TC40 4WD stuck in the mud!

[MLB]

Did you use your differential lock?

Seems like that could have come out, but then I wasn't there! /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[Robert_in_NY]

That reminds me of when we were working on our pond. Our friend dug it with a Komatsu PC150 and we were using a JD 450G dozer to level the banks and knock down the overburden. I had just got done working the edge of the pond so all the fill was soft and loose when my dad who didn't know exactly what I had done decided to do some more work. Ended up putting the dozer halfway down the bank when the track sunk in the loose fill. At the time the banks were 8' high still. I didn't have the TN at the time so we had to use the Komatsu to grab the dozer and swing it out of harms way so it wouldn't slide down any further.

What size Ford does your neighbor run?

 

[jinman]

On my TC45D in FWD, I have noticed one front wheel turning and one rear wheel turning, but never only the rear. I suppose there could be a problem where the supersteer "Sensitrack" clutch was not engaging if you have that option and have the automatic FWD selected. Do you have supersteer? Otherwise, on a standard FWD tractor, the FWD is engaged all the time when selected and should not slip.

 

[Soundguy]

Wow.. I wish I had only been 'that' stuck... When I got stuck, mud was up to the operators platform... I.E... pushing the clutch in made a squish sound! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

My fronts were buried to the top of the tires, and my rears were buried even to the hub... Luckilly I had a looong snatch strap with me... but my neighbore did laugh a bit...

I just had a thought.. I wonder if his unit is a hydrostate..and perhaps a valve is relieving in reverse due to extra traction or something?

Soundguy

 

[Robert_in_NY]

It is fun getting them out when they are buried deep. When I buried the 1920 I was lucky since I had the forks on the TN still I just picked the tractor out of the mud and set it on hard ground. Take care.

 

[jtn]

That seems strange that it would not work in reverse. I know for a fact that my TC45D regular-steer works just fine in reverse. As a side note I have had two Ford 4wd trucks, both of which worked fine in forward and reverse and a JD 970 which also worked fine in 4wd both directions.

Two suggestions I have for you. First, engage the 4wd and turn a tight corner in reverse. If your inside rear wheel slips you are in 4wd. Second, and much more obvious, get on slippery ground and put your box blade against an imovable object. Remember, on a hydrostat if you have good traction you may not be able to spin any tires.

JT

 

[cvpuser]

My neighbor's old Ford is a 52 year old 25 HP with a gas engine. In reply to the other questions, no my TC 40 isn't hydrostatic.

I know the photo doesn't look bad, but it was taken before I began to try in ernest to get it out. Each time I got the wheels spinning, the tractor would crab downhill into the water. By the time I got my neighbor over with his Ford, the front right wheel was completely covered and the mud was up to the under frame. The left side never lost traction on solid ground, which means that the tractor, at one point, was sitting at about a 45-degree angle. I could no longer sit on the seat and had to sit on the uphill fender to keep from falling off.

I just thought it was strange that whenever I put the tractor in forward, the front wheels would spin, but in reverse they wouldn't -- only the rear wheels would spin. Very strange.

I'm going to call the dealer tomorrow (Monday).

Thanks for all the replies! /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[jinman]

Yesterday, I spent 5 hours cleaning out a small creek bottom with my TC45D using the loader and boxblade. The creek runs for about 2 miles and empties into a 20 acre soil conservation lake. The last 1000' are on my property and had silted in with sand until you could not tell the creek was there if you didn't know it. I didn't like the fact that water was taking a new path across my property to the lake, so I decided to see if I could dig out the creek. All this explanation is getting to the point that the creek bottom must have at least 4' to 6' of loose beach-type sand in it.

While working on this job I just kept the tractor in FWD and even so, there were hundreds of times I was spinning in the loose sand in both forward and reverse. I remembered this thread and watched my wheels. Every single time a rear wheel turned, one of the front wheels turned too. I am positive that if your FWD is engaged properly, it will work in both directions. I don't see how it could do anything else since the linkage is gear-to-gear according to my repair manual. I'm not suggesting that you did not engage the FWD properly, but rather that something in the mechanism is broken or mis-adjusted. I just don't see how it could happen in one direction only, and obviously, that is/was your frustration when you were stuck. Good luck with the dealer. Don't let anyone get away with telling you FWD is "supposed" to work only in one direction. By the Repair Manual and experience, I'd have to dispute that claim. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[cvpuser]

Well, I called the service manager at my dealer yesterday and we talked for a long time about this. He went through the repair manual with me and suggested that I attach my boxblade and back into a pile of dirt, bury the boxblade, and see if the front wheels spin. I tried it and, behold, the front wheels spun in reverse. I'll have to assume that the right front wheel was indeed spinning while I was stuck -- it was completely buried in the mud so I couldn't see it well enough to be absolutely sure that it wasn't. I still wonder why the left front wheel, the one on solid ground, wouldn't spin when I engaged the differential lock.

Oh, well. Thanks to everyone for your interest and comments.

 

[jwstewar]

Unless it is different than what I've seen, you engaged the diff lock for the rear only. The right front tire spinning is how most open axles work. The one w/o traction (or the least amount of resistance) is the one that will spin - usually the one you don't want or need to spin.