Deere H

[dandeere]

While using the H something let loose and it wont move. The pulley starts and stops and the pto works with clutch and seem not to slip. The shift lever seems to go in the gears and can feel slight grind with pulley turning but not engaged. Can’t be pulley gear or pto wouldn’t work I’d guess I’ve never had one of these camshaft clutches apart and confused looking at parts diagram. Any ideas ?

 

[dandeere]

Just took rearend fill plug on top out and can see gear and shafts turning so guess it’s time to pull back cover off ??

 

[dan_41jdh]

Because the PTO works, the drive train from the reduction gear and everything on the sliding gear shaft have to be OK. It might be possible that something is wrong with the countershaft, but that seems unlikely since you can hear a little gear clash when shifting into various gears. So that pretty much leaves the differential. I'm afraid you'll need to pull the transmission cover and shifter and take a look inside to see where the problem is. Here's a long shot - Beginning with S/N 41466, the six bolts that attached the final drive gear to the differential were increased in size from 7/16" diameter to 1/2" diameter. According to a Field Service Bulletin, this was done to "strengthen the differential assembly". It sounds like the 7/16" bolts weren't doing the job. If those bolts stretched a little and didn't clamp the final drive gear firmly to the differential, it's possible that the bolts would eventually wear and ultimately shear off. So you might take a look at this area - maybe your final drive gear is no longer attached to the differential. Regardless, you're going to have to pull the top cover of the transmission to determine what really is wrong. This illustration is of a '39 model, but the gear train is similar for all years of the "H".

 

[dan_41jdh]

Yes. The PTO and the rear cover come off as an assembly. Hope you find something simple (and cheap to fix).

 

[tim s]

You probably broke a stub axle and the differential is free wheeling,,

 

[Mike M]

I actually parted one out that had a busted axle stub where it went into the diff. so it can happen.

 

[buckeye al]

Ours did exactly as you describe but it was so many years back I don't recall WHICH gear it was but one of those gears in there is keyed to its shaft with about a 9/16 by 9/16 or maybe 5/8 inch key. Been over 40 years back but that's what put our little H to a standstill. Yesterday I'd have said it was only 3rd gear but it may well have been all but reverse?

Maybe that key has become two smaller keys?


Hope that helps.

 

[dan_41jdh]

Al, your "H" must have been a later tractor ('45 or newer) because those keys (#6 & #18) didn't come into existence until then. Before that, the countershaft gears had internal involute splines that fitted a different #5 final drive pinion. That older pinion had gear teeth along its full length, but the teeth were turned down shorter where the low, intermediate, and high speed gears were fitted. So if the shorter key (#18) sheared, you would have lost 3rd gear only. The other key (#6) handles 1st and reverse as well as 2nd gear. Not likely that the entire length of #6 would have sheared at once and it's not likely that only half of the key sheared at once, either. So your thought that you lost 3rd gear sounds most reasonable to me.

 

[buckeye al]

You are correct. Ours is a 1945. I was not aware this key was unique to the later tractors. It may be what is wrong with dandeeres too.

Thanks for teaching me today.

Later.