How to Drive a 2008 Case IH Magnum 215 Tractor

I will be instructing how to start up and drive a Magnum 215 tractor.

The first step is to start the engine. Before you do this, make sure the shift lever, which is located just behind the steering wheel, is in the park position, otherwise the engine will not start, this is just a safety feature programed into the machine. Next, turn the ignition key to the run position, which will be the first notch it goes into turning it to the right. It is important that in cold weather that you wait until the grid heater warning sign is off-this will be displayed in the instrument cluster, before turning the key to the start position. Once the engine is running, release the key which will allow it to return to the run position.

The next step is how to put it into gear. First, using your left foot, you will need to press down on the clutch, this is the single pedal that is to the left of and below the steering column, once that is pushed all the way in, you will then need to move the shift lever, which is located just behind the steering wheel, from the park position to the forward position.

After the shift lever is in forward, you can adjust the engine RPM lever, which is also known as the throttle, to a desired engine speed, which on this tractor will range from 900 to 2200 RPMs. RPM stands for revolutions per minute. The throttle will be located on the right hand control console next to the operator seat. To speed the engine up, move it forward, to slow it down, pull it back towards you.

The next step is to select a gear to start out in. To do this, push the powershift switch up to shift up to a higher gear, or push downwards to shift down to a lower gear. This particular tractor has 18 forward and 4 reverse gears. These gears allow the tractor to travel at speeds ranging from 1.0 to 25.0 mph. I typically start out in gear 5 while going forward and gear 2 while in reverse. This switch will be an orange colored switch that is built into the throttle lever on the right hand control console.

Once the engine speed is set and the desired gear is selected, let off on the clutch slowly. Once the clutch is engaged completely, the tractor will start to move forward.

Now that the tractor is moving, you can change the travel speed if you need to. This can be done by either moving the throttle forward, or shifting up on the powershift switch. Different jobs require different engine RPMs and gear speeds.

To shift from forward to reverse, there are a couple of ways in which you can do this. The first way is to press down on the clutch, wait until the tractor has come to a complete stop, and move the shift lever to the reverse position, then let off on the clutch slowly. The second way to do this is to just move the shift lever to the reverse position without using the clutch. To increase or decrease you reverse travel speed, move the throttle either forward or back and up shift or down shift the powershift switch.

To stop the tractor, press down on the clutch until the tractor has come to a complete stop. If you need to stop quickly, press down on the brake ,this is the dual pedal that is to the right of and below the steering column, while also pressing down on the clutch. When you are done driving, press down on the clutch and move the shift lever back to either the neutral or park position. After that, slow the engine down to 900 RPMs, then shut off the engine.

One very important piece of equipment that you will need to monitor often is the instrument data cluster column. This will display 3 gauges, showing coolant temperature, engine oil pressure, and the diesel fuel tank level. Directly below that is a screen that displays engine RPMs, mph and which forward or reverse gear you are in. It will also tell you if you are in forward, neutral, reverse, or park. The screen below that will display the engine hours.