Rich Waugh
Platinum Member
Well, I got the crate tractor delivered and assembled, without too much trouble, actually. Oh, the delivery was a bit of a nuisance since the rains had made things so muddy that the truck couldn't get into the right place to offload the crates, so I had to have it dropped in a secondary location. I managed.
The assembly went pretty well, given that there are no real assembly directions, but by watching this forum I managed to get enough guidance to get me through it, though the electrics were a challenge since some of the connectors weren't labeled and required some guesswork and experimentation to get right. I finally got it so that the switches switch the right things and the lights and such work, gauges work, etc. However, I do have one issue that baffles me:
When I first got it ready to start up, it wouldn't crank. Okay, check the battery - sure enough, no good. Replaced that (dealer will reimburse, no problem), still no crank. After much annoyance and checking everything I could think of, I finally traced the wiring for the clutch switch that I though t was causing the issue. Sure enough, it was the switch, but only because it had shifted in shipping and wasn't being actuated by the clutch. Took me all **** day to discover that. Jeezus, what a dummy I can be sometimes! Put it in the right spot and the tractor cranks right up and starts almost instantly. Cool, except for the kicker - starting it up causes the fuse for the regulator to blow and then there are no gauges, no headlights, no indicators. The taillights and turn signals still function, but nothing else. Further, the ammeter then shows a radical discharge - needle pegged to the left. Likewise all the gauges. This one has me baffled.
****, most automotive electrics baffle me (witness the stupidity with that clutch switch), apparently you have to enter into a contract with the Devil himself to be able to make sense of American auto electrics and the Chinese "use whatever color wire is at hand" electrics are worse. Of course, the wiring diagram in the owner's manual is both out of date and, in some cases, in violation of the laws of physics.
Anyone got any clue as to why this stuff is happening? I really want to get this thing broken in and ready to work, but I don't have the nerve to run it in with no working gauges.
The assembly went pretty well, given that there are no real assembly directions, but by watching this forum I managed to get enough guidance to get me through it, though the electrics were a challenge since some of the connectors weren't labeled and required some guesswork and experimentation to get right. I finally got it so that the switches switch the right things and the lights and such work, gauges work, etc. However, I do have one issue that baffles me:
When I first got it ready to start up, it wouldn't crank. Okay, check the battery - sure enough, no good. Replaced that (dealer will reimburse, no problem), still no crank. After much annoyance and checking everything I could think of, I finally traced the wiring for the clutch switch that I though t was causing the issue. Sure enough, it was the switch, but only because it had shifted in shipping and wasn't being actuated by the clutch. Took me all **** day to discover that. Jeezus, what a dummy I can be sometimes! Put it in the right spot and the tractor cranks right up and starts almost instantly. Cool, except for the kicker - starting it up causes the fuse for the regulator to blow and then there are no gauges, no headlights, no indicators. The taillights and turn signals still function, but nothing else. Further, the ammeter then shows a radical discharge - needle pegged to the left. Likewise all the gauges. This one has me baffled.
****, most automotive electrics baffle me (witness the stupidity with that clutch switch), apparently you have to enter into a contract with the Devil himself to be able to make sense of American auto electrics and the Chinese "use whatever color wire is at hand" electrics are worse. Of course, the wiring diagram in the owner's manual is both out of date and, in some cases, in violation of the laws of physics.
Anyone got any clue as to why this stuff is happening? I really want to get this thing broken in and ready to work, but I don't have the nerve to run it in with no working gauges.
