MF 255 PTO wont engage help.

[Jimmy Farm]

Hi, I have a MF255 and the PTO will not engage. The tractor came with the property. There is no grinding noise and i can also move the PTO lever in and out of gear without the clutch pressed. What would be the cause of this?

Also, the PTO spins while the tractor is on with and without being in gear and I can grab it with my hand and stop the spinning and it doesn't try to push against my hand.

Thanks

 

[sandcastle1]

get an operator's manual, touching a moving PTO shaft is a good way to lose a limb or worse.

 

[Bob NY]

Hi, I have a MF255 and the PTO will not engage. The tractor came with the property. There is no grinding noise and i can also move the PTO lever in and out of gear without the clutch pressed. What would be the cause of this?

Also, the PTO spins while the tractor is on with and without being in gear and I can grab it with my hand and stop the spinning and it doesn't try to push against my hand.

Thanks

Two different types of PTO were available on that tractor, Live PTO with a 2 stage clutch, and Independent PTO which is engaged and disengaged with a hydraulic clutch pack. The main clutch has no effect on IPTO. It sounds like your tractor has IPTO and there is a problem with the hydraulic pump that supplies pressure to the clutch pack and/or the clutch pack itself. Do you have a repair manual? That should explain the pressure testing that needs to be done to diagnose the problem.

 

[Jimmy Farm]

get an operator's manual, touching a moving PTO shaft is a good way to lose a limb or worse.

Thank you. I understand I shouldn't do that. The only reason I did is after I hooked up my bush hog and it didn't even try to spin or bog down the tractor.

 

[Jimmy Farm]

Two different types of PTO were available on that tractor, Live PTO with a 2 stage clutch, and Independent PTO which is engaged and disengaged with a hydraulic clutch pack. The main clutch has no effect on IPTO. It sounds like your tractor has IPTO and there is a problem with the hydraulic pump that supplies pressure to the clutch pack and/or the clutch pack itself. Do you have a repair manual? That should explain the pressure testing that needs to be done to diagnose the problem.

I think i saw a manual at the barn. I'll have to go look for it and see if it's a repair manual. Thanks

 

[Jimmy Farm]

Hi, I have a MF255 and the PTO will not engage. The tractor came with the property. There is no grinding noise and i can also move the PTO lever in and out of gear without the clutch pressed. What would be the cause of this?

Also, the PTO spins while the tractor is on with and without being in gear and I can grab it with my hand and stop the spinning and it doesn't try to push against my hand.

Thanks

Here is a few pictures of the lever and under the tractor. I did find the service manual today and will look through it tomorrow.

What's the chances its the hydraulic pump vs the clutch pack that is bad.? is there an easy way to tell? Which one is easier to work on first?

Also, the two arms for the bush hog do go up and down. There is no resistance when moving the PTO handle up and down with the tractor on or off

 

[Dieseltech]

Here is a few pictures of the lever and under the tractor. I did find the service manual today and will look through it tomorrow.

What's the chances its the hydraulic pump vs the clutch pack that is bad.? is there an easy way to tell? Which one is easier to work on first?

Also, the two arms for the bush hog do go up and down.

Looks to be the IPTO hydraulic system to this OLD MF mechanic. definitely need to do some testing first before tearing it apart. Lift cover needs to come off and a trans/diff joint split to remove the pump and PTO clutch pack.

 

[Bob NY]

Here is a few pictures of the lever and under the tractor. I did find the service manual today and will look through it tomorrow.

What's the chances its the hydraulic pump vs the clutch pack that is bad.? is there an easy way to tell? Which one is easier to work on first?

Also, the two arms for the bush hog do go up and down.

The main pump supplies the pressure to the 3ph and auxiliary pump, which sits on top of the main pump, supplies the PTO clutch pack.

 

[Jimmy Farm]

Thank you everyone for the replies! I need to figure out when I'm going to start this project.

Not sure if it means anything or not, but there is no resistance at all when moving the PTO handle up and down with the tractor on or off. If the handle is supposed to push on something shouldn't there be resistance even if the PTO doesn't engage? Yes the rod the handle connects to that goes into the tractor does rotate as well, so it's not a broken pin that connects the two.

 

[Dieseltech]

Thank you everyone for the replies! I need to figure out when I'm going to start this project.

Not sure if it means anything or not, but there is no resistance at all when moving the PTO handle up and down with the tractor on or off. If the handle is supposed to push on something shouldn't there be resistance even if the PTO doesn't engage? Yes the rod the handle connects to that goes into the tractor does rotate as well, so it's not a broken pin that connects the two.

That on/off lever has a long travel to it and has a detent at each end of travel. With engine OFF does the PTO shaft turn easily by hand? If not I'd suspect burned/warped clutch plates. If it turns easily it MIGHT have a broken clutch pack drum, I had that happen years ago on a 165. The PTO suddenly stopped working when the clutch pack snap ring end of drum broke completely off . Do some testing first, as it's a BIG job getting both hydraulic pumps and PTO clutch pack out of that tractor.

 

[Ellis Kinney]

I have a Farmall SMTA that has a seasonal disconnect under the transmission of the tractor. When I first got this tractor my Uncle showed me how the disconnect worked. Maybe your tractor has one. Ellis

 

[Jimmy Farm]

That on/off lever has a long travel to it and has a detent at each end of travel. With engine OFF does the PTO shaft turn easily by hand? If not I'd suspect burned/warped clutch plates. If it turns easily it MIGHT have a broken clutch pack drum, I had that happen years ago on a 165. The PTO suddenly stopped working when the clutch pack snap ring end of drum broke completely off . Do some testing first, as it's a BIG job getting both hydraulic pumps and PTO clutch pack out of that tractor.

Yes, I'm able to turn the PTO shaft by hand, but it does make a ticking or clicking sound. It makes the same sound with the lever engaged or disengaged.

Link to PTO sound:

 

[Jimmy Farm]

I have a Farmall SMTA that has a seasonal disconnect under the transmission of the tractor. When I first got this tractor my Uncle showed me how the disconnect worked. Maybe your tractor has one. Ellis

I'll look into this thanks!

 

[Bob NY]

Thank you everyone for the replies! I need to figure out when I'm going to start this project.

Not sure if it means anything or not, but there is no resistance at all when moving the PTO handle up and down with the tractor on or off. If the handle is supposed to push on something shouldn't there be resistance even if the PTO doesn't engage? Yes the rod the handle connects to that goes into the tractor does rotate as well, so it's not a broken pin that connects the two.

The PTO lever operates a hydraulic valve inside the tractor. There are NO gears to engage or disengage.

 

[Bob NY]

I have a Farmall SMTA that has a seasonal disconnect under the transmission of the tractor. When I first got this tractor my Uncle showed me how the disconnect worked. Maybe your tractor has one. Ellis

No such thing on this tractor.

 

[Dieseltech]

I have a Farmall SMTA that has a seasonal disconnect under the transmission of the tractor. When I first got this tractor my Uncle showed me how the disconnect worked. Maybe your tractor has one. Ellis

This tractor does not have the same disconnect feature.

 

[flat-creek]

Hi, I have a MF255 and the PTO will not engage. The tractor came with the property. There is no grinding noise and i can also move the PTO lever in and out of gear without the clutch pressed. What would be the cause of this?

Also, the PTO spins while the tractor is on with and without being in gear and I can grab it with my hand and stop the spinning and it doesn't try to push against my hand.

Thanks

I have a similar tractor . At least on mine, As you are sitting on the seat , on the left hand side of the tractor towards the bottom of the tractor chassis, there is a round opening to the hydraulic area. The pro engagement handle passes through this opening . I had it off for service. When I put it back together , the end of the engagement shaft was not in the engagement groove in the transmission so I had a similar issue, no resistance but no engagement. I took it back off , felt around down in there and found the engagement spot and matched it up to the lever side and all went well after that.

 

[Dieseltech]

I have a similar tractor . At least on mine, As you are sitting on the seat , on the left hand side of the tractor towards the bottom of the tractor chassis, there is a round opening to the hydraulic area. The pro engagement handle passes through this opening . I had it off for service. When I put it back together , the end of the engagement shaft was not in the engagement groove in the transmission so I had a similar issue, no resistance but no engagement. I took it back off , felt around down in there and found the engagement spot and matched it up to the lever side and all went well after that.

That's because your tractor does NOT have the hydraulic PTO clutch like his does. Yours has the two stage flywheel dual clutch PTO drive system.

 

[flat-creek]

That's because your tractor does NOT have the hydraulic PTO clutch like his does. Yours has the two stage flywheel dual clutch PTO drive system.

Yes you are correct

 

[flat-creek]

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