L4701 4 Wheel Drive not engaging

[Shell Shocked]

All -You have helped me in the past and hoping you can again. I have a 2016/17 Model L4701 4x4 that has 350 hours on it. It is in 2 wheel drive now. I push down to engage the 4 wheel drive - the lever goes down but I cannot detect the 4 wheel drive engages. I noticed the lever (at the point it goes into the transmission) only rotates roughly an 1/8" < 1/4" when pressed down or up. I lift the front wheels off the ground with the FEL and shift and unshift the 4WD lever. When put in gear I do not detect the front wheels spinning. I am not a tractor person and figure the machine is too new to have any major issues with it. I am hoping it is something easy.

Thanks for taking the time for any input.

 

[Creature Meadow]

I have a L4600 older cousin to yours.

What works for me is to engage and disengage is to push down or pull up on the handle and slowly ease out on the clutch in a low gear. It seems that reverse works the best for either or, no data to support this but it works.

Give it a try, press down and ease out on the clutch, I use low 1 or 2 when doing it.

Best of luck.

Jay

 

[wgator]

It is in 2 wheel drive now. I push down to engage the 4 wheel drive - the lever goes down but I cannot detect the 4 wheel drive engages.

Thanks for taking the time for any input.

Do you have the operators manual? Down is 2WD (MFWD off), up is MFWD on (4WD). Thats how it works on mine.

 

[NCL4701]

Which position is 4wd for the L4701 can be a bit confusing, although I’m confident you’re familiar with your machine. For the gear drive, down is 4wd; for HST, up is 4wd. There should be a little picture on a sticker beside the shifter on the tractor but although it’s probably clear to most people, I about have to get off the tractor and study it to figure out what the little cryptograms mean. The movement of the shifter is quite slight.

If you don’t shift in and out of 4wd often, I’d double check the position of the shifter very carefully before tearing into anything.

 

[Shell Shocked]

This tractor is the manual transmission. You're right it takes a minute to rub off the dust and get Hamurabi's tablet out to figure out what the pictures mean. Down= 4 WD engaged. I'll try the options listed with the gears as well as turning the tires.

 

[jimh406]

My 50 hr L2501 is picky going in/out sometimes. I find using the clutch helps and a little treddle pedal helps. With the hours you have, I’d check all of the adjustments to make sure they are in spec for cables/rods.

 

[rentthis]

All -You have helped me in the past and hoping you can again. I have a 2016/17 Model L4701 4x4 that has 350 hours on it. It is in 2 wheel drive now. I push down to engage the 4 wheel drive - the lever goes down but I cannot detect the 4 wheel drive engages. I noticed the lever (at the point it goes into the transmission) only rotates roughly an 1/8" < 1/4" when pressed down or up. I lift the front wheels off the ground with the FEL and shift and unshift the 4WD lever. When put in gear I do not detect the front wheels spinning. I am not a tractor person and figure the machine is too new to have any major issues with it. I am hoping it is something easy.

Thanks for taking the time for any input.

A fairly common and simple cause of front wheel drive failure is a splined coupler on the front drive shaft aka propeller shaft. There is a tube over the shaft that covers the coupler. it's held in place by a rolled pin that has a way of failing and allowing the coupler to slide and disconnect the coupler. You have to remove of small screws, slide the tube back, slide the coupler back in place and replace the rolled pin. I tried to figure out how to post the picture but it's available in Kubota illustrated parts online. Just look up you tractor and go to propeller shaft front and see how simple it might be. I'm posting a link that might or might not take you there

http://kpadweb.kubota.co.jp/kpad2/PartsInfo.do?bookCd=100K5257&funcCd=&figNo=&himban=&dispType=0