Operator claims tractor would not roll down hill or be towed after running out of fue

[case580c]

My brother's1538 HST ran out of fuel going down hill he said the tractor would not roll down the hill and it couldn't be towed as it seems to be locked up. Can he be correct ??? I thing he is wrong! Anyone know of any reason the tractor would not roll down the hill after running out of Diesel fuel? I imagine he may have cranked the engine over enough to wear battery down trying to start it after it quit running. I can only figure he was nervous and the reason it would not roll down the hill was because the slope was not steep enough. Or he had the brakes on?? He was blocking one lane of traffic so after awhile the fire dept towed it off the road. I was not there so I don't know if it rolled along as normal or if it was locked as he stated. I think he was wrong. Thanks

 

[ptsg]

It's an HST tractor, if it's in gear, it won't roll easily or at all depending on the slope.

Once he moved the range lever to Neutral, it would roll for sure with the brakes off of course.

 

[4570Man]

A HST won’t roll at all in gear and depressing the clutch won’t help. They should roll in neutral.

 

[Roadworthy]

Yes, it SHOULD roll in neutral. However it may be difficult to shift it into neutral without the ability to take pressure off the gears.

 

[Joker4657]

Unfortunately, he was going down hill so the gears are bound up and he likely cannot shift out of gear - it has happened to me from time to time as well. If he is pulled back, slightly, the gears will unbind and he will be able to shift into neutral. An HST is a geared transmission. I'm sure most who have operated one have experienced the time when they could not easily shift from one range to another and the way to make it happen is to press the forward or reverse lever slightly to loosen things up.

 

[Joker4657]

Yes, it SHOULD roll in neutral. However it may be difficult to shift it into neutral without the ability to take pressure off the gears.

Right you are.

 

[Industrial Toys]

It could have saved him. A tractor free wheeling down a hill can end badly! Poor steering and maybe uneven or unlocked (side to side) brakes.