jnelson
Silver Member
I purchased a Cub Cadet 6284 with the Perkins Cat diesel engine this spring. As the fall days have gotten colder I have found it increasingly difficult to start until it was becoming almost impossible earlier last month - not yet very cold by Michigan winter standards. The starter would either not engage at all or it would engage and crank the engine just to the point that it would kick over and then disengage before the engine was running.
At first I suspected battery, then connections, and even the starter, though there was just enough inconsistency to the behavior to make it difficult to pin down. I was concerned about this to the point that I started searching the forums and discovered that this is not an unusual problem with Cub diesel tractors. One post explained that the problem was caused because the circuit that energizes the starter solenoid runs through all of the safety switches and can cause enough voltage drop that the solenoid will not engage. It also recommended that the cure for this is to install a relay switch that is energized by the starter circuit and connects battery power directly to the solenoid to provide full battery voltage.
I followed that advice and installed a simple relay switch I purchased at the auto parts store. Boy, what a difference! My Cub cranks right over in the cold now and fires right up. No longer does the starter kick out when the engine starts kicking over but rather cranks until the engine is actually running.
I posted the complete description of the relay installation and pictures at http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/cub-cadet/157287-cub-cadet-6284-power-take.html towards the bottom of the thread. I thought I would mention it here in a new thread in case others are experiencing a similar problem. Note that since the circuit that energizes the relay still runs through the safety switches this modification does not disable the safety features built into the tractor.
JN
At first I suspected battery, then connections, and even the starter, though there was just enough inconsistency to the behavior to make it difficult to pin down. I was concerned about this to the point that I started searching the forums and discovered that this is not an unusual problem with Cub diesel tractors. One post explained that the problem was caused because the circuit that energizes the starter solenoid runs through all of the safety switches and can cause enough voltage drop that the solenoid will not engage. It also recommended that the cure for this is to install a relay switch that is energized by the starter circuit and connects battery power directly to the solenoid to provide full battery voltage.
I followed that advice and installed a simple relay switch I purchased at the auto parts store. Boy, what a difference! My Cub cranks right over in the cold now and fires right up. No longer does the starter kick out when the engine starts kicking over but rather cranks until the engine is actually running.
I posted the complete description of the relay installation and pictures at http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/cub-cadet/157287-cub-cadet-6284-power-take.html towards the bottom of the thread. I thought I would mention it here in a new thread in case others are experiencing a similar problem. Note that since the circuit that energizes the relay still runs through the safety switches this modification does not disable the safety features built into the tractor.
JN