tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69176615255405188042024-03-13T23:35:41.325-07:00tractortechstevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802933118169685463noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917661525540518804.post-53668402920672867442018-04-02T04:49:00.002-07:002018-04-02T04:49:22.267-07:00Hanging up my wrenches<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Today is my last day as a professional mechanic. I am changing professions because what was once a career that provided a good living just doesn’t pay anymore (my income in 2017 was less than 2007 ) While shop owners are prospering in million dollar homes, the guy pulling wrenches survives at best. It is just not worth it anymore. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I have started a new career in which I use the same skill set and a fraction of the tools and I don’t have to get grimy dirty everyday. Oh, and it’s double the money! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I may still work on tractors some day as part of my own business, but I am done doing it at a dealership. </span><br />
<br />stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802933118169685463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917661525540518804.post-49424761424155131022017-07-03T07:42:00.002-07:002017-07-03T07:42:49.993-07:00Jaguar TransportationI was on my way to work this morning in a pretty good mood until I encountered a truck from Jaguar Transport from Mexico. I was trying to get on CA 99 and the truck driver couldn't move over to the next lane because there was a car there, but just held his speed leaving me no gap to merge. This is a long ramp and he could see me and I could see him for a long distance. He just laid on the horn and actually closed what little gap there was between him and a Dodge Neon in front of him. There wasn't enough room between him and the car to even see him over his hood. He just stayed in it as I ran along the edge of the road trying to get a lane. <br />
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So watch out for Jaguar Transportation trucks! They apparently don't teach merging where their drivers go to school!stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802933118169685463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917661525540518804.post-4150170092106494872016-08-05T14:27:00.000-07:002016-08-05T14:29:19.429-07:00Thomas NBO <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today's job was a Thomas Nut Bank Out cart. Intermittently it would stop moving and sometimes would go again after cycling the key off then back on. </div>
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This machine is hydrostatic drive with electronic control. It has two joysticks for transmission control. One is for transmission ranges, and one for forward, neutral and reverse. The forward and reverse is the one giving us fits today.</div>
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I called the manufacturer for a schematic or manual to get some direction but was told that it wasn't happening because it is a 2008 machine and they had not written any.</div>
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It took me a while to find out how the system worked because of the lack of any books or diagrams but it is not that complicated. It can be traced out by hand from connector to connector. The fact that it would work for a long time and then just stop also added to the time it took to figure out the cause.</div>
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The expert on the system was available by phone but the machine was located in a really bad service area so I had to keep leaving the machine to call him. He was quite convinced that one of the six micro-switches in the joysticks were malfunctioning. I wish he would have been right it would have saved me a lot of time and frustration.</div>
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What I found was that the back up alarm was spliced into the harness between the joystick and the controller. The wire that supplied the current to the controller to tell it to shift to reverse also turned on the back up alarm. Once I got the machine to act up, I captured this wave form at the hydrostat controller on the pump unit.</div>
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This capture is with the machine shifted to reverse and the throttle pedal depressed (the throttle must be depressed to turn off the anti-coast valves. That is not relevant to this problem.) Forward is the yellow trace and green is the reverse trace. As you can see both forward and reverse are getting powered. This causes the transmission control to just say forget it, I'm not doin' nothin' until you make up your mind. Even when shifted back to neutral the pattern continued. I had to find what was feeding the transmission control with this bad signal. It was a pulsing signal about one second long and 3/4 second off. My first thought was turn signals but they checked out as normal. </div>
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I had the machine shifted to forward and the foot pedal depressed with the key on and engine off when I walked around to the back of the machine and heard the faint buzz coming from the back up alarm. BINGO! I had found it! The back up alarm had a ground stud with a metal tab connected to it and a mounting screw to ground it to the frame. The nut was loose causing a less than perfect ground. I tightened the nut and recorded the following captures.</div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ee28w3pnhQQ/V6P_zm42cwI/AAAAAAAAAKI/XnVvBsLu7rovMwsKtp3SYzVrTeDhQp3rQCLcB/s1600/2016-08-04%2B%25282%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ee28w3pnhQQ/V6P_zm42cwI/AAAAAAAAAKI/XnVvBsLu7rovMwsKtp3SYzVrTeDhQp3rQCLcB/s320/2016-08-04%2B%25282%2529.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Forward </div>
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Reverse</div>
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Shifting from reverse to forward.</div>
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This was a tough one mostly because of the lack of service information but also the environment. It is much harder to find these bugs when it is 105 degrees outside and there are harvesting machines buzzing around you with the dust that goes along with them. I'm glad it is finally fixed!</div>
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<br />stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802933118169685463noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917661525540518804.post-75968526790590574712016-05-27T07:06:00.002-07:002016-05-27T07:06:21.005-07:00KISS<div>
I have heard a ton of people say Keep It Simple Stupid! That is very good advice that is so often not followed.
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Complex machines with multiple sensors and controllers can overwhelm. I worked on a chipper recently that kept shutting down the feed rollers because of a drum speed warning. </div>
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A sensor monitors drum speed so that if the machine bogs down the feed disengages. The mechanic working on it went straight to the sensor and had no way to actually monitor the sensor output. He got bogged down in the complexity of the system and worked on it all day. </div>
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Turns out the sensor was doing its job and warning that the drum speed was too slow because the belt was slipping. After tightening the belt to specification the machine worked normally. </div>
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Mechanics have it harder today than ever before. We have to find out if there is a problem or if the monitoring system just thinks there is a problem. </div>
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Computers can often detect subtle incosistentcies before any noticeable symptoms appear. A code will often appear for an engine misfire long before you can hear the miss. If you start looking at the crank sensor assuming that it is giving you erroneous information you can derail your diagnosis. A compression test might seem to be a pain but until low compression is ruled out it could be th cause of the error. </div>
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We have all done it. Just add my reminder to all the other people that have told us to KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID!</div>
stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802933118169685463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917661525540518804.post-43685119490271649242016-05-20T11:23:00.000-07:002016-07-13T12:38:05.964-07:00Make a wrench<div>
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What do you do when you are out in the field and you need a tool that you do not have? Today I found myself in that situation. I had strainer inside a hydraulic tank that I couldn't get loose. I didn't have the right size wrench to take it off. A pipe wrench wouldn't fit. So I found a piece of scrap iron and cut out of 55 mm wrench. It only took a few minutes to make. I could've fought with that strainer half a day without the correct tool.</div>
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I will save this wrench for future use but I will probably clean up some of the rough edges before I throw it in my toolbox. It wouldn't work if it was a high torque application, but I didn't need a lot of force I just needed more reach.</div>
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I have a lot of tools in my toolbox that I have made over the years. I can imagine that someday my son will inherit my toolbox and wonder what the heck I was doing. That's much the same way as I look at my grandfather's toolbox now.<img src="webkit-fake-url://7794a57a-408e-4884-8c6c-ca6792faf1d1/imagepng" /></div>
stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802933118169685463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917661525540518804.post-20866543153886630882016-05-18T17:03:00.002-07:002016-05-18T17:03:56.734-07:00Don't get sucked into loser jobs!Do you ever find yourself working on something that you just hate to work on and you know you're not going to make any money from it? That is where I found myself today. <br />
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It was an older machine that someone else started working on and could not finish. I usually have a rule about these kinds of jobs but it is a good customer and he played the "I really need some help here!" card on me. He told me that the fan came off and hit the radiator. That is not too hard to fix normally, so I told him I would do it. When I went to his shop and saw the machine I knew I was in trouble. <br />
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The part of the story that he left out was that it was on the road when the fan came off and they towed it without disengaging the wheel hubs. This is a hydrostatic transmission and it blew the seals out of a wheel motor. As if this was not bad enough the wheel motor was worn out and there were no parts to repair it. A new wheel motor was very expensive and would take several weeks to get.<br />
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Now the machine is torn down in the middle of the shop for what seemed like forever! Fast forward to today. The parts are here and I have to put it all back together. The new motor doesn't fit because the flange is machined wrong. The good news is that the machinist says he can fix it....for a price.<br />
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The fan pulley doesn't line up either. The engine was a fresh rebuild and the water pump shaft is not long enough for this application. Now we know why the pulley came off in the first place. The rebuilder pressed the pulley on enough to align the belts but that was only about 1/2" onto the shaft. The machine was on a test drive when the pulley originally came off.<br />
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That would have been a handy piece of information to have when he asked me to take on the job. I guess that is why he didn't tell me. He knew I would never take a job like this if I knew up front what I was getting into.<br />
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Did I mention that the machine is torn down in a shop an hour away from my shop. <br />
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<br />stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802933118169685463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917661525540518804.post-57004160706542578872016-05-03T10:56:00.000-07:002016-05-03T10:56:02.462-07:00 Share your knowledge Take the time to teach somebody something new today. I went out on a service call today. I met a young man who seemed very interested to learn about air-conditioning service. He was very interested in the air-conditioner that I was working on. He had a lot of questions about pressures and what was normal.<br />
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When I noticed that he had bought a set of gauges and a vacuum pump and was seeking knowledge to do the job, I took the time to answer his questions and went little beyond to give him some more information to learn. I also left him with my phone number so he could call me with questions after he experimented a little. I named a couple of professional organizations where he could go online for training also.<br />
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I think it's very important to teach the people who are going to someday replace us. Tech school is great, but I don't feel like it's the end of the line for learning or even necessary for everyone. Even after tech school a lot of graduates still need mentoring from us older techs.<br />
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Chances are good that you learned what you know from the experience of someone else. So why not pass it onto somebody younger with the drive to go on. stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802933118169685463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917661525540518804.post-77424070953646940692015-10-01T11:09:00.001-07:002015-10-01T11:09:42.044-07:00I might start selling tools!I might just start selling tools! For a while now all the work has been engine swaps and parts changing. I don't mean to complain, it's just that I have invested in tools and training to repair and overhaul and that's just not the way it's done these days. I did a head gasket on an old Massey Ferguson a couple of weeks ago, but that is the first engine I've seen inside of in months. We just replace with new now. BORING! <br />
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A simple socket set, an impact wrench, and a few pry bars and I would have enough to swap engines. I don't seem to have a need for all the micrometers, torque wrenches, and gauges now. I don't even get a chance to hammer on anything anymore!<br />
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Please! Someone save me from this monotonous pit of parts swapping!stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802933118169685463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917661525540518804.post-30271307398060542742015-09-01T08:35:00.002-07:002015-09-01T08:35:32.938-07:00Kubota Misfire<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Todays repair is a Kubota M9960 with the customer complaint of an engine noise. The driver also complained of a lack of power.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Checked engine for low power and making noise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hooked up laptop and found no codes
present.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Engine has slight misfire with
no load.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did injector cutout test and
found #4 cylinder had no change when injector was disabled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In the shop, I removed the injectors and checked engine
compression.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Compression was low but within
specifications.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I s</span>ent the injectors to the pump
shop to be tested.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Injector #4 was stuck
and all the other injectors were below specifications.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I o</span>rdered replacement injectors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I installed the injectors and ran the tractor on the dynamometer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> The h</span>orsepower was low (hard to see in the photo because of my reflection but it reads 77 hp).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> <span style="font-family: Calibri;">I checked for fuel restriction and found low
flow to the strainer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> The I b</span>lew in tank with
compressed air to push the restriction out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
Next, I c</span>hecked fuel pressure and found the pressure would drop to 0 psi above 1500
rpm. The photo shows the setup I used. The vacuum gauge to check for restricted inlet, a clear hose to check for air, and a pressure transducer hooked to a graphing meter to read pressure.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Checked power supply to lift pump
and found good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I used a current clamp to measure current to the lift pump. With the meter set to read two channels, I can graph current and pressure at the same time. This is helpful to quickly determine of I have a power of pressure problem, and I can record the results for later use. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Replaced lift pump.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rechecked fuel pressure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pressure now normal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ran on dynamometer and found 83 hp (rated at
89). The horsepower is still lower than normal because of the low compression. This is as far as the customer wants to go on this one. The cure for low compression is a replacement engine, and that is very expensive to gain six horsepower.</span><br />
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<br />stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802933118169685463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917661525540518804.post-80786733847314735382015-07-01T03:02:00.002-07:002015-07-01T03:02:14.236-07:00The 10,000 hour engineWhat do you do? I have a Kubota M108 here with a severe engine miss. I have isolated the problem to cylinder number three. I did a compression test and compression is at the low end of the specification, but not below the spec for acceptable use. <br />
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Now the tricky part. The tractor has 10,000 hours of operation on the original engine which is about the expected life of the engine. I could just replace the bad injector and it would run. I could put a set of injectors in it and it would run better. To replace the injectors costs about $4500. A new complete engine costs $8500. <br />
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Installing one injector in an engine with this many hours is not a good plan. I have replaced injectors one at a time only to have another injector fail within a few days. A whole set of injectors is expensive, more than half the cost of a new engine. It is a lot of labor to get the injectors out. <br />
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So now the lines blur. If I just repair the fault, it will be back. If I replace all the injectors, it will cost more than half of a new engine and will most likely need more repairs very soon. If I put in a new engine, the rest of the tractor is still worn out.<br />
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What would you do?stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802933118169685463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917661525540518804.post-56718935207258568772015-04-22T20:55:00.000-07:002015-04-22T20:55:49.436-07:00There goes my job!We have been in a drought for several years now. It has gone on so long that jobs are now being lost. Farmers are not planting because there is no water. Repairs are being put off or just patched until there is some relief. <br />
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My phone has stopped ringing. I did have some loyal steady customers who kept me busy, but at this point I can't even count on them. There is just not enough work<br />
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Just a few years ago I would have had several air conditioner service calls per week during this time of year. I had a customer decide to remove the windows from his cab so he wouldn't have to replace an air conditioner compressor and evaporator recently. Gone are the days that if the air conditioner, radio, and suspended seat all didn't work, the tractor parked until they were all fixed.stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802933118169685463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917661525540518804.post-33983503414228058492014-12-17T08:05:00.001-08:002014-12-17T08:05:48.464-08:00Winter for field techs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I am a field mechanic all year long. You might think that after a rain when it is too wet to work in the field I might be inside the shop. It doesn't really work that way.</div>
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When tractors are parked it is the best opportunity for preventative maintenance and they are only parked here when weather stops work. </div>
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The growers here know that there is a brief window when the weather stops field work so annual inspections and tune ups have to be done in the mud, fog, cold and rain. My phone starts ringing at the first sign of rain. </div>
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You learn to cope with the mud and cold after a few years. Sometimes it is difficult to take things apart and keep them clean and dry inside. I find working on these bigger tractors the hardest because you have to climb on them or under them to do almost everything. If you plan ahead and take all the tools and parts you need and try not to move around too much you can keep things cleaner.<br />
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Any part that is bare must be sprayed with WD-40 quickly to prevent rust. Many parts suppliers use large heavy duty zip lock bags for parts which I always save. They can be used to protect parts and hardware while things are torn down. I keep blue lint free rolls of towels to wipe parts dry and my nose when it runs in the cold. I wear nitrile gloves to keep my hands dry and parts clean. Most important is rain gear because mud can easily be blown off with an air compressor.<br />
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With preparation you can work in these conditions comfortably and you have a good excuse to go mud boggin'. You can fling mud all over a company truck and the boss doesn't get mad. You had to get to the tractor, right!<br />
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TractorTechstevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802933118169685463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917661525540518804.post-89130881919316979912014-10-31T08:00:00.000-07:002014-10-31T08:00:37.133-07:00you can run.......I worked for a Massey Ferguson dealer for four years. I struggled working on Massey Fergusons more than any other brand of tractors. It always seemed like there were parts issues and we never had the right tooling. I left there and moved back to the Kubota dealer where things are much easier.<br />
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My boss here knows I have Massey experience so when one comes in for repair I often get it. Two clutches this week. Man I'm tired.stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802933118169685463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917661525540518804.post-48626141476954971512014-05-15T20:01:00.001-07:002014-05-15T20:08:02.364-07:00Week oneIt has been a full week now at the new job. I am getting used to my surroundings now and starting to feel more comfortable. I'm figuring out where everything is but I am sure there is more to find that I haven't thought of yet.<br />
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I worked on a Kubota RTV 1100 that overheated and now I am replacing the wire harness on an M125X. I had to replace the engine on the RTV because it was up in the hills far from the owner's home when the water pump went out and leaked all the water out. He had to drive it to get home and the little engine that could, couldn't. I also got some new tractors ready that had been sold.<br />
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I like the change so far and I really can't see a down side. I was getting pretty beat up at the old location working on so many big heavy jobs. Eight Steiger axle seals in a row, in a sandy field and a Steiger with the park brake locked up in the middle of the field was a challenge. I wish the old SM could have spread that around a little. All that kind of work to one guy makes him find a new job.<br />
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I haven't got my service truck yet. It is coming from Texas and should be here in a few days. I saw a photo of it today and I think I'm going to love it. The biggest challenge I've had here so far is separation from my tools. I'm using a small chest that I bought in 1985 and there is not enough room for the tools I need. I had to pick a few essentials that would fit in that little box to work with for a couple of weeks. I haven't had to borrow tools for a long time and I don't like it. I'm praying for patience. <br />
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I am so used to being interrupted every day to go on road calls and then driving from job to job that working in the shop continuously makes me beat tired by the end of the day. I will never understand why anyone would want to work inside the shop all the time.<br />
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I miss my old friends. I really enjoyed working with them. The transition did not go as smoothly as I had hoped and some that had to stay ended up with hurt feelings. I wish that wasn't how it happened but it is. I only hope the new company that bought them out is good to them. Me, I'm glad to stay with the company that has treated me so well for so many years.stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802933118169685463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917661525540518804.post-66335244459603388392014-05-07T19:42:00.000-07:002014-05-07T19:42:35.789-07:00New JobI started a new job today with the same company in a different location. Are you confused yet? <br />
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Ok, it goes like this: I worked at Pioneer Equipment Company in Five Points, CA for 25 years. Then I left for four years but I went back. I have been there two years this time. A recent sale of the company has given me the opportunity to transfer to the Fresno, CA location. <br />
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I started as a Service Technician and worked my way up (or down, depending on how you look at it) to Service Manager. I left to work with a friend at a Massey Ferguson dealer for four years. I had the chance to go back to Pioneer and jumped on it. <br />
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If you are following along you see that I started as a Service Technician, then I was a Field Technician, then Shop Foreman, then Service manager, then Field technician, now a Shop Technician for a while until I go back to Field Technician.<br />
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Now the weird part. I started in May of 1983. I left in May of 2008. I came back in May of 2012. Then in May of 2014 the Five Points location sold and I moved to the Fresno location. <br />
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I want to tear May out of my calendar now.stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802933118169685463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917661525540518804.post-86526569321786298642014-03-12T00:11:00.000-07:002014-12-17T08:55:44.617-08:00Kubota Engine teardownI recently replaced the engine in a Kubota RTV 900. The water pump seal began leaking and the coolant level was not checked or topped off. No coolant in the engine quickly caused the engine to overheat. When the engine got to the point that it was hard to start the customer brought it in for us to check it out.<br />
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The engine cranked faster than normal and made a lot of smoke. I ran a compression test and it was low. At that point the customer decided to replace the engine with a brand new replacement engine from Kubota.<br />
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New engines from Kubota come with starter, alternator injection pump and injectors. They also have a new engine warranty and are reasonably priced. It costs close to the same amount to overhaul one and the rebuilt engine usually has a 90 day warranty. Most customers want the new engine.<br />
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I tore down the overheated engine and recorded it on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhtGXfawnKg" target="_blank">video</a>. Watch and you will see what happens to an engine when you ignore that coolant puddle in the driveway. Sometimes the temperature gauge will not show that the engine is hot if there is no coolant in the engine. The gauge reads coolant temperature not air temperature. No coolant, no warning that's just the way it works.<br />
<br />stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802933118169685463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917661525540518804.post-21375483630099048892014-02-22T19:18:00.001-08:002014-02-22T19:18:05.750-08:00MXU115 14900 errorI went out Friday afternoon on a call to check an MX115 that would not move in either direction. The tractor was shredding brush in a vineyard and just stopped in the middle of the field.<br />
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When I got there they had found another tractor and pulled the MXU to the end of the row for me. I'm glad because walking a quarter mile to work on a tractor is bad enough, but when the rows are full of pruned branches you get all skinned up.<br />
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I first did a visual inspection and saw wires hanging on the right side behind the battery box. The driver told me that the low range had stopped working earlier in the day. The differential lock light was on and the error warning light was flashing. <br />
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I hooked up the laptop to read the error codes but could not communicate with the controller. I was not too surprised by this since I have been having trouble with the cable on the laptop but I saw that the ADIC was online. It couldn't be the cable on the laptop if it was reading one controller.<br />
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The wiring had to be fixed and it was not accessible without lifting the cab or removing the rear wheel. The customer agreed to haul the tractor to the shop to get it going. <br />
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Saturday morning he hauled it in and I pulled the rear wheel off to get at the transmission harness. The transmission temperature sender wires, and one clutch solenoid valve wires were completely pulled off. Luckily I had most of the right terminals and connectors to do the repair. I didn't have the temp sender terminals but I did have some that were close enough to get it going.<br />
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Once the wiring was repaired I replaced the blown #33 fuse. This fuse is for the transmission CAN which explains why there was no communication with the transmission controller. With the new fuse installed I was able to connect to the controller with the laptop. I cleared the codes and ran the tractor for a while to see if the code repeated. The code did not repeat and I test drove the tractor around the yard for a while to be sure.<br />
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I'm not sure if the damaged wiring had anything to do with the blown fuse. I did not check the schematic to see if there was any relation. The customer was in a hurry to get back to work and said he would bring the tractor back when he was caught up for some other repairs.<br />
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I made a video of the repair <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUvRKjPJEA8&feature=c4-overview&list=UUwogMXWBqHbZ6cdB5g_xACw" target="_blank">here</a>stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802933118169685463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917661525540518804.post-49474635699272818332014-02-14T06:16:00.000-08:002014-02-14T06:16:07.461-08:00Powershift or bangshiftThis time of the year we are getting everything ready for the coming season. There is not too much going on in the field yet. <br />
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A tractor came in this week for a tune up and inspection. The customer also complained that his powershift was shifting hard in some gears. The tractor was a Case IH MX 210 Magnum with a 18 speed full powershift. It has an electro-hydraulic control system that uses a controller to turn solenoid valves on and off to engage clutch packs. The clutch packs are arranged in a speed transmission and a range transmission. The combination of clutches engaged determines what gear the tractor is in. <br />
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The clutch packs are called: Odd, Even, C1, C3, C5, Reverse, Master, Low, Medium, and High. First gear uses Odd, C1, Master, and Low. When shifting to second Odd drops off and Even comes on. Shifts that change with only one clutch swap are smooth and quiet. When you get to the shift from sixth to seventh, even switches to odd, C5 switches to C1, and low switches to Medium. This is called a three pack swap. It also happens between twelfth and thirteenth. Three pack swaps are the harshest of the shifts and the loudest. If these shifts seem too hard or loud there is some adjustment that can be made. It can be done from the driver's seat through the A Post instrument controller.<br />
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It is best to calibrate the shifts when the tractor is warmed up and doing the operation that it is most used in. With the transmission oil warmed to operating temperature shut the engine off. Hold the prog key on the instrument control unit (ICU) while starting the tractor. Keep holding the prog key until the list of controllers shows on the display. Using the arrow keys scroll down to the transmission controller. Push the prog key to choose the transmission controller. The menu you are looking for is transmission setup. Use the arrow keys to get there and then push prog. If the transmission oil is not warm enough you will get a low temp warning. You can warm the oil with a restriction in the remote coupler or by steering to the stops. Once the oil is 60 degrees C you can proceed. The Eng RPM will show and you need to set the RPM around 1200 RPM. An asterisk should appear when the proper engine RPM is reached. Push program and the instructions will appear on the screen. When all the packs have been calibrated you can exit the setup menu, and exit the transmission menu and return to normal operation.. Drive the tractor though all speeds a couple of times and your shifting should be smooth with only a small difference at six to seven and twelve to thirteen.<br />
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I made a video <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FLuFRzJV5o" target="_blank">here</a>stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802933118169685463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917661525540518804.post-48982128147149694062013-06-13T21:14:00.001-07:002013-06-13T21:14:18.651-07:00Transmission error 52I should not have complained that I didn't have any real diagnostic work lately. Today I got a CaseIH MX230 that would not move. The transmission would not engage in forward or reverse when shifted and it had an error code Trans 52. This code indicates that the park lock is stuck on.<br />
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The troubleshooting steps listed for this code said to check the park lock circuit fuse. If the fuse was good to check relay #5 the park lock relay. There wasn't anymore than that, and none of that would fix my problem.<br />
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The relay wasn't working so I swapped it with the work light relay to see if the problem went away. The problem did go away with the relay change, so problem solved, or so I thought. The tractor ran okay for a while and then the park locked again.<br />
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Swapped the relays around again an it didn't work. Park is on until power is supplied to solenoid valve and no power was getting to the solenoid. This tractor has a backup brake system that will engage the park lock if the brake pedals go to the floor. I had to lift the cab to check the wiring. I checked the wiring to the brake pedal switches carefully because they run near the exhaust but found no problem with these wires. <br />
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I went back up into the cab and jumped the wires across the relay and got power back to the solenoid. I decided to check the current going to the solenoid. Wow! off the scale at 21 Amps.<br />
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Well there's your problem!</div>
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Swapped the bad park solenoid with the working MFD solenoid and measured the current again. Now it is back to normal. This tractor was recently purchased at an auction. This must have been a problem for a while because I noticed many parts had been changed like the transmission controller. It was a used controller with software for another model that had front suspension which this tractor did not have. I loaded the correct version while I was there.</div>
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This tractor has a severe engine miss and a loud noise coming from the front of the transmission. I think it is probably headed back to the auction yard for the next wide eyed buyer. I wonder if I will see it again.</div>
stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802933118169685463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917661525540518804.post-49519690516010093712013-06-11T07:29:00.002-07:002013-06-11T20:01:19.966-07:00Nothing but nuts and boltsIt seems like forever since my last post. I just haven't worked on anything<br />
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interesting or relevant for a long time. I went out yesterday to diagnose a no start and caught a nice capture of a worn out fuel lift pump, but had to order the replacement part. Now the customer has decided to install the new one himself so I won't have before and after captures so no interest there. Here's the capture anyway.<br />
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Maybe something will come up today.</div>
stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802933118169685463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917661525540518804.post-51782354701478423982012-12-19T19:46:00.001-08:002012-12-19T19:46:46.261-08:00out of my comfort zoneI have traveled a lot through the years. I have trained in several states and vacationed all over the country. Tonight I am in Davis, CA staying at the Hallmark. <br />
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I feel very out of place. I don't like the traffic and I seem to be well beyond the average age. <br />
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When I checked in they gave me a free drink token for their bar. That was a first. When I got to my room I found that there was no Bible which is another first. I don't know if the Gideons missed this place or were not allowed in. Probably the latter. Makes me itchy like I shouldn't be here.stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802933118169685463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917661525540518804.post-81352001042338031492012-08-30T17:57:00.000-07:002012-08-30T17:57:44.021-07:00unemployed SMI'm kinda bummed today. My boss got fired. It's not that I was attached to him, I barely new him. I hate to see anyone get the axe.<br />
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I am always amazed at the number of people in the work force who aren't any good at their job but seem to always get by, and the others who get sacked over so little. A guy who doesn't even show up with 20 years on the job still employed, while a guy that tries hard but is just not so bright gets the boot. (I'm not talking about anyone in particular, just an observation.)<br />
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I once new a guy who lost his job after 30 years because he was strongly opinioned. He was the same guy for all 30 years but one day suddenly he was the plague. One of his longtime co-workers steals everything that is not nailed down yet still has a job. It really is all about personality.<br />
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Remember to pray for those less fortunate than you, the list is growing.stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802933118169685463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917661525540518804.post-65885364204736732032012-06-02T14:28:00.000-07:002013-06-11T20:04:50.893-07:00Kubota ACI started back at my new/old job Tuesday 5/29/2012. One of my first jobs was an Air Conditioner blowing hot air. It was 104 degrees outside and 98 degrees at the vents in the cab. When I hooked up the gauges the pressures were scary high. See the video.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/nj8Y6GDEKdY?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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This is a dairy tractor and the radiator and condenser were about 40% plugged. Without enough air flowing through the radiator and condenser the fan clutch would not even engage.<br />
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After blowing out the radiator and condenser, the fan clutch would engage and the cab vent temperature was a comfortable 60 degrees. <br />
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Looks like this customer needs a regular visit with an air compressor.stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802933118169685463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917661525540518804.post-45104750060109970752012-05-26T10:23:00.001-07:002012-05-26T10:24:21.064-07:00Gas pricesI had a little welding project this morning but the welder was out of gas. The tank holds 11 gallons and I didn't want to make multiple trips with a gallon can. I went to the hardware store and picked up a five gallon can. <br />
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If you think gas is expensive, go buy a gas can. The California legal, environmentally safe can cost twice as much as the gas to fill it. <br />
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It would have cost less to have someone weld my scraper for me.stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802933118169685463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917661525540518804.post-35968532767649174752012-05-25T18:11:00.000-07:002015-04-22T21:02:34.415-07:00Changing jobsI just unloaded my tool box from the QMC service truck. I start back at Pioneer Equipment Co. Tuesday morning. <br />
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I will miss the people I worked with at QMC, they were not just my co-workers, but my friends. I had a lot of fun working in a small shop and small town but it is time to get back to business. <br />
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I don't think I had much to offer customers with old MF tractors, my background and education is in more modern equipment. Most Massey Fergusen owners seem to want everything repaired cheap the first time, and free every time after that. I once had a Massey Fergusen owner ask me why I was adding new coolant to an engine I had just overhauled. He wanted to know what was wrong with the old coolant that I drained out. I guess twenty something year old coolant that was leaking from the water pump seal causing the radiator to be half full and allowing the engine to overheat.....well you get the point. I just didn't fit and there was just no way to convince them that maintenance pays in the long run..<br />
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I am going back to Pioneer Equipment Co. where I worked for 25 years. Every job has some difficulties, but it feels like where I belong.<br />
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I will be glad to be doing work I can be proud of and can share here. Stay tuned for case studies, videos and photos of tractors I am working on. I should finally have some material to share. It is a lot less money but a little more secure.stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802933118169685463noreply@blogger.com0