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Frozen seat,,,,,no run,,,?????

9570 Views 45 Replies 16 Participants Last post by  new 2305 owner
Well heres a new one....it has been very cold here in middle TN 16's at night went to use the 2305 to bring up more firewood, the tractor had been parked near where the wood is stored so I started it up while standing on the ground not in the seat,,,,,loaded up the wood, sat down in the seat and it felt funny...seemed very hard like maybe it was.....FROZEN....it was and because it was frozen the seat would not compress enough to activate the seat switch so ever time I put it in gear it would shut off.....bypassed the seat switch (did not want too do this) long enough to get the wood to the house then parked the tractor in the sun to thewe out ....dealer says to park it in the sun with the seat down.....I say Replace it for me now......
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.....I say Replace it for me now......
And the dealership will say, don't leave it out in the snow! :fing32:

How about using a removable seat cover? I'm not familiar with that model... is the switch actually located in the seat itself?
i believe that even if they replace it, it will just do it again. if the seat is only frozen, it should be fine once thawed.
A tractor you can't use in freezing weather? Sounds like the design is flawed.

I agree with davidg that it will probably work once thawed but don't believe that's as far as the fix should go.

I'd be wanting the Company to come up with a fix other than "wait for the sun to shine" or "park it where it won't freeze".

Mike
I've had to leave mine out before in the winter and have had freezing rain and frozen to the seat base but it didn't effect the operation any? Maybe you got water in the electrical connection? slkpk
Actually the dealer just replaced mine under warranty, today, in my 2305. Common problem according to them, switch gets foobared due to wet conditions then freezing, and sometimes works after it thaws, more often it doesn't. We've had several wet then freezing conditions over the last two weeks here in Nova Scotia. Tractor was covered but didn't prevent it.

I've had to leave mine out before in the winter and have had freezing rain and frozen to the seat base but it didn't effect the operation any? Maybe you got water in the electrical connection? slkpk
the switch is under the seat,,exposed to the weather 'sometimes' but the foam under that pretty yellow SHOULD NEVER FREEZE if I have to use it some freezing night and it won't run then its usless to me...seems like others have seen this same thing happen to me it IS a design flaw that the company needs to fix....my dealer is afraid that if he gives me a new seat that the factory won't give him the money for the seat he gave me....I'm going to check it in the morning before it warm up and if its still not working I'll call the dealer
agreed that if it is a design flaw Deere should do something, i took the OP to be an isolated incident.
Sorry :sorry1: this is almost comicial. Come on now, asking the dealer to correct a design flaw? Just have him set on the seat over night to keep it from freezing..... problem solved. :sorry1: :hide:

Couldn't resist.

Is there something you can do like put a tarp over the seat. Or there are some great products that they use on jeep ignitions that water proof the electronics. Come on this is MTF, we can fix it.
Is there something you can do like put a tarp over the seat. Or there are some great products that they use on jeep ignitions that water proof the electronics. Come on this is MTF, we can fix it.
White lithium grease?
i believe that even if they replace it, it will just do it again. if the seat is only frozen, it should be fine once thawed.
its the inside foam that has water in it and the water frozen not allowing the seat to compress activating the switch
Sorry :sorry1: this is almost comicial. Come on now, asking the dealer to correct a design flaw? Just have him set on the seat over night to keep it from freezing..... problem solved. :sorry1: :hide:

Couldn't resist.

Is there something you can do like put a tarp over the seat. Or there are some great products that they use on jeep ignitions that water proof the electronics. Come on this is MTF, we can fix it.
its the water in the seat foam that froze not allowing me to compress the seat down onto the switch.........I might suggest that the dealer "SIT ON IT" till its thawed out
then what exactly can he fix? my dealer told me to always flip the seat up to keep it from holding water, does the one on the 2305 not flip up too?
My 650/750 manual says to tilt the seat up during storage. Any significant amount of water would drain out rather than puddle and freeze. In any event with most newer JD's with the switch under the seat, having it freeze shouldn't affect the switch. If anything a heavy frozen seat should activate the switch more so the than lighter seat. Older JD's/Yanmar's had them in the seat which was a horrible design and that would be a huge issue.

Cold seats are a pain no doubt. I think of that every time I park my butt on the frozen metal pan seat on one of my 8n. But that's what happens in Winter. I guess up here in the North we don't think about it much.

My 8n's were built in an era where leaving a tractor out in the elements was just what you did. Even so there are times when it behaves badly after a rain. All of my JD's either get covered or are stored indoors. No matter how it was designed, you can't beat mother nature. Either you need a tractor cover or a tarp. A $10 Harbor Freight tarp and a package of bungees will keep it running better and longer. Weather is a killer for any equipment.

A can of electrical contact cleaner/lube should help clear out any residual water and help it from getting corroded. CRC556 or WD40 would work too.
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its the inside foam that has water in it and the water frozen not allowing the seat to compress activating the switch
It's not the seat pan that activates the switch? On my newer JD's that's how it functions.
Im sorry :sorry1: all my ... over 20 year old tractors are shed housed. I can't see why you would leave a high priced piece of equipment to the weather, a tarp is cheap.

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speedy, i don't know about his 2305 but both my X500 and my L130 the switch is inside the seat between the pan and the seat cushion and not between the pan and the body of the tractor.
Sort of a related question. Does the seat switch on a 2305 fit firmly in the seat pan, or is there some movement? The old one was quite loose, and so is the new one the dealer installed.
While bypassing the switch will allow you to run we need to find a long-term fix. I see a few comments here that the newer JDs have the switch mounted between the pan and the body rather than inside the seat foam, my BX series mounts the switch next to the seat springs at the rear of the seat. This got me to wondering, how hard would it be to install a switch at the seat springs, or do these tractors not have springs?
It's not the seat pan that activates the switch? On my newer JD's that's how it functions.
Correct...... its not the seat pan or the tilting off the seat that activates the pressure switch its the pressure of my butt on the seat cushion that puts pressure on the swtich,,, so if the foam freezes then there is no downward pressure(compession)...........I think I know HOW the water is getting in there there is a weep hole at the curve of the seat that when the seat is tilted forward water could get into the seat foam I can see the foam and soak into it, we do get a lot of rain here in the summer and I keep the seat tilted forward

this is a safety problem as well if the switch does not work as advertised someone could get hurt real bad
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