicator for that, but the proximity switch ETPM linked to might be just the trick for a reverse indicator. I'm forever forgetting whether it's in fwd or rev when doing loader work, but there's so much slop in the shuttle lever a physical switch probably wouldn't work very well. For $10 it's worth a shot on the prox switch.

 

[ismilelots]

My Yanmar SA425 does not not have a 4wd indicator on the dashboard. The 4wd is controlled by a lever. Up is 2wd - down is 4wd.
I am thinking about using a tilt switch (mercury?) or a magnet switch. When the lever is down then the switch will complete the circuit activating the dash LED. Has anyone else addressed this? Any ideas are welcome.

I would love to have an indicator showing I'm in 4WD (like my truck). But I would rather have a sensor in the transfer case showing it's actually engaged rather than just showing the lever is in the 4WD position. Issues with the linkage could have the lever in the right position, but the tractor not going into 4WD

 

[RVGuy]

My Yanmar SA425 does not not have a 4wd indicator on the dashboard. The 4wd is controlled by a lever. Up is 2wd - down is 4wd.
I am thinking about using a tilt switch (mercury?) or a magnet switch. When the lever is down then the switch will complete the circuit activating the dash LED. Has anyone else addressed this? Any ideas are welcome.

I would not use a tilt switch.You might see distracting flashing of the indicator light as the tractor bounces around. I think a less expensive solution would be a simple microswitch with a spring lever. Get one that is "Normally Open" and put it on the 4WD side of the lever such that the switch closes when you put it in 4WD. You can probably find a place to mount it but will need to make a small mounting bracket. Slot the bracket so you can have some adjustment of the switch. Be sure to put a small fuse in the power line going to the switch so you don't end up frying the primary tractor harness in case of a short.

 

[Razzmatazz]

I would not use a tilt switch.You might see distracting flashing of the indicator light as the tractor bounces around. I think a less expensive solution would be a simple microswitch with a spring lever. Get one that is "Normally Open" and put it on the 4WD side of the lever such that the switch closes when you put it in 4WD. You can probably find a place to mount it but will need to make a small mounting bracket. Slot the bracket so you can have some adjustment of the switch. Be sure to put a small fuse in the power line going to the switch so you don't end up frying the primary tractor harness in case of a short.

Good call. I will look into a lever switch and a proximity switch. Not sure which one to use. I will wire it into a fuse block.

 

[etpm]

Good call. I will look into a lever switch and a proximity switch. Not sure which one to use. I will wire it into a fuse block.

Speaking as someone who has used both I think a proximity switch is best in your situation. It will be much more tolerant of water and mud. Proximity switches are also much more tolerant when it comes to mounting because the detection range is so large. The typical lever microswitch needs much more accuracy in mounting compared to a proximity switch. If you need precise switching then the lever type microswitch is best. They typically repeat within .0005". So while great for dry locations where precise switching is needed, such as homing switches in a 3D printer, unless hardened for outdoor use they are problematic. Don't get me wrong, proximity switches are also very repeatable but can tend to not be as repeatable as a lever type microswitch.
Eric

 

[2515R Dude]

Here is my DIY 4x4 indicator write up

4WD indicator light

I dont like driving on 4WD when it is not necessary since my property has asphalt roads and i feel it increases front tire wear unnecessary. It was easier then expected.

www.tractorbynet.com

 

[RayIN]

A parking brake dash light has rarely ever stopped me from driving off and heating them up. Dummy lights remind me of who I am! hahaha

My previous 1T truck had push-button 4WD. The buttons were somewhat hidden near the drivers door pillar.
Don't feel special, I did it too.
On a trip we stopped at a campground, parking was on grass in a bottom. Overnight it rained and the ground was very soft and spongy so I pushed the 4WD button to make sure I pulled my 40' 5th wheel trailer that weighed 15,500# to the gravel road.
i forgot about it and drove ~20 miles at interstate speeds in 4WD. Thankfully I didn't damage anything but my nerves. You guessed it, no indicator light on the dash, only the buttons had a tiny light in them.

 

[Fxfymn413]

After reading this post I ordered a NO proximity switch and indicator light for the L4060 HSTC. I installed the switch adjacent to the 2wd position of the shift handle and put the light to the right of the steering wheel next to the ignition switch. Installation was easy as I was able to run the wire under the floor mat along with some factory wiring and I got a key switched 12V supply from a connector adjacent to the ignition switch. It took me about 2 hours.

Just one more little reminder that the 4wd is engaged.

 

[ACWSPEEDPATROL]

My previous 1T truck had push-button 4WD. The buttons were somewhat hidden near the drivers door pillar.
Don't feel special, I did it too.
On a trip we stopped at a campground, parking was on grass in a bottom. Overnight it rained and the ground was very soft and spongy so I pushed the 4WD button to make sure I pulled my 40' 5th wheel trailer that weighed 15,500# to the gravel road.
i forgot about it and drove ~20 miles at interstate speeds in 4WD. Thankfully I didn't damage anything but my nerves. You guessed it, no indicator light on the dash, only the buttons had a tiny light in them.

I would like my tractors to stall if I tried to move them with the brake on. Or at least have a reverse type horn blare in my ear. That's how often I forget to release it.

 

[RayIN]

I would like my tractors to stall if I tried to move them with the brake on. Or at least have a reverse type horn blare in my ear. That's how often I forget to release it.

That didn't have anything to do with brakes, only 4WD.

 

[2515R Dude]

I would like my tractors to stall if I tried to move them with the brake on. Or at least have a reverse type horn blare in my ear. That's how often I forget to release it.

You can easily do it

 

[etpm]

You can easily do it

Why not tell him how?
Eric

 

[etpm]

I would like my tractors to stall if I tried to move them with the brake on. Or at least have a reverse type horn blare in my ear. That's how often I forget to release it.

I can think of a couple of ways to do what you want. How many tractors does this need to be done to? Motion detection may not be that easy just because of how the motion detection device must be located and mounted. Detecting a brake on condition shouldn't be that hard to do and interfacing with the motion detecting device is also pretty easy. You could mount an induction type proximity switch that detects the lug bolts or something similar and wire it in series with the brake detecting switch, which could also be a proximity switch. Then, as the tractor starts to move the horn would honk as the lug bolts pass the proximity switch. So the honk would be intermittent as a wheel turned. This might be less irritating than a constant blaring horn. You could also use a latching relay that keeps the horn on until power is removed by releasing the brake, but that would be a little more complicated and a lot more irritating.
Eric

 

[2515R Dude]

Why not tell him how?
Eric

Because he is not going to do it.

 

[ACWSPEEDPATROL]

Because he is not going to do it.

I'll buy that!