|
NW Iowa | I just purchased a 2011 645C with 6000+ hours. Supposedly came off a big dairy. Looks great but didn't have the best of upkeep. Here's what I have learned. Check out the lights carefully. The lighting module tends to be a higher kill item and is around $500. Is it AutoGuide ready? If it is, engage the TruTrak steering. As you adjust the potentiometer, you should see a difference in how the wheels respond when you turn the steering wheel. If you don't, there is a problem with the electronic parts on the steering motor. Also seems to be a high kill item. Really not an issue if you never intend to install guidance. If it has a suspended cab, see if that works. The sensors in the suspension cylinders are also a higher kill item. You can't just replace the sensors. They are an integral part of the cylinders. The cylinders are over $1100 apiece. Start the tractor and unlock the 3 point and the hydraulic valves. Make sure all the fingertip controllers are in neutral. The LED on EACH hydraulic outlet should glow green. Orange indicates a problem. Because a lot of the electronics talks to each other through a CAN connection, it's difficult to troubleshoot even with the service manuals. Some of the things I'm dealing with could be software based. Although they share almost all the same parts as the Masseys, my Massey dealer says their computer can't talk to a Challenger. Maybe he's just blowing smoke, but I don't really want to spend several hundred dollars to find out he's right. I've had better luck with my Massey service people pointing me in the right direction than Challenger but that could be a "here" thing. On a positive note, the Sisu engine and the cvt tranny are bulletproof. I bought mine right and am pretty good at troubleshooting once I get the manuals, so at this point I'm not complaining. I just hope that once I get it back in shape, it's a while before I have to work on it again. | |
|
Challenger MT645C any good?
