I need help understanding what is wrong with my D31E-20. It seems to have no fine steering, basically only full brake per each side or nothing, and then i have to beg it to do that. It has joystick steering control. There is no power loss in the system at all. It will push and push till the tracks spin. From my understanding of the system the steering clutches partially cut power to one side at a time therefore allowing for slight turns. Push the lever harder and then the brake grabs and turns sharp. Since I vary rarely have any fine steering I assumed that the steering clutches were worn and since I have to beg it to make sharp turns I also figured that the brakes needed adjusting. When I read up on the system though I believe worn clutches would give other problems. Here is my question, if the clutches were worn wouldn't it deliver basically no power, like in a car with a worn out clutch? If they are not worn, is it possible they are stuck engaged and that is the loss of my fine steering? Thanks for any help
I don't know your system specifically but typically when you pull one lever or the other it disengages the steering clutch making the machine start a long slow turn to that side. if you pull the lever further it tightens the brake band around the clutch body and stops the track completely which makes you turn sharper. Usually the brake bands work on some sort of over-the-center pin and block arrangement you may have worn the pads down to the point to where it snaps over center and goes to full screech. try adjusting them in so they are closer to the drum. the steering clutchs should be adjustable as well with some sort of arrangement to enclosen the lever in relation to the throwout bearing (which would allow it to pull the clutch further apart thereby disengaging it). all bets are off with this advice if you have hydraulic steering clutches.... sorry.
Yair . . . Kyfarm . I can't comment on your particular tractor but it seems you understand a conventional clutch/brake system other than for the following statement . . . It always used to be that steering clutches were fully engaged or fully disengaged The clutch determines the direction of the turn and the brake determines the rate . . . no attempt should be made to partially disengage them Cheers.
With your machine having joystick steering I would say it would be hydraulically operated, which means it could be something to do with a modulating valve in the system somewhere, Steering system on that I would think would be running in oil what they call a wet backend, might be a case of check some pressures first.
I can answer the questions above from the manual but first am I correct in assuming that if the steering clutches were worn and needed to be replaced then there would be a loss of power to the finals, like a car with a worn-out clutch will rev the engine but not transmit power to the wheels?
That was a mistake on my part, the clutches engage or disengage
From the service manual: "When the steering lever is pulled, the steering control valve is actuated and oil enters the steering booster cylinder. As a result, release yoke is pushed and retainer and pressure plate move as one unit. When this happens, the close contact between clutch disc and clutch plate and inner drum is released.....therefore motive force is removed from outer drum." So it sounds to me like it could any number of things: Linkage, control valve, booster cylinder or clutches are just stuck engaged. Seems odd that both sides are acting the same. Thanks for any thoughts, I will be at the farm until tomorrow night and will check back here then.....
You might need to check some pressures in the clutch control circuit. Low pressure would not release clutches.
Thanks for all the help. I tightened the brake adjustment nuts and that seemed to help a little bit. I am still not sure that the clutches are releasing which is making the brakes work harder than they should. I have needed to get a set of hyd. test guages for awhile now and this might push me to do so. Testing the pressures as 'overworked' mentioned is a good idea i think.