Fabtek Forwarder Shifting Issue

[Corley5]

 

 

The Fabtek 344 I've been operating has a shifting issue. It's most noticeable when it's cold but will do it when its warmed up and has gotten worse the longer I've been in it.  When under motion it'll go to neutral although the readout says it's still in gear.  It'll do it in F1, F2, F3 as well as the reverses.  Sometimes it'll do it shifting gears.  Most of the times it's random and just stops moving.  I can't make it do it and it doesn't throw a code.  It takes a minute to two minutes and without doing anything it goes back into gear and you're off. Messing with the shifter, brake switch, float switch, rotating in the seat has no effect.  It has to sit for that minute to two minutes and then it'll go. I've timed it.  It started as a minor annoyance but has gotten to the point where it's an aggravation that's cutting into production.  It's a powershift tranny.  I've been told it's a Funk.  The previous owner told Sean it could be the speed sensor? but that it threw a code when it went bad on him.  The tranny doesn't slip and works fine except for this issue.  Any ideas what it might be? I'd like him to be able to get it fixed before I go back out there in a week or so.  He's got a 132 Franklin of the same vintage that he was talking about hauling out for me to run but I'm used to this one.  Hate to change horses now. I'm really glad it's not mine to fix.   

[Southside]

On my Franklin power shift the shifter runs a plate with holes drilled into it, those holes turn on and off a series of Neutral Safety Backup switches.  When one of those switches starts to go out all kinds of things happen, will go into gear, won't, won't be in the right gear, etc.  The good news is it's a cheap and easy fix, just have to figure out which switch is going bad with a multi-meter.  The other side of those switches are 12V coils, so again, if a coil is going out then it would create the same havoc.  

[Corley5]

@Southside What transmission does your 132 have?

[Mountaynman]

Had a similar isssue with my 546 and it turned out to be the door safety switch after much head scratching and a month or so it had done just what you say and got out of the cab and noticed the little button in the frame barely hanging on tightened it up and never had that problem again. 

[Southside]

It's a 4 speed, I believe it's a Clarke

[Corley5]

@Mountaynman  I'll pass the info about the door switch along to him 8)  The switch is there.  I've noticed it 

[Jeff]

That'd be pretty sweet if the door switch was the problem!

[thecfarm]

I hope his luck is better than mine.  :(

[nativewolf]

Out of curiosity what was the word on this?

[Corley5]

He hasn't had much time to do anything with it. He's been finishing up with his excavating for the season and we just had a couple rounds of snow, and he plows 100 driveways. He had his dozer on the log job and rolled the mud out of the hole.  When he was out there doing that he jacked up the cab and found the tranny filter was leaking a bit.  The fluid was low but not discolored. It has JD Hygard in it.  I always watch the gages and the highest I ever saw the tranny temp was 180 after a long haul on an 80 degree day. The cab has to be up to check the fluid which requires the limb risers to come off, exhaust to be unbolted, and two cab bolts to be removed before it can be jacked over. I asked him about checking it a couple times and he wasn't concerned about it then :-\ He does the maintenance on it. If it was mine, I'd cut a hole in the floorboard to get to the dip stick. I've just been operating it. I check the engine and hydraulic oil every morning and look it over for leaks, cracks, etc. It's always been dry and the one crack I've found in the frame hasn't traveled. The low fluid and filter could just as well not be the issue but that's where he was told to start and it's where I would if it hadn't been recently done. It hasn't.  The door switch was deleted by the previous owner. That would have been too easy  He's got a new filter and fluid for a change and was going to do that today and see if it makes a difference.  I'm going out this weekend to run it or his other machine. Whichever one is there. He's going to let me know how the fluid and filter change goes. I'll update. He was also told to check the bell housing bolts. These trans are known for loosening up and walking around and damaging the speed sensor in the process. He was also told that in hills these Funks should be kept over full. I still think it's something electrical. Glad it's not mine

[barbender]

I went out yesterday to run forwarder for just a day for a friend of mine. Got 2 loads out, and then the tranny stuck between high and low range. Got to spend the rest of the day alternating between laying under the machine and jumping back in the cab to test it. Fun!😁

[Corley5]

Fluid and filter change seems to have fixed it 8)  Ran it 7 hours today with no issues. The dipstick for the tranny is in just about the most inconvenient place.  Skinny fella with long arms no big deal. Fat guy with short arms...  : :  Grease and oil to your shoulder to almost reach it. Unless you jack up the cab

[newoodguy78]

Glad you got it figured out. Any possibility of extending that dipstick out to a more convenient spot?