Jyuma1
Well-known member
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2022
- Messages
- 74
The following is strange, but true.
I needed to move a pile. so out the shed I went. Jumped in the old trusty Thomas, turned on the glo-plugs and waited my customary 30-45 seconds and then hit the starter. It cranked and cranked but not even a hint of ignition. So, I tried again... and again... no joy.
My Thomas never liked starting in cold weather, so I figured after letting the glo-plugs cool off I'd use my cold weather starting procedure of spraying a little either down its throat. Cranked and cranked and again, nothing. I never use the glo-plugs when using either but this time I figured I'd give it a little squirt just to warm its bones.
After one, less-than half a second squirt later, I hit the starter again. Varoom! The old Kubota sprang to life at near full throttle, and I damn near drove right thru the back of the shed. What the hell was that? I was giving it reverse and the loader jumped forward. I immediately shut down, which wasn't a difficult choice as the old Kubota was making sounds life the engine was going to fly apart.
Once I had a few minutes to think, I was confused by the loader lurching forward when I was giving it reverse. Had I forgotten how to drive the machine I've been using for over 30 years? When I got over my shock at the loud engine about to eat itself sound, it hit me. This damn thing must have started backwards.
I climbed back in the cab and performed a standard, no glo-plug assisted start, and the engine was back to its old self and the controls worked the way they were supposed to work.
In over 30 years of operation this had never happened before. I had no idea these diesels could run backwards.
I needed to move a pile. so out the shed I went. Jumped in the old trusty Thomas, turned on the glo-plugs and waited my customary 30-45 seconds and then hit the starter. It cranked and cranked but not even a hint of ignition. So, I tried again... and again... no joy.
My Thomas never liked starting in cold weather, so I figured after letting the glo-plugs cool off I'd use my cold weather starting procedure of spraying a little either down its throat. Cranked and cranked and again, nothing. I never use the glo-plugs when using either but this time I figured I'd give it a little squirt just to warm its bones.
After one, less-than half a second squirt later, I hit the starter again. Varoom! The old Kubota sprang to life at near full throttle, and I damn near drove right thru the back of the shed. What the hell was that? I was giving it reverse and the loader jumped forward. I immediately shut down, which wasn't a difficult choice as the old Kubota was making sounds life the engine was going to fly apart.
Once I had a few minutes to think, I was confused by the loader lurching forward when I was giving it reverse. Had I forgotten how to drive the machine I've been using for over 30 years? When I got over my shock at the loud engine about to eat itself sound, it hit me. This damn thing must have started backwards.
I climbed back in the cab and performed a standard, no glo-plug assisted start, and the engine was back to its old self and the controls worked the way they were supposed to work.
In over 30 years of operation this had never happened before. I had no idea these diesels could run backwards.
