Stupid Newbie question.

[TSMART]

My first tractor, a Jimna 224 brand new. Just got it last week. Heres the question and dont laugh cause I really dont know.

When driving the tractor on the road , I need a higher gear to go faster. If I try to start out in a high gear, it bogs the engine (as it would in any car). If I need to use a higher gear, do I just add RPMS (above the green RPM level) and let the clutch out gradually, or should start in a low gear and try to shift to a higher gear while moving as I would in a car? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif Thanks!

 

[prosperity]

Not a stupid question -
The only stupid question is the one not asked......

Tractor transmissions are not synchronized. If you try to shift while the tractor is moving, the gears will clash like crazy, and is not good for the transmission.
The best way is to try to start out in the high gear, but that will not always work. Either the gear is just too high to get you started, or you might be on a hill.
Get your rpms up, and slip the clutch some to get going.

That's my theory - I'm sure others will have some thought on this too.

 

[penokee]

TSMART - Can't add anything concerning how to start in a high gear, but since I have to travel down Black top and Gravel State and County roads to get to some of my parcels, suggest just traveling in a lower gear. It takes a little while longer but it's safer (IMHO), and gives you a chance to look at the beautiful scenery as you go along.

What is critical, is that you have your Seat Belt On, Emergency Flashers on Head lights on and SMV in place.

Safest way would be on a trailer, but since mine is too short and you may not have one, that's not a viable option.

What ever you do have fun - penokee /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[TSMART]

I have two 5 acre properties and theres 2 miles between them. Very rural here, just a country road, but still I want to stay safe. Thanks for the advise. The life you save just may be mine!!!!!

 

[DK35vince]

I don't know anything about the Jinma 224, but I'm assuming it does not have sycronized transmission where you can shift on the go.
Maybe be aiming down hill to get going in the highest gear ..

 

[DK35vince]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Tractor transmissions are not synchronized. If you try to shift while the tractor is moving, the gears will clash like crazy, and is not good for the transmission. )</font>

Many tractor transmissions are not syncronized, but many are syncronized.

 

[Big_Lug]

I would start in a lower gear and get your momentum going then push clutch in and shift to a higher gear this should get you going. I don't think this is the problem but just to ask. You don't maybe have the brake engaged. Just thought I would ask. Good Luck

 

[BigAl]

Welcome aboard !!!There is no such thing as a dumb question here or these guy's would have thrown me out long ago. If this transmission has no sycron's and is like the old trucks I use to drive ,could a person "double clutch " as I use to do in order to mesh the gears ?
allen

 

[Bob_Young]

In my many years of operating Ag tractors, TS, I always started in a lower gear and upshifted once everything got moving well. Yeah, the gears clashed, but it never bothered those things. Everybody else did it the same way. If you were forceful about jamming it into the next gear, there wasn't much clash. If you were pulling a loaded hay wagon or spreader with something like a Farmall H, you darn well couldn't start out in road gear without either killing the engine or doing a number on the clutch. Creeping along in a lower gear was a way to get a talkin'-to by the boss.

But I don't like hearing them clash either. When tachs, started showing up I experimented with double-clutching a little. The idea was to get rolling in a lower gear and run the RPMs up. When it was time to shift:
-depress clutch and shift to neutral
-drop the RPMs a fixed amount and let the clutch out momentarily (still in neutral---this slows the drive gears down to a rate that matches the driven gears)
-depress the clutch again and shift into the higher gear
-let the clutch out while still at the lower RPMs
-increase RPM for more speed
If the RPM was dropped to a value that corresponded with tractor speed in the higher gear, you could get it into the higher gear with very little clash....that was the secret.

But I gave up on this for a couple of reasons. Terrain and loading variations made it hard to hit the required RPM drop every time. Secondly, it took far too much concentration to do it right. A tractor with load traveling at road speed is a handful and its feel, direction of travel, and any traffic should receive your full attention. Double clutching took my attention away from all of these things.

With a foot throttle and more practice, it might've gone better though.
FWIW
Bob

 

[beenthere]

Have been shifting tractors into high gear for years without slipping the clutch (learned not to slip a clutch when first beginning, as it would get a slap side the head from Pa if caught doing it /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif ). I think most high gears are either synchronized or not so sensitive to shifting, as are the lower gears. When shifting to a higher gear, a corresponding move to throttle down the engine rpm is very helpful, as the match with the transmission to the engine drive shaft speed is much closer than if the engine rpm is left high. Same as letting off the accelerator of a car. Double clutching is another trick to help get the gears to match and not grind. That is to clutch to shift out of gear, then clutch again to shift into the higher gear. We used to have to do that all the time with truck transmissions. Sometimes I do that just as an old habit. Shifting down is another skill to learn. Then the rpm is increased to match the tranny speed.

Can't tell what your experience covers, but mine covers 8N Fords, John Deere, Massy Harris, Farmalls, Olivers, Ferguson, etc through the 50's and 60's models. After that, transmissions have changed a lot, to allow moving through the gears with little clutch usage.
Not saying that there are not some tranny's out there that don't work well when shifting in high gear. But sure wouldn't recommend wearing on a clutch by slipping it. Too expensive to change, IMO. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif