JD 5210 stuck in park

I bought a JD 5210 collarshift this past spring. I put in a block heater, and changed the engine oil and fuel filter, and did some other electrical work, but just replaced the hydraulic filter (didn't see any sign of water in the fluid).

This morning it was 0F outside, and below 20F in the barn. The 5210 started right up after warming with the block heater, and the 3 point lift and power steering worked, but I couldn't get it out of park. I assume there is water someplace that froze. It should get above freezing this weekend.

I am hoping that getting it good and warmed up and changing the hydraulic fluid (10 gallons) will fix it.

Thoughts?

Agree - most like water in the rear end has frozen and "locked" it up.

However.....can you get the shift lever out of Park? If not and the tractor is not parked on a hard, level surface, the shifter may be stuck from load on the parking pawl.

Jack up one rear wheel (and if you have MFWD put it into 2WD) then try if the shifter will come out of Park. Or nudge it forward and back an inch or two with another tractor to free it up.

FWIW both our 5210's (one collar shift; the other shuttle shift) have a propensity for the shifters getting stuck in Park. Now when parking on any kind of incline I'll leave 'em in gear and drop the loader bucket to hold them in place.

Thanks for your thoughts, Bob M.

The tractor is parked on the concrete floor in my unheated barn. I can roll it a little bit by hand when I raise the implement off the floor, but haven't been able to get the shift lever out of park (I haven't tried anything but hand pressure yet because I don't want to break anything).. The range shift lever (ABC) moves without any trouble.

Other than thawing it out and replacing the fluid, is there anything else I should try?

if it is a cable shift linkage bet the cable is froze

I have one here that will not shift when cold,,it is always kept inside,,clips a little pasture,,it has an easy life,very low hours,shifts fine when warm,,on a cold morning you need to run a space heater under it for a bit to get the chill off of it...I have thoughts that the cold transmission case is putting a squeeze on the shift rails,,or the shift lever,,I am certain that there is no water in the transmission,,when it gets in the 20's it won't shift,,shifts but firmly in the 30's...

Well I talked a fellow through this a few years ago on this forum. The JD 5000 series will get condensation/water in the shift towers under the gear shift levers. The most common problem is the shifter boots crack with age and let in moisture. This area does not have any common area with the inside of the transmission. So you can drain/change the hydraulic oil all you want and it will not change the problem. (TimS, just because that one has set inside its entire life does not mean it will not have water in the shift towers.) There are service bulletins on this issue.

The first thing to do is warm up the shift towers and see if the shifter works normally then. An electric heat gun or hair dryer works great for this. If this frees up the shifter then you know 100% it is water in the shifter tower.

The "fix" is to remove the clamp/tie from around the shifter boot. slide it up out of the way. With the tower warm used compressed air to blow all the moisture you can get out of the tower. Then use WD-40 ( Use WD-40, not some other penetrating oil. You need the water displacement that WD-40 has and others penetrating oils do not) spray the inside of the shifter tower liberally. work the shifter to insure it is freed up. Then blow out the mixture of WD-40/water out. Then put a couple of squirts with an oil can, of light oil, I use hydraulic oil, in each tower. Reinstall the shift boot if it is good. Usually they are cracked and need replaced. I recommend lubing them once each year. I have not seen any repeated problem on any that were done as I outlined. The trouble is this is an area that does not get any lubrication and does get condensation in it.

Very thorough answer from JDS there, likely the issue.

I had a couple of volunteer operators helping me with hay this summer and both were struggling to shift my 5400. One a very experienced full-time farmer. When I went to pull it in the barn the last time, the 1-4 gear shift lever roll pin broke the rest of the way off- it had been partially broken and the variable fulcrum of the lever made for difficulty finding the right gear. Once sheared, you could not get it to change gears at all, unless holding the ball in place.

Probably not your problem, but I remember it taking far longer with more things removed and an odd-sized roll pin to fix.

This forum is still awesome (I was here 20 years ago: the Fairweather Tractor article is mine from 1998).

Thanks for the info JD Seller. That sounds like a winning idea.

Is there any reason I shouldn't crack the cover at the bottom of the gear shift tower to try to get the moisture out that way? I mean, will a horde of small parts come flying out? The online parts manual just shows the shifter guide...

I think you will find the tower is part of the transmission casting IRC. If it does bolt on I would not "crack" it loose as there should be a casket at that joint. Just keep it simple and sweet. Do not over think it or turn it into a difficult repair. Fifteen minutes like I talked to you about and your done for a year.

JD Seller: Thank you so much for the information you provided. It was dead on.

I could shift gears after warming the base of the shift lever tower. Water has been removed/displaced and now the tractor is back in service.