Thoughts on a cold weather visit to the dealer

thcri · Nov 27, 2005

Salesmen should have known about the light. I am not sure of the DX26. The light may go off when the plugs go off, but 4 seconds is not enough to heat a chamber up. When it gets down to 5 degrees sometimes I will hit the plugs for ten seconds wait a few seconds and then hit it again for ten seconds.

As far as using the brakes for turning, you don't need that. I grew up on a farm where that is the way we turned all the time. With my TC29D I have never found the need to use the brakes to assist in turning. Not saying you won't but you might be surprised on how much you really would use them?? I sure would not move to a gear tractor just because you can't use the brakes. (Do a search this has been discussed many times)

As far as the power steering breaking a tire loose out of the ice. I wouldn't expect it. The steering is there as an assist, they don't put much in the hydraulics for it. Some will and some won't. I have seen tractors get their own front tires tires stuck in muck and not be able to turn. I have never had mine frozen in ice but I even know there has been talk here of not being able to turn when your bucket is full without the tractor moving. Also did you try this when the hydraulics were cold? There is a big difference in a hydraulic system that is warm versus cold. When I first start my tractor in the cold I can't even raise the loader without it dying down the engine. (Again do a search, this has been discussed many times)

The "A" plan. Is a great plan and you will save some money using it. But if you not completely happy with the tractor then the "A" plan is not good. Even if you spend a bit more getting the tractor you like the best you will be happier in the long run.

Don't rush in your decision, go back to the dealer next week when the tractor is cold and see if it starts better by holding the key in the glow plug spot for a bit longer. Forget about your previous trip. If it is only 5 degrees and the tractor has been sitting for a while do the double thing like I said above. Let the tractor warm up a bit before moving it around. Most people here I believe will let their tractors warm up a good ten minutes or so before moving them.

And check out the others out there.

murph

755inNY · Nov 27, 2005

<font color="blue"> If the Dealership has a NH Tractor on the lot with SUPERsteer try it out.....you may be suprised. That way, will not need to use brake for steering </font>

I'm not sure what daTeacha uses differential breaking for but in my experience it is not always to turn tighter. I've used it to help maintain a straight line when the steering tires do not have adequate traction to turn the front end. This can be caused by the loader taking weight off the front end during scraping or when the surface is slippery. Most of my use is to just maintain directional control however I have used it to turn very tightly when clearing snow. A sharp jab on one brake will swing the tractor around 180 in its own length. Sometimes I'll even do multiple 360s. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Jeff

daTeacha · Nov 28, 2005

Hmm, that's a good thought. I looked at a SS tractor at the NH dealer, but wondered about the reduced ground clearance under the front axle. Just how strong is that pivot? Suppose, with a good load in the bucket, I was to straddle a rock or something and run that thing up on it? Is that little shield going to protect the mechanism? I asked the NH dealer on a previous walk around visit and didn't get much in the way of a straight answer. He prefered to say it didn't reduce ground clearance by that much. Off road, a couple of inches is a lot.

I hope to visit most of the other options during cold weather before making a decision. If nothing else, it lets me see how friendly the sales staff is. It ain't a whole lot of fun standing around in the cold wind watching someone sit on a tractor or drive it around. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

kensfarm · Nov 28, 2005

"Just how strong is that pivot?"

I would say it's very strong.. I have 2000 hrs of heavy use on mine.. w/ no problems. But yea.. that shield is a poor design.. I've bent mine into a flattened "S" shape long ago and left it that way.. what it seems to be protecting is 2 grease fittings.. everything else under there is pretty tuff.