Okay, who are you???

The ghost of Reggie Jones...

Oh yeah. It's been nagging at the back of my mind, I just couldn't pull it out. I think your email address is still in my hotmail account somewhere. I think I owe you an email or two.

Well, I've gone with an Interstate battery. My wife knew someone at the local shop, so we got a good price.

Still no luck with getting to crank. Probably, at this point, has to be electrical (wiring, bad connection, etc.).

Yes, D. You never call, you never write...

Pretty lousy, aren't I?

Put it in first gear, pull it slowly with a truck, and drop the clutch?

Good info on this guys.

I'm about to jump into a non-running tractor as well, I don't know anything other than "the tractor wont start". Thanks mom...

quote:

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Put it in first gear

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NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

When pull starting a manual, ALWAYS use road gear (highest possible) gear.

And I would not pull start something until I knew the engine was turning freely.

[This message has been edited by CanyonAg77 (edited 5/1/2012 1:17p).]

^^^^^
This is precisely my view and issue (engine is not turning freely - at least not that I have confirmed at this point).

Finally had things die down at work to allow time to work on this further. Can someone please outline what steps I should take to get the engine to turn freely by hand? I am pretty sure need to have it in neutral, PTO off, and what else? Thanks in advance!

On a tractor, (key and fuel off) I'd put it in road gear, grab the back tires and try to rock the whole thing back and forth. Doubtful you'd generate enough torque to hurt anything. Get someone to watch the front of the engine and see if it moves a little. Can watch the crankshaft or the fan.

Or, key off, fuel off, trans in neutral. Put a socket with a long breakover handle on the nut on the end of the crankshaft. Try to tighten it. Hopefully the whole engine turns.

If it were a gas engine, I'd say pull the plugs to let the compression off. On a diesel, you really don't want to pull the injectors except as a last resort.

If the starter will not turn the engine and you are pretty sure the engine is stuck, pull the starter off and see if it (the starter) is, in fact, turning when power is applied to it.

If you become 100% convinced the engine is stuck, there are things to try. But I'm for holding off until you are 100% sure there are no starter/electrical problems.

Thanks Canyon. I'll be working on this over the long weekend some more. Appreciate it.

I just jumped into this thread. As was stated above, there are any number of electrical safety switches that could be causing it not to crank, not to mention bad connections, bad switches, or bad starter. Without a wiring diagram, it is hard to diagnose over the internet.

CanyonAg77 talked a lot about the 4020. We had two when I was growing up, and my uncle also had two. I spent a lot of time as a teenager on those tractors. It is probably a reason my hearing is so bad. My brother had this paranoia about the tractors getting stolen when they were parked in a field not near the house. One time he decided to leave it parked in 1st gear when he shut it down. On the Syncho-Range transmission, 1st gear it right next to Park. I guess my brother figured that any unsuspecting thief wouldn't get it started and leave it alone. Little brother (me) was a little too enterprising when he got dropped off to bring the tractor home. It wouldn't start for me so I jumped down, grabbed a screwdriver out of the toolbox, and jumped the starter. Sure enough the tractor started rolling as soon as I started it, and I jumped back up on the seat. My brother saw this and chewed me out for starting it with a screwdriver. I screamed back at him for leaving it parked in gear and not telling me.

Ah, brotherly love.