All knowing Outdoors Board:

I have a problem. I borrowed my neighbor's skid steer...and needless to say it broke down when I was on my way to return it. Here's the issue- the machine got turned off when it wasn't in neutral (long annoying story) and now won't start. It tries to turn over but very slowly and never catches. Thinking it's got a start preventer.

It's a John Deere 317 skid steer. Any help would be greatly appreciated!


Cross posted on Auto Board

Mine is New Holland and symptoms you describe would only pertain to 1) Low Battery or 2) Maybe some "dummy" kill like seat belt not latched. When ours dies it is in neutral with no pressure on pedals or drive handles. Unless my seat belt is latched nothing will happen. I think you have battery trouble. Either low battery or corroded contacts. Good luck. And yeah it always happens on a loan. We quit just for that reason. Prevents bad blood. You can rent them too cheaply to have something like this cause a neighbor problem

Jack,

Can we assume that you got it back into neutral? Sometimes I run it through the gears several times in case the neutral start switch hangs.

About the battery -- have you tried to jump it? I've had some where the battery lost a cell and even with a jump things didn't go well. So, can you swap the battery in your truck for the battery in the skid steer and see if it will start?

Don't feel too bad. I lent a guy a forklift once and the water pump went out on him. It had been making noise for a while and I was too busy/lazy to change it, so I fessed up and apologized to him. Maybe the guy who lent it to you knows about this issue already.

Tried to get into neutral and nothing doing. Also tried to jump start it off of my truck...and yeah nothing.

It acts like it wants to start, but I'm starting to really lean towards "deadman" switch on the starter and it not being in neutral.

Pretty such I'm going to have to call a dang mechanic in the morning. DAMMIT. That money could've been spent towards my Homebrew habit

Deadman switch, the starter would not spin the engine at all.

I don't know enough about skid-steer to know about the problem going into nuetral, but if there is a hydraulic pump that only disengages when the loader is in nuetral, that could cause slow spin speed by starter.

Sounds like a classic failing battery issue. Put a hot battery in it before you call a mechanic. Most batteries finally fail in the heat of summer or dead of winter.

Don't trust the "jump start". Trying a known "good" battery should be a first step!

Are the hand controls not the F-N-R? It is not hydrostat drive?

Change the fuel filter. If it were any kind of safety lock out you would get nothing from the starter. That or the battery.

Just call your neighbor and ask him. Chances are he knows the solution to the problem.

Spray paint some gang looking graffiti on it, douse it in gas, light it up and blame it on damn teenagers.