First Snow Plowing with my Dexta!

[Lost in Sweden]

Installed the motor warmerer (Calix) and now she she starts up easily, at least at -10C. I had no idea if she would plow snow, but the first test went well. Plow on back. 800m. Tough since there are two stone walls on each side, so not much room to dispose of the snow. Some points of interest:
1. She has a problem with doing work in reverse. Cant plow much moving backwards. Wheels just stop when I run into resistance. Very strong going forward, though. What up?
2. I used position control and manually adjusted the lift up when I heard and saw the plow touching soil. Seemed to work fine, although I could use Qualitrol? I tested Qualitrol by lifting the plow, moving the lever down, but as I did that, the plow dropped to the ground, before I could manually lower the plow to the correct height (just off ground of course), as I think the manual says, if I read it right. Am I doing something wrong, or is it broken?
3. If I press in the clutch when the plow is lifted in the air, it stays in the air. Does that mean I have PTO?

[Foxen]

I can only really answer question 3 here, the only way you will notice if you have live pto/hydraulics is by pressing down the clutch pedal and then attempting to raise the 3pt lift(clutchpedal halfway down=gearbox disengaged, all the way down=gearbox and pto shaft disengaged).

The lift should always stay in the up position regardless of if you've pressed the clutch down without moving the lever, if it doesn't your ram cylinder is leaking through

[jambug123]

you will find that going backwards you have less grip as tractor tyres only work in one direction which is forwards.
QUALITROL works in the way you decribe as it works on compression of the top spring when in work to lift and lower the impliment in work, position is the when the impliment needs to be at a constant hieght.

Regards
James

[Emil Nyman]

1 Is it the whels that stops or is it the tractor that stops and the whels are spining?
2 Its how it works.
3 If you press the cluthpedal just as much to stop the traktor and you stil can higher the plow you have live PTO(dubbelkoppling). If not, you have a standard PTO(enkelkoppling). This is how it works with live PTO: when you move the cluthpedal down it first realese the main cluth and the tracktor stopps. When you move the cluthpedal all the way down it realese the PTOcluth and the PTOshaft(kraftutaget) stops. Because the hydraulicpump is driven on the PTOshaft it will also stop.

[Brian]

Easy way to check if you have a live clutch. Look at the clevis link that goes to the clutch lever into the clutch housing. Two holes = Live clutch, 1 hole = standard clutch.

[Mark]

Hey Lost,
When I'm plowing snow I can push more going backwards than I can forwards. I angle my blade and give it a lot of throttle, when the back wheels start spinning I raise up on the blade and hammer down! I usually go backwards when I need to shove it up in a pile as well.
I go forwards when I can, but mostly backwards unless it's a long ways to go, then your neck will start to hurt to much.

[Lost in Sweden]

Still confused about lack of power when reversing. Again, when I plow in reverse the tractor has no pushing power. A modest amount of snow will stop the tractor. The left wheel will just spin, while the right does not move. No problem going forwards, pulling a large quantity of snow. Anyone care to speculate?

[Grani]

Still confused about lack of power when reversing. Again, when I plow in reverse the tractor has no pushing power. A modest amount of snow will stop the tractor. The left wheel will just spin, while the right does not move. No problem going forwards, pulling a large quantity of snow. Anyone care to speculate?

Perhaps the right brake stucks at reverse.

[Lost in Sweden]

When I reverse with the plow up (just driving) it does not veer off to one side, which might suggest a stuck break. Backs up fine when not under strain of work.

[Tiger]

The tyres are designed to go better in one direction (forward) if you do most of your work in reverse swap your tyres over. Or maybe you need a new set of tyre. How worn are they

[Lost in Sweden]

The tires are worn, but worn tires would slip, not stop. Plus I have chains on them for the snowplowing. What happens is the right wheel will just stop, while the left wheel will spin, when I back up slowly (at high rev) into a modest pile of snow.

[Lesfen]

Hej Lost,

Is there the same amount of fluid in both the tires and/or wheel weights?

Also, as Grani suggested the brake might be dragging slightly.
Not enough to bother empty but provides some trouble under a load?

What would happen if you apply the brakes to the left wheel when it starts to spin?
If it is just a traction problem the right should start to spin. If it is something else the engine might pull down.

Cheers,
Les

[Tiger]

The tires are worn, but worn tires would slip, not stop. Plus I have chains on them for the snowplowing. What happens is the right wheel will just stop, while the left wheel will spin, when I back up slowly (at high rev) into a modest pile of snow.

If one wheel is spinning then the other wheel will stop. that is the diff doing it's job all the power goes to the easiest route.(the spinning wheel) put the brake on the wheel that is spinning and then the other will move

[Lost in Sweden]

Could the problem (weak when reverse plowing, left wheel spins while the right stops) have to do with the 'differential lock operation'? That peddle under the quad to the back right. Section 7 of the manual says it might help. I have never used it. Anyone use this? I can depress it (with the tractor off) and I feel the spring resistance in the operating rod, but any actual movement the operating lever is quite limited, so I am not sure it will even engage. Is it usual to have to use the adjusting screw to get it 'tuned'

[Brian]

Your problem is exactly why you have a dif.lock. It is because when you get the slightest wheel spin, all the power is transmited to the spinning wheel and the speed of spin increases.

So before you reverse, push the pedal down, do not wait until the wheel starts to spin.

SAFETY NOTE.

With the dif.lock in it will be hard to steer as you have no dif. to help you turn. Declutch or touch one of the brake pedals slightly and this should cause the dif.lock to release.

[Tiger]

Hi Brian, Does the major have a diff lock? Thanks Chris

[Ian]

only the super major had a diff lock