TYM 353HST - mini review The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Wow, it's been awhile! Sorry but when the old computer died it took all my sites and passwords and I'm just finding my way back.

Well the Red Bull has 78.5 hrs on her and she's still going strong. My dealer, on the other hand, doesn't work with TYM anymore and possibly is going down the tubes. He was unable to help me with a minor problem last year (under warranty) and for all the good I said about him he really let me down. The seat safety switch, for lack of a better term, kept shutting the machine down every time I hit a bump (read shut off every two or three seconds). Finally cut the connection out and spliced the wires together.

The 353HST has been a good tractor for me in my beach cleaning endeavors as well as some other community projects. There is a possibility that a permanent move back north may happen, so snow removal may be a new part of it's duties. We are at the end of a street with few families so we don't get plowed early or often. Actually looking forward to it all.

In the mean time I really have got to find a good TYM dealer in the WNY area. I'm guessing Saville's in Orchard Park may be the answer. If anyone knows about them please respond.
 
fla45 - Nice to see someone back on the forum. The only issue I have had with my 353 (approx. 110 hrs) is the exhaust location. I didn't like the discharge facing the FEL arm so I cut the end off and added a 90 facing the ground now. Makes me happier not having the black soot all over the arm. Doesn't work a better but I have less to clean when I hose it off once or twice a year.
 
Well, I'm back. Not only have I come back to visit the forum, but I'm back in western New York, having moved back from Central Florida permanently. We moved back this winter, one of the worst winters we've had in years. Unfortunately, with over 3 feet of snow in our driveway, I couldn't get the Red Bull to start. With my dealer out of business, there she sat, from February 7 all the way till memorial day weekend. I was finally able to contact somebody who was able to bypass all the safeties that were not allowing the tractor to start. The next problem was I had not done any of the maintenance on it, not at 50 hours or even at the hundred hour level. At this point in time I thought it was time to get rid of the tractor if I couldn't find anyone to service it. But then I noticed Cabela's had opened up in Buffalo about 45 minutes away from me and was selling a line of tractors. Gosh, they look like a green TYM tractor, and by golly, they absolutely were! Could I finally be getting my tractor serviced? A few phone calls later confirmed that, yes Cabela's could service my tractor and off it went.

THE GOOD
It has taken a couple of weeks but yes the tractor did get it's 50 hour and 100 hour level servicing done. A little expensive at around $800. I also had the rear tires loaded for right around $200. The travel charge for pick up and re-delivery was $75.

THE BAD
Unfortunately during the trip to Buffalo the hood became unlatched and was damaged. It look like a shark and taken a bite out of it. Cabela's has epoxied the hood and has promised to replace it with a new TYM hood. We are not sure when this new red hood will be delivered. This has pushed out the total service time to now over three weeks.

Overall the TYM tractor has been a good little worker. Unfortunately the dealer who first impressed the hell out of me, went out of business and left me high and dry. Now that the tractor is out of warranty I can really shop around for servicing from a local dealer who might be able to do the regular maintenance on it, or just rely on Cabelas for everything. I was really anxious to see how it was going to do on the snow this past year and what a year I was! Well, maybe this coming winter. I did see a new back blade at TSC for $350. I have a 400 foot circular, gravel driveway. Any thoughts, anybody? By the way thanks again to all who have helped. I would've been a total loss without all the guys at this forum.
 
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Welcome back!

Glad to hear you're back up and running. Who was the dealer that went out of business?

Heading up your way in a few weeks. Can you tell me where the Cabela's store is?

Using a blade on a gravel driveway is going to move some of the stone. I found 2 things that help.

1) If you have an area that has gravel but you don't need that area in the winter, try to push the snow-stone into that area. What I do is keep the blade a couple inches off the stone and push that snow into the yard. When I get down close to (or in) the stone, I drag that to an area I don't use. In the spring when the snow melts, at least that stone isn't in the grass.

2) Come Spring, I find that a good backpack blower works better than a rake at getting the stone out of the grass.
 
Hey BC always good chatting with you. The dealer was Rammelts in Westfield New York. I drove past there last week and the place look like a ghost town. Cabela's is at exit 52E off the Thruway, across from the galleria mall. Don't forget to stop at Silver Creek exit 58 and get some gas. It was $2.87 a gallon today.
Hey guys, the driveway is covered with #1 pea gravel. This is a very fine, almost ornamental type of gravel. My plan was to use a back blade and keep it about two or 3 inches above the surface of the gravel. Last year when I used a single stage snowblower I had to use a rake and a leaf blower to blow the gravel back onto the driveway in the spring. I will definitely have to look at that grading scraper when I get a chance, hopefully soon.
 
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Thanks. Found the Cabela's on google maps. Think I'll have to stop in.

Glad to hear the fuel prices on the Res have gone back down. A few years ago, they jacked their prices up so it was only about 20-30 cents less than the regular pumps. Basically, it was about the same price we pay here in PA so I just quit going there.

If you're still going to use the snow blower, consider adding "training wheels". I'm serious. Get some training wheels from a kids bike and mount the wheel directly to the front sides and they'll keep you from digging in. They're so narrow they don't give resistance.
 
Hey guys, Fla45fan here again. Many moons have passed again so I will give you an update on the Red Bull. It's got about 140 hours on it and it continues to be plagued by minor problems. It will run for a while and then just shut off. I can start it up most of the time and run it until it quits, usually during warm weather. It gets a little dicey now and then, but I've been working through it. The hood took Cabela's many months to get it back to me and they came out and reinstalled it, no charge, Hahah.
But the real kicker is that I just got a letter from Cabela's stating they were getting out of the tractor business. The letter refers me back to TYM's (ahem) excellent service network of dealers and says Cabela's will be out of the tractor business sometime in 2016. It looks like I'm back to square one again, relying on a single standalone service guy to help me with the tractor. No dealer close to me, spotty help from the factory, and no parts inventory anywhere in sight. Ugh!
 
TYM HST353 cuts out and now won't start

fla45fan said:
Hey guys, Fla45fan here again. ... It will run for a while and then just shut off. I can start it up most of the time and run it until it quits, usually during warm weather. It gets a little dicey now and then, but I've been working through it.
Click to expand...

I have a 353HST also, about the same age as yours. I bought it used because there was a dealer nearby. They went out of business. That's the bad news. The dealer that is still in business is a hundred miles from me but they are very responsive by email and phone.

I'm curious about your reports of the engine cutting out on you. I've had that happen to me many times (year round, maintaining my driveway and road, summer and winter snow plowing). I've blamed the seat safety switch. I've taken to using the seat belt fastened tightly to keep me from lifting myself out of the seat. BUT, I don't know that is the problem. A couple days ago, it cut out 3 times in a row for me and then was OK for the next couple hours.

Now it won't start at all. I hear the fuel pump. I hear the solenoid. I've put my chargers on starter-current to jump it with no change. Both of my chargers show the battery at full charge. When I turn the ignition on, the "CHECK" light comes on the dash.

I haven't contacted the dealer yet. Want to double check the battery and see what I can learn with a volt meter.

Have you learned anything about your similar problem since January?
 
RustyCannon said:
Now it won't start at all. I hear the fuel pump. I hear the solenoid. I've put my chargers on starter-current to jump it with no change. Both of my chargers show the battery at full charge. When I turn the ignition on, the "CHECK" light comes on the dash.
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I've had that happen. It was the battery cables themselves. Rotted/rusted inside the insulation.

It could pull enough amps to do everything but start the engine so the lights, solenoid... all look good but nothing when you try to turn it over.

Try your jumper box at the other end of the cables (not the battery end). If it starts, you have at least one bad cable.
 
Thanks.

bczoom said:
... Try your jumper box at the other end of the cables (not the battery end). If it starts, you have at least one bad cable.
Click to expand...

That will certainly be something I'll look at... as soon as I have some time to devote to it.

I keep the tractor garaged, however, so I don't expect to find a lot of corrosion, especially in this dry Colorado climate. The battery terminals are themselves are very clean.
 
RustyCannon said:
That will certainly be something I'll look at... as soon as I have some time to devote to it.

I keep the tractor garaged, however, so I don't expect to find a lot of corrosion, especially in this dry Colorado climate. The battery terminals are themselves are very clean.
Click to expand...
My tractor is also garaged and terminals were clean. My cables still need replaced about every 10 years.
 
Back on the starting problem. Possible safety switch trouble.

bczoom said:
... Try your jumper box at the other end of the cables (not the battery end). If it starts, you have at least one bad cable.
Click to expand...

I had house guests last week, right after I discovered this problem, so didn't get to work on it right away. When I got the chance, I took your suggestion and clamped the positive jumper cable to the lug on the starter, bypassing the battery cable. Same symptoms.

Out of frustration, I stood on the brake pedals (when parked, I always lock the right pedal and I always push on it when starting the engine). This time, I stood on it plus the left split pedals. Tractor started right up without any hesitation whatsoever.

I immediately shut it off and removed the charger. I tried to start it again, pressing only on the right brake pedal, no starter action. Pushed on the split pedals with my left leg and the tractor started right up. I shut it down right away.

Then I had to entertain my guests for a couple more days. When I got back to the tractor, I was able to duplicate the same thing. The extra pressure on the brakes when using both legs got it started. So, using only my right pedal, I applied the brake and locked it, and then got out of the seat. The tractor continued to run.

I hooked up my 3 pt mower and started mowing a field. 20 minutes into the mowing, the engine quit. I disengaged the PTO and the tractor started right back up. Went back to mowing and it happened again within a minute. Started it up again and mowed for another 5-10 minutes and it quit again. Again, I just off the PTO, started it back up and went back to mowing. Mowed for at least 2 hours after that without any more incidents.

I've convinced myself from past similar incidents, that the seat safety switch is flaky. So after the 3rd incident, I started making it a point to stay sitting way back in the seat, against the seat back. Because of back problems, I don't normally sit against the back rest.

I may have a couple of flaky safety switches. Or maybe there is a ground on that safety switch circuit that is flaky. I've removed almost all of the suspension tension from the seat, so it sits down tight and compresses the springs completely when I sit on it.

I wonder if anyone else has had any trouble with the safety switches?

I've started the tractor a dozen times since by just pressing down on the right brake pedal as I've always done and it has started right up every time.
 
Glad to hear you're narrowing it down! Dang safety switches.

The brake pedal issue has me scratching my head.
 
Hey, I'm back. . . Yeah I know, big whoop. Yes, the seat safety switch was a problem my first year. I cut out the plug under the seat and used wire nuts to fuse the wires. Now the Bull still cuts out intermittently. The last few times I've used it it will run up to an hour and then cut out. Today, running with 3/4 tank of fuel, at 1500 rpm, dragging a York rake on the beach, it ran 45 minutes. It quits just as the check light starts flashing. It will start again and if I let it idle for a while I can limp up the beach. I will try it again tomorrow.
Also, a few years ago when it wouldn't start at all, I had the local guy bypass the other safeties. I am not electrical or mechanical so all I know is that he ran about 6 feet of wire through the engine compartment. This is when it would not start at all. (Unless we used a screwdriver.) I'm guessing that the wire runs from the battery to the ignition. I'll look tomorrow.
 
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I'm shocked safety switches could cause all this. Sounds like it is to late just to put the safety stuff back in line and try it then. Or did you try that at some point? It's a damn shame that things that are put in place to protect you prevent you from working the tractor at all. :angry:
 
Yep, battery to the ignition. The Bull just wouldn't start until he ran the wire. Was about three years ago. And, no, after removing the wire it wouldn't start. This intermittent running is really annoying and detrimental to my work ethic! Just can't get excited to hop on it and work.
 
Ok, got on it yesterday and same thing. It ran about an hour and 45 minutes while york raking the neighbors and my beach. All of a sudden the check engine light came on, glowing steadily. Idling didn't help turn it off, so I crawled up the beach and turned it off. Didn't try to start it up again.
 
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