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A mechanical tip worth rememberingA mechanical tip worth remembering

Commentary: Sometimes a problem may be different than what it appears to be, and vice versa.

Tom J Bechman 1, Editor, Indiana Prairie Farmer

August 17, 2021

3 Min Read
hand turning key in tractor
WHAT? IT JUST STARTED! What a sinking feeling when your tractor won’t start, especially when you had no warning of a problem. Here’s an example of a battery problem that seemed too sudden to be a battery problem. Tom J. Bechman

If your tractors and trucks start every time all the time, or if you’ve never been fooled by an ignition problem, stop reading now. But if you’ve ever been temporarily stumped even once, check out this story and file the tip.

Our grandson Graham was practicing for a tractor driving contest, using a 2012 John Deere 3005 utility tractor and a two-wheel trailer. The course was set up with electric fence posts. Our son, Daniel, Graham’s uncle, was repairing my garden tractor and changing mower blades.

I’m not a mechanic and don’t pretend to be one. The only things I know are lessons learned through the school of hard knocks.

Graham finished several passes through the course, backed the trailer into the imaginary “barn,” and shut it off. Daniel finished the lawn mower, and Graham wanted his uncle to try the course. Daniel hopped on the tractor and turned the key. Nothing!

“Take it out of gear,” I said.

“It’s out of gear,” he replied. “Maybe the safety switch on the seat isn’t making contact.”

It wasn’t the seat. Daniel didn’t believe it was a transmission sensor either. If that malfunctioned, the tractor might still think it was in gear and not start. Then he noticed that when he turned the key, sometimes the alternator and parking brake light came on and sometimes they didn’t. Sometimes the glow plug kicked in, but not always.

“It must be a short in the ignition,” Daniel said.

Saga unfolds

“Are you sure it’s not the battery?” Graham asked. Daniel thought that was highly unlikely since the tractor had been starting on the first couple of cranks with no sign of battery issues. But since it was the original battery, I convinced him we should drag out the battery charger. We hooked it up, and it showed 100% charge with 12.6 volts. Even on the quick start setting, it didn’t turn over.

We unhooked the charger and fiddled some more. It was looking like a farm call from John Deere. As I said, I’m not a mechanic.

Out of the blue, Graham pipes up. “Wait a minute, there is a question in my tractor driving quiz bank that says a 12-volt, fully charged battery should have 13.6 volts. You said it showed 12.6.”

Daniel and I looked at each other. We still weren’t convinced. “The only thing is I would feel really dumb if I bring out a repair guy and pay him $400 just to tell me it’s the battery,” I said.

So, we hooked the charger back on. I sat on the tractor, flipping the switch. This time Daniel could tell the glow plug clicked every time with the charger connected, and the lights seemed brighter.

“Go get a battery,” I said. “Even if it isn’t the cause, it likely needs replacing.”

Daniel and Graham brought home a new battery and installed it. Daniel turned the key and it fired up. It’s started on the first or second crank ever since.

The moral of the story? Even if it doesn’t act like a particular problem, that can still be the issue. By the way, someone who is a mechanic said dead cells can sometimes cause a sudden failure. File this tip away, just in case!

About the Author

Tom J Bechman 1

Editor, Indiana Prairie Farmer

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