JD410Duser
New User
Please help, I'm a novice having some trouble with my first tractor. My John Deere 410D which I've owned for six months has been a real help to me, amazing me with what can be done in a day compared to working alone with just a hand shovel. But when I tried to use it last, there was some trouble. I'll describe it here the best I can, hoping some of you guys here might recognize the symptoms and point me in the right direction.
I had parked the tractor on a slope with the front facing upslope. The temperature in Bishop CA where I live has been getting down below freezing at night so I've been reluctant to use the tractor, trying to avoid starting it while it's cold and the oil is thick, cause I want it to last. The sun was stronger than usual one day so mid afternoon I tried the starter and it started right up. Let it idle 3 minutes or so, then without moving it I dropped the stabilizers and used the backhoe for 30 minutes or so. Then I raised the hoe and stabilizers, raised the front bucket almost as high as possible to avoid an obstacle and shifted the left transmission lever from park into low and the right lever into 1st gear. Then I moved the shuttle lever from neutral into forward. The tractor moved forward normally about five feet, then stopped. It felt like it had slipped out of gear. I checked the shuttle lever but it was all the way forward and the tractor was acting like it was in neutral. So I pulled the shuttle back to neutral, pushed in the clutch and re checked the transmission levers. They were in low range, gear 1. They had not slipped out of position. I moved the shuttle lever forward and the tractor moved forward again about five feet, then stopped as before. I moved the shuttle lever back to reverse and the tractor moved normally. Back to forward, tractor moved forward normally. Is this the sign of impending failure of clutches or what? Could the cold oil or the fact that I parked on a slope cause this? Thanks in advance all, I'm very grateful to have found this forum.
I had parked the tractor on a slope with the front facing upslope. The temperature in Bishop CA where I live has been getting down below freezing at night so I've been reluctant to use the tractor, trying to avoid starting it while it's cold and the oil is thick, cause I want it to last. The sun was stronger than usual one day so mid afternoon I tried the starter and it started right up. Let it idle 3 minutes or so, then without moving it I dropped the stabilizers and used the backhoe for 30 minutes or so. Then I raised the hoe and stabilizers, raised the front bucket almost as high as possible to avoid an obstacle and shifted the left transmission lever from park into low and the right lever into 1st gear. Then I moved the shuttle lever from neutral into forward. The tractor moved forward normally about five feet, then stopped. It felt like it had slipped out of gear. I checked the shuttle lever but it was all the way forward and the tractor was acting like it was in neutral. So I pulled the shuttle back to neutral, pushed in the clutch and re checked the transmission levers. They were in low range, gear 1. They had not slipped out of position. I moved the shuttle lever forward and the tractor moved forward again about five feet, then stopped as before. I moved the shuttle lever back to reverse and the tractor moved normally. Back to forward, tractor moved forward normally. Is this the sign of impending failure of clutches or what? Could the cold oil or the fact that I parked on a slope cause this? Thanks in advance all, I'm very grateful to have found this forum.