Clutch of MF 175

[Darby Clack]

Will go into every gear but is hard to get to go in high it makes a bad noise but if I pull hard enough it will go. It wouldn’t go into 3rd but I adjusted the clutch and now it will go in. It won’t stop the tractor either but there is a lot of slack in the holes the pins go into it has about 2 inches of slack from the top. Tractor has been sitting for 7 years. Should I buy a new clutch or clutch pedal to fix the slack or could it be stuck?

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

Take a deep breath, and try to explain your problem more clearly. It's extremely difficult to diagnose a tractor when you're not there to see, hear, and touch it. It's just about impossible to give any advice from a description that's all over the place.

That the tractor will go into some gears but not others does not make sense. It's an all-or-nothing thing. Does the bad noise sound like gears grinding? Does it grind when you try to shift into all the gears?

What do you mean by "it won't stop the tractor either." What won't stop the tractor? You mean pushing the clutch won't stop the tractor? Yeah that's bad. Does it happen in all gears?

"2 inches of slack" measuring from where to where, on what?

Did you adjust it to the specification in the owner's manual? If not, how do you know you adjusted it correctly, because no offense, but you probably made it worse just "adjusting" things with no clear guide or goal.

You should not buy ANYTHING until you diagnose the problem. First thing is to find the clutch adjustment procedure and make sure it's adjusted as close to factory specification as you can get. Then, observe behaviors and formulate a plan. It may be so far out of adjustment that it wasn't releasing. It may be stuck. It may be bad. You have to troubleshoot to find out.

 

[Bob NY]

Is this a single stage clutch with Independent PTO or a 2 stage clutch with Live PTO? If it is a 2 stage, does the second stage disengage? I assume the "2 inches of slack" means from the pedal all the way up to where the throw out bearing contacts the clutch fingers. That sounds like a bit too much.

 

[Darby Clack]

It’s a 2 stage clutch and I can put it in 1st and 2nd easy it wouldn’t go into 3rd gear until I adjusted it but it won’t go into any of them in high gear unless I slam it the clutch isn’t disengaging so the tractor won’t stop

 

[used red MN]

I am guessing this is the same tractor that you said was stuck in reverse? This clutch problem sheds some light on why you had the “stuck” gear problem. Please discontinue forcing the gear shift into gear or at least I suspect you are just grinding into gear, you are causing a lot of unnecessary gear damage. I am not sure but I think the 2nd and 3rd speed gears may be synchronized and likely the synchronizers have failed for 3rd gear, I’m not going into all the details on that now. Post a photo of the linkage area you say is very worn also a photo of the clutch linkage adjustment mechanism would be helpful.

 

[Bob NY]

I am guessing this is the same tractor that you said was stuck in reverse? This clutch problem sheds some light on why you had the “stuck” gear problem. Please discontinue forcing the gear shift into gear or at least I suspect you are just grinding into gear. I am not sure but I think the 2nd and 3rd speed gears may be synchronized and likely the synchronizers have failed for 3rd gear, I’m not going into all the details on that now. Post a photo of the linkage area you say is very worn also a photo of the clutch linkage adjustment mechanism would helpful.

That is a sliding gear transmission with NO synchronizers.

 

[used red MN]

That is a sliding gear transmission with NO synchronizers.

Got ya, did a 1080 have synchronizers? My MF experience is based on a 65, 1080(which I did not operate a lot) and a 396. I know the 65 had no synchronizers. I know the 396 has a synchronized 2 & 3 in the speed transmission and a synchronized Hi/Lo split. I also know that is apples and oranges being it is built in Britain. In his case I suspect the gear teeth must be just passing by each other slower in 1 & 2 so he can get it to “clash” in easier than into 3rd.

 

[Dieseltech]

Got ya, did a 1080 have synchronizers? My MF experience is based on a 65, 1080(which I did not operate a lot) and a 396. I know the 65 had no synchronizers. I know the 396 has a synchronized 2 & 3 in the speed transmission and a synchronized Hi/Lo split. I also know that is apples and oranges being it is built in Britain. In his case I suspect the gear teeth must be just passing by each other slower in 1 & 2 so he can get it to “clash” in easier than into 3rd.

The 1080 and 1085 did not have synchronizers.

 

[Bob NY]

It’s a 2 stage clutch and I can put it in 1st and 2nd easy it wouldn’t go into 3rd gear until I adjusted it but it won’t go into any of them in high gear unless I slam it the clutch isn’t disengaging so the tractor won’t stop

You didn't say if the second stage clutch is working. I think your first step should be addressing the adjustment issue. Do you have a manual that explains the procedure?

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

That is a sliding gear transmission with NO synchronizers.

Wouldn't matter if it did. Synchronizers don't help if the tractor is at a dead stop.

 

[used red MN]

Wouldn't matter if it did. Synchronizers don't help if the tractor is at a dead stop.

Just trying to figure out a reason why he could get it in 1st and 2nd but not 3rd. Likely as I said above just due to the speed the teeth were passing each other. Also I am not sure if the third speed is a direct through that uses splines engaging with each other instead of gear teeth which may also be an explanation. Obviously there is a problem with his clutch.

 

[Bob NY]

Just trying to figure out a reason why he could get it in 1st and 2nd but not 3rd. Likely as I said above just due to the speed the teeth were passing each other. Also I am not sure if the third speed is a direct through that uses splines engaging with each other instead of gear teeth which may also be an explanation. Obviously there is a problem with his clutch.

Quite sure 3rd. gear is direct drive in the 3 speed transmission. It couples the input and output shafts.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

Quite sure 3rd. gear is direct drive in the 3 speed transmission. It couples the input and output shafts.

Sounds like the OP is jamming it into 1st and 2nd, saying it's going into gear "easily" which it may be relatively speaking, but absolutely speaking you should be able to shift into any gear without clash (given adequate time for the transmission to spin down) and the tractor should stop when you push the clutch.