Pull start

There always seems to be some discussion regarding pull starting a tractor. I generally try to avoid pull starting anything. But, the other day I could not get my diesel tractor started due to the battery being low. I had to get it off the trailer and into a building for a show. We pushed it off the trailer and ended up trying to pull it with another tractor. I tried 3rd gear and 4th. All it would do when I let the clutch out was slide both rear tires--and the Farmall pulling me also spun one of his tires. I've had a similar experience years ago with a Cub tractor. So how do you pull start a tractor?

the PULLING tractor should be in either 1st or 2nd gear. The PULLED tractor should be in its highest gear. ie road gear

what are you pulling and with what? first thing you need good footing for the pullee and have it in high gear, and if your on ice or snowy grass you wont have much luck. it just takes a few feet to start a tractor in the right conditions.

I had to pull start my Farmall 300 last summer because I had just gotten it put together and had not yet wired it. I used an H in 1st gear and pulled the 300 in 4th and it started right up in 10 feet or so.
Zach

You have to be in the highest number gear. When pull starting the gear ratios are reversed so the highest gear is the easiest to turn the engine over. Depending on how much traction you had you need to feather the clutch sometimes or you need to be moving fast enough so the wheels have enough rotational energy to start the engine spinning. Last important thing is to make sure you have enough distance between the puller and the pullee and be ready to hit the clutch and brakes so you don't run into the back of the pulling tractor.

as others have said - you want the dead tractor in the highest gear possible.

You want to be on the best road surface you can find too. Grass can be too slippery.

Try not popping the clutch - just ease it off like you would driving up a hill.

Sometimes once you get tires sliding, they stay sliding. It can sometimes take more force to get them to slide than to keep them sliding once the break free - if that makes sense.

And this may sound painfully obvious, but make sure you're off the breaks!

I've done it, and I've seen it done 1000 times by others.

It's instinctive to want to ride the brakes when you're being towed - in case the guy in front stops. Worse in a car - but I've seen people do it on tractors too. Some times people simply forget to let go of the breaks altogether, but will swear they never even touched them.

Finally - you can always try hitting the starter while you're getting pulled and sliding. Sometimes there's enough juice to get a crank or two with the added assist of the wheels trying to crank too.

Seems like most said the pulled tractor should be in High Gear. I disagree with that. Because when the engine wants to start it's under too much of a load and will probably die right away because the pulling tractor is pulling it slow. Almost like starting from a dead stop in road gear. The higher the gear the pulled tractor is in, makes it easier for the wheels to turn over the dead engine but makes the engine under too much of a load when it starts. I hope this makes sense. It's due to gear ratio and which is the driving force, wheels or engine.

When I have to pull our IHC H we usually put it in 3rd gear. It turns the engine over faster and starts quicker especially if it's flooded. Also helps the generator put out while being pulled. Sure it makes it a little harder to pull but I've seen too many put it in high gear and it's killed soon as it starts.

To justify my theory. Push start a small truck with a manual transmission in different gears and see which one works best. When using high gear the operator has to be quick with pushing in the clutch if it starts to keep from killing it.

Pulled tractor should be in the gear relative to the speed it is being pulled.

I had an old IH-H that had a magnito on it, never had a battery on it. We always pulled it or rolled it over a hill. You will soon learn if you start one every yime and alone. Highest gear only let the clutch out to get the engine turning then depress the clutch and let the engine smooth out without a load then use a gear that is suitable to get going. Pretty simple really if you do it for 65 years.

Before we got electricity and engine heaters, the only way we could start a car or tractor in real cold weather was to pull them with a team of horses. The horses would start no matter how cold it was.

I'll disagree with those that say to put the pulled tractor in the highest gear possble. Never had any luck doing that. I usually use the 2nd or 3rd highest gear.(8 spd trans) If your tires are skidding right away, then put it in a higher gear.(if possible) You'll technically have to pull the dead tractor faster because every revolution of the tires spins the engine less.

Neighbor always has
a problem starting his 8N. Yesterday he wanted to get it started to plow snow. He was going to use his truck to pull it.

I bet him I could pull start him with my Polaris 6x6 since it was right there. Pull started him just like I have done many times in the past. The 6x6 is a 70HP six wheel drive.

This was in the snow and I didn't have a load in the back. Don't know what gear he used.

The dead tractor engine is not running yet. So the weight of the tractor is not creating a load on the engine. If the throttle is advanced to far the engine will try to run to fast, which will put a load on it, BUT the tractor has a rolling start which helps the engine handle it.
Throttle position is key here.
SDE

My position is that the pulled tractor should be in the highest gear. The operator should be ready to push in the clutch at the first sign of engine firing. The towing tractor should be in the highest gear that can be used to pull the other and that operator should keep going until he sees or is signaled that he should stop. Once I was involved in pull starting a 36 Hp Diesel with a 15 Hp gasoline tractor. We got both up to the maximum 12 mph of the smaller and then let out the clutch on the Diesel. That dragged down the small one very fast and the process was repeated about 4 times before the Diesel ran on it's own. Downhill helps if the towing tractor is smaller.

(quoted from post at 18:54:41 01/31/13) My position is that the pulled tractor should be in the highest gear. The operator should be ready to push in the clutch at the first sign of engine firing.

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I agree with Bus Driver. Towed tractor needs to have clutch depressed as soon a engine starts. BTDT many times when I worked for a dealer.

I agree but you have to remember engine is turning so the governor is holding throttle back off WOT just as if it were running. Governor knows not if engine is running or not but operates the same.

Take it out of Low Range.
Walt

I was on wet blacktop. The tractor is an Oliver super 55 diesel. I think it was an H Farmall that was pulling me. I was hiding my face so I couldn"t see clearly--or maybe those were tears. Moving it again tomorrow so hopefully it goes better. The new battery might help.

I generally put the pulled tractor in the highest or second highest gear, and the pulling tractor in the highest "working" gear.

If there is any battery at all I can go to lower gears and help get the engine rolling with the starter.