My Tractor is Haunted

Barny · Sep 6, 2014

So last Saturday night I'm at an event about an hour away from home when I get a call from my dad telling me I left the radio on in the tractor. I told him that was impossible as I had removed the key earlier in the day and locked the cab. He swore to me that the radio was on, quite loud on a talk radio station. We argued and I said there was a better chance that aliens had landed in the backyard and were making the noise. He called back about 5 minutes later and said the radio was off.

So the week went by with my dad trying to convince me that he hasn't lost it, and me wondering if he was in fact cracking up. Then, low and behold, I'm outside the barn tonight, having a beer with a buddy and the radio turned on. I was in complete disbelief. We walked over to the tractor and the radio was indeed on, no key in the cab, doors locked. I got the key, pushed the button to turn off the radio without putting the key in the ignition, and it shut off. It would not turn on again, unless I put the key in the ignition as would normally be expected.

The machine is a 2005 L5030 with~700 hours. I purchased it 3 years ago with about 500 hours and have never experienced this before. We did get quite a bargain on the tractor and I am now wondering if it is haunted.

I can't figure out how the radio can turn on without power or even the key in the ignition for the life of me. If it was a short, what are the chances of it turning on exactly 1 week later to the minute? Seems like there could be a timer of some sort in the tractor's computer that is shorting maybe.

Please help me figure out what is going on here...

North Idaho Wolfman · Sep 6, 2014

Wife says it's a glitch in the matrix.

Now on to the real answer...

IT'S ALIENS I TELL YOU... ALIENS!

Ok... Give me a little bit more info... Is it a stock Kubota radio or an after market model?
Any chance it has a removable face plate?

Daren Todd · Sep 6, 2014

Have you tried an exorcist

Actually, the power usually comes off an accessory on the key switch, through a fuse, and usually doesn't go any where near the computer. Usually on a stereo there are actually two power wires. One brings power directly to the stereo to retain the presets and clock, and the other goes to an accessory on the key switch to tell the stereo to power up. I'm thinking either a loose connection, moisture or corrosion causing a power bleed accross to the accesory power wire, or an internal issue in the computer board in the stereo.

olthumpa · Sep 7, 2014

What you have is a rare Gray market tractor made for the Transylvania market sold under the name of Kubooooooota.

vickark · Sep 7, 2014

Whew, that's a relief. I thought I was going bonkers also. on my Kubota,
I can turn left while raising the fel and I'll be danged if it don't whine like
Merle Haggard.

Wildfire · Sep 7, 2014

olthumpa said:
What you have is a rare Gray market tractor made for the Transylvania market sold under the name of Kubooooooota.

Omg that's just to funny. I'm here with tears coming out of my eyes. Lol

Here's what I'd do. Take a pressure washer with no less than 2600 psi and wash the machine in holy water

85Hokie · Sep 7, 2014

Barny said:
So last Saturday night I'm at an event about an hour away from home when I get a call from my dad telling me I left the radio on in the tractor. I told him that was impossible as I had removed the key earlier in the day and locked the cab. He swore to me that the radio was on, quite loud on a talk radio station. We argued and I said there was a better chance that aliens had landed in the backyard and were making the noise. He called back about 5 minutes later and said the radio was off.

So the week went by with my dad trying to convince me that he hasn't lost it, and me wondering if he was in fact cracking up. Then, low and behold, I'm outside the barn tonight, having a beer with a buddy and the radio turned on. I was in complete disbelief. We walked over to the tractor and the radio was indeed on, no key in the cab, doors locked. I got the key, pushed the button to turn off the radio without putting the key in the ignition, and it shut off. It would not turn on again, unless I put the key in the ignition as would normally be expected.

The machine is a 2005 L5030 with~700 hours. I purchased it 3 years ago with about 500 hours and have never experienced this before. We did get quite a bargain on the tractor and I am now wondering if it is haunted.

I can't figure out how the radio can turn on without power or even the key in the ignition for the life of me. If it was a short, what are the chances of it turning on exactly 1 week later to the minute? Seems like there could be a timer of some sort in the tractor's computer that is shorting maybe.

Please help me figure out what is going on here...

Like Daren said - two wires......red and yellow......

check this out based on your set - see if you can chase the wires down and report back on the voodoo in the kooobooo

koja · Sep 7, 2014

Perhaps you have a mouse that enjoys talk radio ? Seriously though , I've had that happen to me before . It was the radio itself. Try getting another stereo.

D2Cat · Sep 7, 2014

"Have you tried an exorcist" If you don't pay the exorcist do you get repossessed?

Barny · Sep 8, 2014

Thanks for the suggestions. I will check the stereo wiring.

Perhaps it could be related to the fact that the A/C is cold for the first 20-30 minutes of use, but then stops cooling. Thinking that there could be an A/C component up in the canopy somewhere that is freezing up, then during thawing, could cause condensation that might have gotten to radio wires....plausible?

Barny · Sep 8, 2014

Oh, and yes, it is completely stock. No removable faceplate. Clock on radio doesn't even stay on when key is not turned to accessory or on position.

The strangest part of this whole thing to me is the timing. The problem repeated exactly 7 days later to the minute. I know this from looking at recent calls on cell phone when it happened the second time.

Lil Foot · Sep 8, 2014

The strangest part of this whole thing to me is the timing. The problem repeated exactly 7 days later to the minute. I know this from looking at recent calls on cell phone when it happened the second time.

Sounds like an alarm function to me….

85Hokie · Sep 8, 2014

Barny said:
Oh, and yes, it is completely stock. No removable faceplate. Clock on radio doesn't even stay on when key is not turned to accessory or on position.

The strangest part of this whole thing to me is the timing. The problem repeated exactly 7 days later to the minute. I know this from looking at recent calls on cell phone when it happened the second time.

I too would agree that is seems something has a timer or alarm on it......

what is model of radio ??? KUBOTA brand?

ShaunRH · Sep 8, 2014

Some radios feature power on after power detect. If it loses power for a moment, it kicks the radio on. My RV has a radio that does this. We thought it was haunted for a moment too after we were having some battery issues with it. I had on my battle steel chastity belt while we eliminated the Aliens cause... whew, no aliens!

So you may have a loose power wire?

BAP · Sep 8, 2014

I Think you need to ask the "Great Pumpkin" what to do. After all, Halloween is coming soon and that is what Snoopy would do.

skeets · Sep 9, 2014

Your tractor wouldn't be named Christine would it,,,

olthumpa · Sep 9, 2014

BAP said:
I Think you need to ask the "Great Pumpkin" what to do. After all, Halloween is coming soon and that is what Snoopy would do.

I asked the "Great Pumpkin" and my tractor told me that it was not haunted.

Barny · Jan 19, 2018

Thread revival!! Never figured this out and its still happening. The machine is parked inside for the winter and every night the radio comes on around 7:00.

Key is not even in the ignition. The radio is factory as far as I can tell and does have an "A" in the top right corner of the screen...but I can't figure out how to turn it off. Battery is now dead from the radio cycling on every night for the last month. Finally disconnected the battery to stop this.

So two questions...how do you turn off the bloddy alarm or wake on the radio?

Anyone add a kill switch to completely disconnect the battery? Its a real pain to get to behind the loader and headlights.

North Idaho Wolfman · Jan 19, 2018

Either it's a bad radio, or wired wrong.
They only get a signal to power up, they always have power supplied to them.

You said the clock doesn't work, right?
I, was wondering if someone miss wired the hot and trigger (memory wire), if you cross the 2 all sorts of weird things can happen.

cerlawson · Jan 19, 2018

OK, I'll admit it. A number of your friends ()?) here got together and re-wired your machine. Don't be surprised at some other ghostly things this coming year.

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