Re: Am I just old fashioned?

Posted by rumplestiltskin on October 29, 2004 at 10:19:20 from (65.216.75.240):

In Reply to: Am I just old fashioned? posted by IH johnny on October 28, 2004 at 20:31:33:

I agree with you. A well-designed tractor should be rugged, reliable, easy to troubleshoot (without a $1,000 analyzer), and inexpensive to fix.

If I were designing a tractor, I would probably use plastic or nylon for the wiring (insulation, harnesses/conduit, and ties), distributor cap, rotor, and steering wheel rim -- and that"s about it.

As for electronics, they would have to offer some clear advantage. If you have an on-board memory for diagnostics, that"s great -- but, again, it has to be rugged, reliable, easy to troubleshoot, and inexpensive to fix. What a manufacturer should do (but won"t do because of emphasis on short- rather than long-term profits) is provide (1) an industry-standard computer communications port on the tractor, (2) an industry-standard cable to connect the tractor port to a PC, and (3) free diagnostic software. If the manufacturer insists on controlling the engine and transmission via computer, the software should also allow the user to make all settings (timing, shift points, etc.) from his PC keyboard.

One extreme example of something electronics COULD do, is monitoring the temperatures of all main crankshaft bearings and notifying the operator when one of them starts getting noticeably hotter than the others. Would that be cost-effective? Maybe for some guys, but probably not for me.

Electronics would be O.K if done right, but nobody really does it right. For example, if my wife doesn"t tighten the gas cap on her "92 Explorer she gets a "Service Engine Soon" light. This, of course, is an invitation to drive to the dealer and spend $,$$$.$$. A conscientious designer would have provided a light that says, "Hey, Einstein, your gas cap"s loose!" A better approach yet would have been a two-line by 24-character LCD that would cost $5 or $10 and could display an appropriate message for just about anything. And don"t even get me started on the doors that lock themselves -- talk about inconvenient! The bottom line is, the more bells and whistles, the less I like it. And I"d like to at least have the option of disabling them.

For now, I like my old International 300 Utility just fine. No computers, no inappropriate plastic, no radio, no cab -- no problem. And, in the winter time here in Michigan, no sweat!

Just my 25 cents" worth.

Mark W.

Follow Ups:

Post a Followup Name: E-Mail: Subject: Comments: Optional Link URL: Link Title: Optional Image URL: Email Notification: If you check this box, email will be sent to you whenever someone replies to this message. Your email address must be entered above to receive notification. This notification will be cancelled automatically after 2 weeks.

TRACTOR PARTS	TRACTOR MANUALS

We sell tractor parts!  We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]