Kubota L3410 won't start

[beowulf]

790 hours on the tractor and for 13 years always started. Used for about an hour, turned it off, then it would not restart. No sounds on attempts- no clicking, no turning over, nothing. headlights and blinkers all work. Implements are down and on the ground. Checked all fuses (including slow fuse at starter) all OK. Checked and refixed battery connections - tight and sound. Used charger to charge battery - won't start even with charger on boost mode. PTO is not engaged, I did push in clutch and all that - did all I usually do when I start it up. Weather warm here. The glow plug indicator does not go on - and it usually always did even in warm weather. I think I have tried about all I know and getting ready to call for service (expensive as I live in the mountains some distance from the dealer) but I wanted to see if anyone here has any suggestion first.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

[thendrix]

Clutch or pto safety switch maybe? If blinkers and lights work then I would say your battery and cables are probably ok. On the Kubota's I've run, you could start them without the clutch being pushed in if the tractor was in neutral. If you can't then the clutch switch might be a place to start

 

[beowulf]

Thank you for the quick response and info. I will check those things tomorrow. I continued poking around for answers and in case anyone else is having this problem I will post what else I found out as a possible issue and solution.

Apparently there is a neutral switch for the forward-reverse pedal on my HST. Others report that if that switch is bad, or if that pedal won't return to it's normal neutral position the tractor will not start - won't even engage the starter. I sort of recall that pedal being sort of loose and squishy - and not at a firmer mid-point when I was trying to get it to start. I will check that out and see if that is the issue - once I gain access to it. Tractor in a dark field now but I can get back to it tomorrow PM.

 

[beowulf]

Resolved: So that anyone else with this problem might be able to try what I did to resolve it - this is what I found: I took off the speed pedal first. Then from an access hole on the deck I saw a wire harness - I took that off - I assumed it went to the accelerator neutral switch.
The wires came off that switch when I removed that rubber wire cover from the top of the switch. So, now I could see the switch with its two prongs (to which the wires had been connected) and I had two loose wires (with, oddly, no matching female connectors to slip on to the switch prongs, but oh well). Then I connected the two wires and tried to start the tractor - it started right up. So now I knew the problem was a faulty pedal neutral switch, or the wires to that switch had become disconnected. Then I reattached the two wires to the switch (using alligator clips as there were no connectors on those wires to reconnect to the switch) The tractor again started. So - then since it started when the wires were connected to the switch I assumed it is not a faulty switch but just a disconnected wire to that switch. That is good because looking down in there I had no idea how I was going to access the neutral switch to take it out. The one really odd thing is that when I removed the rubber cover from the neutral switch, the wires came off the switch with the cover but the ends of those wires were just exposed copper - very short stub - beyond the wire coating - no female wire clip to slide onto to the male prongs on the neutral switch. .. no evidence of any solder, so I don't know how they were originally connected to the switch. I will buy some matching female clips and put it all back together.

Hope this will help someone else out some day.