Rat Disaster. Need Electrical Help.

[timster2]

To shrink the heat shrink tubing get one of these cheap heat guns at Harbor Freight for ten bucks or so they work good. Have had one for years to use on heat shrink tubing and have not burned it out, It comes in handy for other things as well. Heat Gun - Dual Temperature Heat Gun, 1500W Add some heat shrink tubing 9 Piece Heat Shrink Wire Wrap Assortment and throw in a new soldering iron for good measure 180 Watt Industrial Soldering Gun. For a grand total of less than $30 you have all you will need to do the job right.

 

[/pine]

...small wires will break again at these connection points. the solid tin and the flexible copper in a vibrating application spells failure in the future...

IMO...correctly sized and applied quality shrink tubing eliminates this possible issue entirely

 

[TomSeller]

Butt connectors were my last choice but you can get an okay job done with them if you take your time. Use the black handled style as mentioned above and after crimping each side of each connector do a "tug test" on the wire before you move to the next crimp. Hold the butt connector and the wire in separate hands and tug it back and forth. If you feel ANY movement, you have a bad crimp and it could cause you problems. Re-do each of those. The other problem, is that you will have a huge knot of connectors at the chew spot. Try to stagger them if you can. Good Luck !!

 

[k0ua]

Butt connectors were my last choice but you can get an okay job done with them if you take your time. Use the black handled style as mentioned above and after crimping each side of each connector do a "tug test" on the wire before you move to the next crimp. Hold the butt connector and the wire in separate hands and tug it back and forth. If you feel ANY movement, you have a bad crimp and it could cause you problems. Re-do each of those. The other problem, is that you will have a huge knot of connectors at the chew spot. Try to stagger them if you can. Good Luck !!

Good advice given above. I might heat shrink and solder.. but I have soldered for decades.. The butt splices can work and work well. I have an antenna that in one part of its span about 86 feet, is put back together with them.. with 2 bricks for weight on the dacron rope ends over the tree branch.. Has been good for at least 2 years now, survived many a wind story..

Key is getting the proper size for the proper wires.. red (small) blue (med.) and yellow (large). And making a proper crimp with a proper tool.. Yes get the good one not the stamped out piece of sheet metal one.

Stagger the butt splices, with proper wire in between, so two splices for each wire. Strain test each one before moving on to the next. Or if you practice a bit, you can use solder and heat shrink.. I recommend the heat gun to shrink it. Other things can work, but the heat gun is best.

 

[ultrarunner]

I have heard dryer sheets will keep vermin away cheap as they are I would try.

Had the same problem two years in a row with my D3 Dozer... tried the dryer sheets and bronze wool and it worked.

 

[N80]

You guys are great. To answer a few questions: It looks difficult to get the dash end of the harness out of the dash unit. There is a rubber seal that feels like it will come apart if I pull on it too much. Possibly with some TLC I could get all that loose and it would make it much easier to solder etc. As far as the crimp tool, I have one like the black one in the picture; actually nicer than that. As far as butt connectors, I used a different type on our RC race trucks but a lot of guys used the heat shrink wrapped ones in their trucks. They held and believe me those trucks took a beating.

I honestly wish I could solder better and if so I'd definitely go that route but given my lack of skills I think I'll go with the butt connectors. Yes, they will take up more space but there is plenty of space behind the dash. Too much really.......that's why the mouse was in there. I will stagger them.

If brass wool is known to keep the mice out I may stuff that space with it. There is nothing in there it would interfere with.

And while I want this to be a permanent fix, as mentioned, it is just a few gauges and lights. If it all went wrong the tractor still operates normally.

It is going to be a few weeks before I can do the work and since the hood and all the body work are off I'm going to go ahead and change the oil, oil filter, fuel filter and both air filters at the same time. Make a day of it!

I'll up date everyone once I'm done........or mess it up even worse!

 

[ultrarunner]

What about Scotch Lock or 3M connectors?

They work OK for splices and taps.

https://images.search.yahoo.com/sea..._prop=image&fr=mcafee&va=scotchlok+connectors

 

[s219]

If there is enough room behind the panel when reinstalled, I'd add like 1-2 feet to each wire so that you have plenty of slack to work with. So first solder or crimp a 1-2 foot extension to each wire coming out of the firewall, and then solder/crimp the extensions to the panel. Or vice versa. Life will be a lot easier if you're not fighting to pull the severed wires back together directly.

Sure soldering would be better, but if you are not confident in your soldering tools/skills, then I'd say crimp connectors would be better. In some cases, you don't have a choice and crimp connectors have to do. I have repaired a few boat wiring issues at sea, and crimp connectors are the the norm. You can pack them with silicone grease if corrosion is a concern.

Finally, sometimes the wire-nut style crimp connectors are easier to work with and tuck back in, compared to butt splices. Butt splices create a rigid flat spot at the crimp, which can be a PITA in some cases, especially if wire length is limited. They can also pose a challenge for tying off. The nut style crimps (which look sort of like wire nuts but get crimped) leave you with connections that are easier to tuck in and zip-tie.

 

[/pine]

Acknowledge you're going with crimps but if you're not in a giant hurry...it does not take long to learn how to make quick solid connections with solider...
...A couple quick tips for soldering: learn to use the heat to draw the solider to the fix...not just melt the solider with the heat on top of the fix...the liquid solider will flow towards the heat...
Personally I prefer a pencil type iron...

when/if I have to make a crimp connection I usually crimp it enough to hold the wire then I draw some solider through the crimp...

keep things clean...especially the heat tip of the iron... steel wool works to clean it when it hot...the cleaner the iron the easier it is to finesse the flow...

Good luck with the project...it's one of those unforeseen time robbers we could all do without...!

 

[puckgrinder85]

What about Scotch Lock or 3M connectors?

They work OK for splices and taps.

https://images.search.yahoo.com/sea..._prop=image&fr=mcafee&va=scotchlok+connectors

Nope, never, not even interior on cars. These are a technicians worst nightmare because water intrudes down the whole wire and rots it from the inside out.


In our shop we use the heat shrink butt connectors. If they are installed properly and heated properly they are just as good as any soldered connection, in my opinion. I don't think we've soldered a wire in 10 years. I'm pretty sure I've also seen GM send airbag replacement connectors out with these butt connectors as well, to give you an idea. Keep in mind these aren't the cheap ones found in walmart. We usually get them from an industrial supply store like Fastenal etc.. There are good ones and there are ****** ones. The ones we get spew a resin type material out the ends and any place the crimp tool may have pierced the outer jacket. They do fail, but only the crappy ones installed improperly. Yes their main downfall is they take a little more room up than a traditional wire and a big bundle of wires may be a little thicker in that one spot. We try to stagger the connectors if we want to keep the wire loom small. The other downfall is they will likely be a bit more expensive than just soldering. If you're having issues with soldering you're likely just having issues with dirty wires, they should be clean and bright before any soldering. When you solder you really should "tin" the tip. Clean the tip off well before using, let it heat up fully and dab the solder on and it should coat the tip, you're ready to solder!


For heating them up you should really use a heat gun, not a torch.

 

[Scott65]

I agree with pine. If your going to solder, that's actually a good way to nearly guarantee your getting a good joint if your a beginner. Use a pencil type iron. Touch the tip to your work. Next touch the solder to the tip, but only to get it to flow. Once you get a little in your joint, verify its heat and integrity by flowing the rest from another location in the joint. If the solder melts from your spool into the joint from somewhere other than touching the tip of the iron, it means you've heated the joint enough to flow solder all the way through. Now just push enough solder into it to cover all the exposed wire. Let it cool to a dull finish, then heat shrink.

Someone mentioned scotch locks. I really don't mean this rude. I know they are handy for a lot of folks. But any professional in the automotive industry will tell you to kill them all with fire! They have caused many more problems than they have solved. On trucks their most common application is the addition of a trailer plug. And it is the go-to location when one comes in with a problem. 99% of the time one of those is the culprit.

And one last thought. I don't know how sensitive these tractor gauges might be. Some auto gauges though, adding a couple of feet of wire would throw them off. Some gauges work off of resistance and are susceptible to altering their circuits. But I could be way off. The extra wire may not be any different than the splices that we are suggesting

 

[timster2]

When I was writing specifications for heavy equipment Scotch Lock connectors were specifically banned for use anywhere on the equipment by any vendor. They were a major source of electrical problems when used in damp or wet locations. Equipment sorted or used outdoors is not a place for Scotch Locks. While they may be useful for some applications under the hood of your tractor is not one of them. Heat shrink butt connectors would be a second choice behind solider and heat shrink.

Too bad you don't live closer I'd just come over and do it for you

 

[ultrarunner]

I used Scotch Locks when I did Stereo installs... never had a problem.

The telecom industry uses a variation.

Could be the application... no exposure to the elements?

 

[k0ua]

I used Scotch Locks when I did Stereo installs... never had a problem.

The telecom industry uses a variation.

Could be the application... no exposure to the elements?

Lets see... I have probably used about a million Scotchlocks. But this was in the telecom industry. and they go on 22 and 24 gauge solid wire. They are an insulation displacement technology. Of course ours were filled with a silicone grease for weatherproofing. Keep in mind though that currents in telecom service is very low, typically a few milliamps. They are extremely fast to apply using the scotchlock tool with its magazine and stripper clips that automatically feed up the next connector just as soon as you crimp the last one.

 

[timster2]

Scotchlocks have their place. I have them and have used them and even have the factory Scotchlock crimping tool. I have also earned a lot tracing down wiring problems when they were used outside in the elements. Most people do not have access to the silicone grease loaded version designed for a specific application. I have also seen them used to splice trailer brake circuits from the factory, not an application I would sign off on!

 

[ultrarunner]

Another method I've used with zero issues for apartment irrigation valves as far back as the early 80's without a single failure is to solder, wire nut and seal in liquid rubber... 30 years and still intact.

 

[pmsmechanic]

I have never worked on a Kubota but i'm thinking that if you have a look behind the rubber on the dash panel there will be a connector in there. Being able to remove the dash panel will give you more room to work.

My preference on this repair would be to solder and heat shrink and it's really not that hard. Strip the insulation off the wires for about half an inch. Twist them together. If your using a soldering iron then put it underneath the wires. Dip your soldering wire in soldering paste and use the soldering wire to push the wire lightly onto the soldering iron. The heat front he iron will melt the paste which chemically cleans the wires and then the solder can flow easily into the wires. Don't forget to slide the heat shrink over the wire first!! Good luck and have fun

 

[Scott65]

I have never worked on a Kubota but i'm thinking that if you have a look behind the rubber on the dash panel there will be a connector in there. Being able to remove the dash panel will give you more room to work.

I had the same thought. I would bet money on it actually. It wouldn't make sense for Kubota to manufacture the harness or the cluster any other way. The only issue is i recall the OP stating his concern for how brittle or degraded the rubber is. But if it could be unplugged it sure would make life easier!

I'm not there to see what your dealing with, but you said at one point that there's almost TOO much room for mice to play. As long as you confirm everything is working after your fix, I suppose a fella could squeeze a hose somewhere back there and pump it full of great stuff. That expanding foam you use around windows and doors. I've used it to fill big voids many times in the past. Works quite well as long as it has boundaries all around to keep it contained, otherwise it tends to drool everywhere till it dries. I don't think living creatures have any desire to mess with it. Way better than the smell of moth balls

 

[almaryholm]

Mice !!!! Did in wiring for headlights a couple years ago by chewing wire insulation under dash, grounding them out and blowing a fuse. My tractor is under Shelter Logic round top (so not outdoors) and I keep hood open/ FRESH CAB packet tied to wire under hood/ packet stuffed under dash and sticky traps on station floor near pedals ...(big snake would help but they move kinda slow in MN during winter)

 

[Mike from MI]

You guys are great. To answer a few questions: It looks difficult to get the dash end of the harness out of the dash unit. There is a rubber seal that feels like it will come apart if I pull on it too much. Possibly with some TLC I could get all that loose and it would make it much easier to solder etc. As far as the crimp tool, I have one like the black one in the picture; actually nicer than that. As far as butt connectors, I used a different type on our RC race trucks but a lot of guys used the heat shrink wrapped ones in their trucks. They held and believe me those trucks took a beating. I honestly wish I could solder better and if so I'd definitely go that route but given my lack of skills I think I'll go with the butt connectors. Yes, they will take up more space but there is plenty of space behind the dash. Too much really.......that's why the mouse was in there. I will stagger them. If brass wool is known to keep the mice out I may stuff that space with it. There is nothing in there it would interfere with. And while I want this to be a permanent fix, as mentioned, it is just a few gauges and lights. If it all went wrong the tractor still operates normally. It is going to be a few weeks before I can do the work and since the hood and all the body work are off I'm going to go ahead and change the oil, oil filter, fuel filter and both air filters at the same time. Make a day of it! I'll up date everyone once I'm done........or mess it up even worse!

You have to buy wire so just practice soldering, you'll be surprised how fast you'll get the hang of it. Clean and tin tip then tin wires use gator clips if you need a third hand. Or get one of your RC buddy's to help you out.