Can you tow a Terramite ?

I just bought a Terramite TC5 , need to get it into the garage to do an engine swap , being hydraulic drive, can it be towed or is their some way to disconnect the drives ? Any advice, where might I find an operators manual. Thanks
Jo

A good man from terra haute will be along shortly

George*s Terrormite hotline.....George,,pick up the red phone,,its ringing!!!

(quoted from post at 02:00:00 11/15/21) I just bought a Terramite TC5 , need to get it into the garage to do an engine swap , being hydraulic drive, can it be towed or is their some way to disconnect the drives ? Any advice, where might I find an operators manual. Thanks
Jo

Click to expand...

These links may be helpful.


https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/threads/bypass-switch-location-to-tow-2005-tc5.420302/

https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/threads/what-do-you-do-if.303662/#post3666048

http://terramite2.aronfield.com/T5C-Parts-Manual.pdf

I would guess you either just let them skid or set it in with a lift of some kind. Either a forklift with long forks or suspended from 4 chains hanging. It could also be set on a set of machinery dollies and rolled in. Would need a hard surface for the later though. Plank or cement.

George is tired. Need more coffee.

I've never had that problem.
Can't discount drive motor.
There is an 800# to call.
What year T5C?
The newer ones have 10 gallon HST oil in
tank on right side. That has a drain
plug. If you drain oil and remove HST oil
you might be able to move it

Older T5C had tank under seat. Have to
remove rubber return hose to drain.

The Torque motor is what they use to stop
you, no brakes, only torque motor.

I try jacking up rear wheel and roll it in
on Jack.
I've been lucky and never had to tow.

Brain storming. Push no the go peddle.
That might relieved oil pressure and you
can move it.
Try forward and reverse. Push gently on
T5C to see if it moves.

Let me know what works. Again I have put
about 3 thousand hours on my two. Never
had engine problems. Never had to tow.

I would recommend using same replacement
engine. Easier and no Redneck engineering
required. I regret having one with a
Honda engine.
If Larry ever picks it up it will be his
problem.

I will ad my 2cents. I assume it is like a skid steer.
If you push lever forwards you can roll them. We
always did it that way just go slow so oil had time to
move. Never wrecked anything. Believe all
hydrostatic work that way.

Jo,
The more I think about it, the go peddle should work,
One time I was unloading terramite, go peddle spring didn't put the peddle in neutral
and I went flying backwards on the trailer ramps.

I have a Dig-It, which is like the TerraMite but was made by another company. It has 2 relief valves that you push
in to allow the hydraulic oil to bypass from the motors instead of going to the pump. If you push or tow any
hydrostatic transmission for more than a few feet you will destroy it because when you tow or push it the wheel
motor(s) become a pump trying to drive the pump and then it will destroy the whole system. There should be a lever
or valve some where to disengage the system so the oil can free flow. Hydrostatic units are best hauled on a
trailer
or a dolly if moving it any distance is required. I would think if you looked it over closely there is a tow
lever or valves somewhere on it.

Gene Davis Tennille, Ga.

NO relief valves on my 2 Terramites.

Jo,

How did it get to your driveway? It had to have been dragged some already. A few more feet to get it into the garage isn't going to do any more damage that hasn't already been done.

Carlmac has some good links in his post. Someone else had that problem in his first link and they found the bypass.

Here is the skinny on this machine, T5C, serial #5980117, haven't had any luck on finding the year either. I've worked on it, on and off, over the last year or so. Rebuilt the swing cylinders, new hoses, grease fittings, ect. It showed backup at the repair shop, the owner had loaded it on his dump trailer a while ago. He need to use the trailer and it would not start up. The owner wanted to fix it and sell it. The engine, 20 hp kohler over 4000 hrs, appears to be shot, one cylinder is toast, hopefully I have an ace in the hole as they say, I have a good 24 hp kohler that I acquired with a zero turn mower I bought last year. So I offered to buy it as is. To get it off the trailer I pulled the spark plugs and used the starter to power the hydraulic pump to run it off the trailer. Not the greatest way, but it worked to unload it. I suppose I could do it again to get it in the shop. But I got to thinking their must be someway to release the drives and save the starter. Thanks to you all I now have an idea where to look to release the drives. Their may be a by-pass valve or hose to unhook on the pump, to release it. Due to the crappy weather it may be a couple of days before I get a chance to check it out and will up date with what I find.
Thanks again
Jo

This post was edited by Jo Bird on 11/15/2021 at 07:43 pm.

Update on towing my Terramite .. It appears that their were two different Hydrastatic Transmissions used by the manufacture, either an Eaton or Cessna. My machine has the Cessna with the relief valve on the bottom as Carlmac's link
https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/threads/bypass-switch-location-to-tow-2005-tc5.420302/ indicated. Again, thank you all for the help.
Jo