Towing a Hydro Tractor

[FreddieFarmall 1]

A couple weeks ago, the drive belt on our 314-H broke quite a distance from the house and my father-in law insisted it would not hurt to tow it if we went slowly even though there is a sticker 'Do Not Tow' clearly warning not to do it under the seat. What is the danger? Pressure building up inside transmission?

Appreciate your input.

Fred P

[SousaKerry 502]

You can in fact damage the transmission severely if towed too fast. Keep to a walking speed if towing and you should be fine. Basically the hydraulic motor acts like a pump when it is turned and the pressure has to be relieved somewhere and it will find the path of least resistance eventually even if it has to break something in the process.

What model tractor are you towing? Some do have a relief valve.

[Kelly 1,030]

Go VERY Slow, move the motion control lever like you are driving it forward that will help, if it was me, I'd put the rear tires on something and slide it just to be sure you don't hurt it.

A kids winter sled might work.

[can whlvr 993]

i would do like kelly said,i have a peice of metal roofing that i nailed 2 peices of 2x4 to at the front sandwhiching the metal,then a rope attached to it,i can pull a tractor on it,rocks,my wifes planters for her driveway flowers and you just have to roll the stuff on,not lift it

[ericj 1,578]

from experence i know if the eaton 1100 has just been run or even cranked over if a good trans it will push real hard or impossible to push. let it set for a while ( a couple of hours or a day ) it will push a lot easer all most like a gear drive in netural. been there done that

eric j

[FreddieFarmall 1]

Finally got around to putting the belt back on the tractor-it was a pain, but that is another story. Everything seems to work OK. Apparently no damage from towing it. That was a relief. Thanks for everyone's input.

Fred

[brandonozz 168]

I know this is a bit of an old post but I do have a question regarding "what if".  What if a tractor gets towed without opening the tow valve?  I picked up a D200 today and the PO didn't realize he needed to open the tow valve and the motor got wiped out.  He did tow it slowly (5 mph) but the damage was pretty severe in the motor and the slippers are torn up - literally broke some off!  Other than the motor, do you think it would do any damage elsewhere and how far do you thind the "debris" from the motor would travel thru the hydraulic system?  Any advice and/or experiences would be appreciated.

[pfrederi 18,233]

This doesn't sound right to me.  How far did he tow it? What kind of surface?  Were the tires loaded/weighted? 

 

I think the slipper issue predates the towing. The slippers are strong enough to move the tractor against a lot of resistance I find it hard to believe that towing broke them. (Basic hydro test is to put the tractor against an immovable object on pavement and it should spin its wheels with you on it.  If that doesn't hurt the hydro i do not see how towing it even with  wheels sliding would hurt it that much.

 

If the hydro was in good shape the rear wheels would have started sliding after a few feet.

 

If the strainer behind the hydro motor was in good shape I would think that the damages would be limited to the motor, but you had probably better plan on opening the pump to check as I think there may have been pre-towing issues.

Edited March 18, 2013 by pfrederi

[Whmaverick 54]

Just a thought , once in a pinch with no way to open the tow valve, I lifted one side of the rear of the tractor jammed a rock between the frond axle where it pivots puting the tractor an a three point teeter. Then hooked a strap low under the rear axle on the lifted side and towed it backward high on the other tractor real slow letting that tire just lightly skid. Worked good in a pinch and I was sure I wasn't doing damage as the differential did the work not the drive pump. Lucky I only need to go a couple hundred ft. To the trailer.

[brandonozz 168]

All I know about the hydros is what I have learned from you guys.  I totally understand what you are saying about how to test the hydros condition by spinning the tires against an immovable object but in that case the pump and motor are working together against the friction of the tires against the ground.  When towing (and if the tires are turning) wouldn't that cause the pump to work against the hydro?  I know the tow valve wasn't open and I'm sure the motion control lever was in the neutral position.  The PO was a very nice guy and he said the tractor was working flawlessly before he made the mistake of towing it.

I bought another D200 a couple of months back with a cracked transaxle (diff bolts came loose and cracked the case) and plan on going thru this transaxle and getting one going but may try to get both going in the future.  After looking at the parts from the motor I was suprised to see so much damage!  The motor is a mess!

[wheeledhorseman 579]

All I know about the hydros is what I have learned from you guys.

 

Echo that entirely - there's still so much still to learn about these transmissions. When they were still fairly new and there was little wear then the fault finding guide in the manual was probably pretty accurate but as all the components have worn various faults and ultimate remedies posted by the 'hydro pioneers' indicate that it has often become very much more difficult to get at an accurate diagnosis from the symptoms.

 

You are correct about the way the pump and motor are effectively a sealed system so if you tow the tractor the wheels will try and turn the motor which will try and turn the pump which will try and turn the engine - not a good situation hence the tow valve. With a hydro in vgc it's all but impossible to move a tractor with the tow valve closed so I can see how the damage you've observed could happen. I collected my first ever WH project, a non-running C-120 auto, knowing nothing about hydros or tow valves. The winch litterally dragged it onto the trailer with the rear tires sciuffing along even thoug the parking brake was off..

 

I recently picked up a D-200 and the hydro appears to be working fine but there must be wear or a problem somewhere in that it is quite easy to push with the tow valve closed. Obviously the tow valve may be not seating properly but it could be the check valves not seating properly, faulty accelleration valves, or more likely worn / scored slippers and valve plates in the motor and or pump. Basically there's a leakage path from the sealed system that allows the tractor to be pushed or towed but not bad enough for the hydro to stop working (yet).

 

In short, my theory is that it's much more likely that towing without opening the tow valve will do significant damage to a very good condition hydro than a worn one. Seems unfair in a way doesn't it. I'm certainly no expert on these though.

 

Andy