Where do mice like to hide in your tractor and chew wires ?

[Dsuro]

I just purchased a 2004 Deere 4410 loader &backhoe with 580hrs. I was tearing it down to find the flywheel sensor. A lot of wasted tear down since it was in plain sight but the sensor was total missing alltogether so didn't notice at firt. Good news is , found a big mouse nest in the gap behind the the gauge cluster. I'm surprised to see how a lot of the wiring was done with sharp bends and wedged in like they are in some places. Also noticed rub zones on some fuel lines. You would think deere would have put some grommets or something to prevent rub.

The real shocker , was removing the fuse panel to see several wires where mice chewed through the wire casing. Again, surprised there isnt any back cover to the fuse panel with a grommet for the wad of wires funneling into it. For now I just cleaned the grease and dirt off the wires and air blasted the junk out of the fuse box and between all the wires. The wires weren't broken so rather than snipping, soldering and using shrink tube, I coated them carefully with E6000 (also decent for plastic panel repair) . I didn't want to run out to get liquid tape or other supplies and had this on hand.. IT seems to have worked really well.

Think i will put some kind of cover on the back of this fuse box. maybe tin foil or duck tape or something. Not sure why deere didn't do some of the simple stuff. (maybe on the newer ones)
My home AC guy told me they hate Potpourri. lol at lease my tractor will smell good.

Anyhow, do you guys have any tips for keeping the mice out the tractor ?

 

[beenthere]

Yup, all Deere's fault that you found this mess. Feel better now ??
Looks like someone has been pawing around in your 4410 since it left the factory.

For mice, I use poison Bromethelin-laced bait and do my best (worked now for at least 30 years) to control the mouse population that are just looking for a good place to nest.

Welcome to TBN

 

[WinterDeere]

The only time I've ever had mice get into my shed is when I leave the doors open in the fall. Which now that I think of it, I did while mowing last night.

There's no food or water in there, it's stifling hot in summer... not exactly a place anyone will ever want to set up their home. I keep any grass seed in a Rubbermaid trash can with a lid, as that would be a source of food, if left out.

 

[Roadworthy]

I've not had mouse problems with my tractor. For my car I keep a box of D-Con behind each headlight as that seems to be where mice snack. When the box is empty they do go back to the wires so I need to monitor it.

 

[NorCal Guy]

Wow, I'm no electrician, but those wires look iffy.

As for mice, I have them everywhere. Eliminating food source is great, but mine like to gather acorns and hide in my house, garage and other outbuildings. I've found their acorns in the fingertips of my work gloves, patio umbrellas and one time in my bag of potting soil. That actually worked out great, because a few dozen germinated and I planted them!

But thankfully not recently in my vehicles wiring. Which is good because they have an EV, EV UTV, and tractor to choose from! I saw one post that recommended keeping the tractor engine hood open to discourage that as a hiding place. Also peppermint oil, apparently they hate that!

I gave up on poison after a neighbors dog ate theirs. He lived thanks to the emergency vet. Similar doggie issue with snaps and glue traps.

What worked for me is the trap that goes onto a five gallon bucket. I've caught dozens in a few months that way. You can either trap them live and relocate, or add water to make it permanent. Pic attached. Only about $10 on Amazon.

One other quick story: we had driven 2 hours from country to city in the old car and went through a car wash. Suddenly a cute little guy stuck his head out from the windshield wiper gap. We were both very surprised. I went home and sprayed the hose in all of the gaps and applied peppermint oil. A mechanic later found his nest, but thankfully no damage. I haven't seen him since, but imagine that country mouse is living large somewhere in the big city.

 

[Richard001]

I just purchased a 2004 Deere 4410 loader &backhoe with 580hrs. I was tearing it down to find the flywheel sensor. A lot of wasted tear down since it was in plain sight but the sensor was total missing alltogether so didn't notice at firt. Good news is , found a big mouse nest in the gap behind the the gauge cluster. I'm surprised to see how a lot of the wiring was done with sharp bends and wedged in like they are in some places. Also noticed rub zones on some fuel lines. You would think deere would have put some grommets or something to prevent rub.

The real shocker , was removing the fuse panel to see several wires where mice chewed through the wire casing. Again, surprised there isnt any back cover to the fuse panel with a grommet for the wad of wires funneling into it. For now I just cleaned the grease and dirt off the wires and air blasted the junk out of the fuse box and between all the wires. The wires weren't broken so rather than snipping, soldering and using shrink tube, I coated them carefully with E6000 (also decent for plastic panel repair) . I didn't want to run out to get liquid tape or other supplies and had this on hand.. IT seems to have worked really well.

Think i will put some kind of cover on the back of this fuse box. maybe tin foil or duck tape or something. Not sure why deere didn't do some of the simple stuff. (maybe on the newer ones)
My home AC guy told me they hate Potpourri. lol at lease my tractor will smell good.

Anyhow, do you guys have any tips for keeping the mice out the tractor ?

Any self respecting manufacture should be embarrassed at the rats nest of wires. And yes, the panel should have been in enclosed. I worked for a over the road refrigeration company as a control system engineer. All of our control boxes were enclosed.