Soooo..I was working on Reverser Rebuild on my 310C the other day. I removed the front floor-plate (under the steering wheel) so that I could get to some of the electrical connections on the reverser, and to remove the directional linkage. I also wanted to repair this plate a bit, as the gas petal had rusted-off (it was on the dashboard when I bought it; I have been stepping on a wire rod going through the rubber boot to accelerate) and there was a good amount of rust-through. After taking the plate off, I noticed that there were threaded screw remnants and what appears to be some sort of floor-mounted push button mounted (all of which is just like ancient ruins). I also saw a wire with both ends clipped, which obviously went to this switch. There does not appear to be any linkage associated to this switch. What is this for? There is a somewhat faded sticker on the front cab that looks like it might say "clutch disconnect" and given that it is disconnected, I recon the clutch is always "on." Is this for use during shifting? This thing is always in 1st gear, as I never have a reason to go faster and only drive it in the yard. It looks like a simple plunger switch, but must be rated for industrial use or the like. It has not been connected for a long-long time, and did not know if it was worth the expense of a new floor-mounted button (which I would imagine is not cheap). I have already repaired the right side of the floor plate, and getting ready to clean/repair the rest of this off.
That's what it is ... "Clutch Disconnect" Pressing it does the equal of clutching while in gear. It's useful when digging into a pile or loading a truck. Allows revving the engine to lift the bucket quickly without ramming the truck side.
Thanks! It seems to be in a bit oddly placed location on the floor, and somewhat understandable why it is so destroyed. Sounds like something that a professional heavy equipment operator (e.g. not really me!) would use, but also a nice to have. I am planning on leaving this for my son once fixed-up. I think I finally found a picture of one, an at 101128. A bit surprised it is not more "industrialized" with some sort of linkage to protect the mechanical components of the switch. And it looks to be like a $150 button for the OEM. I will plan on putting something more solid in its place, possibly relocated to left of brakes or something. That is after I know it is actually still wired-in to the rest of the system (this thing has undergone some modifications in its lifetime). I am assuming this is a normally-open switch, as the wires are simply cut.
Quick question for the Pros who are familiar with this switch location: would you keep the switch where it was (from the factory) , or would you have a petal to the left of the brakes? I am convinced that I can make something better than OEM switch/placement and do it cheaper via a petal, HD switch, and a travel limiter + dampener.
Nope to the left of the brakes. One needs the brakes to hold position. (unless you have two right feet). The other OEM location is on the loader control.