JD310B Tire traction issue

[Brian Pitt]

I have a 310b backhoe that has seen it's fair share of jobs but works fairly well. Recently I've been having trouble with traction and can't steer very easily. The tires were worn down so I got new ones, and it's better, but it's not as good as it used to be. It's almost as if the front tires are not in contact with the ground enough to get good traction and turn. It's better on dirt than it is on stones, but it's still not great on either. Any reason why the front tires would slide along the ground and the machine would keep going straight and not turn? Any ideas for a solution? Does it involve increasing or decreasing tire pressure in the front or back?

 

[Billrog]

Dif. lock locked up ?

 

[Tinkerer]

Billrog is referring to the differential lock mechanism. The operator sometimes engages the lock nd forgets to release it.
Never use it when operating the machine on hard surfaces. It will put tremendous strain on the differential gears.

 

[Dave Neubert]

Some times the diff lock will stick check your linkage to make sure it is not froze up

 

[Delmer]

Tinkerer's post should give you a good idea of what it looks like. Hopefully the linkage is just tight from lack of use and oil.

In addition to not using it on hard surfaces (including hard clay or packed gravel), the other way to really mess things up is to get one wheel spinning in the mud and THEN apply the lock, DON'T DO THAT. If you start spinning, stop, apply the lock, and then try forward or reverse.

 

[Brian Pitt]

Great suggestions, I hadn't thought about the differential lock because I didn't think it was working. It barely moves at all. How much should that move up and down? Is it supposed to spring back if you take your foot off it or does it stay engaged until you pull it back up?

 

[Delmer]

It should definitely spring back up on it's own. If you're driving, sometimes it won't pop up until you straighten out or turn the other direction, but it will pop up on it's own eventually. Get out the oil can.

 

[Brian Pitt]

Well, that was totally it. It does not spring back, definitely needs lubrication, but I tried and it's still pretty stuck. But I was able to pop it back up with a crowbar. Thanks for the quick responses, saved me a lot of headache.

 

[Delmer]

you see in the diagram there's a spring inside, even if it's still stiff, you should be able to feel the spring, at least it will stay up once you pop it back with the crowbar. Nothing wrong with adding an external helper spring until you get it loosened up.