1959 871d

[GreenBluff Al]

Ford "Select-O-Speed" is the name for your transmission. It is a very good thing that it is working fine. Your tractor has no clutch as the 4 and 5 speed gear transmissions have.

The cover of the Ford Service manual I have looks like this. The I&T manual is # FO-20. Have both might be helpful to you.
View attachment 96856

I just ordered the service manual. Thank you

 

[Jim.ME]

I just ordered the service manual. Thank you

Read up on things like tractor splits, they are similar when splitting between the engine and the transmission bellhousing. With a bit of care, you can do the split if needed. People here will offer suggestions.

You are free to post where you like however I would recommend posting on the Ford Forum for your Diesel 871 (especially having the S-O-S transmission), where the focus is Ford tractors, in the future.

 

[Fritz Maurer]

Does it have any oil pressure? I asked because I doubt the broken pieces of starter drive would cause it to lock up. If it were true, you wouldn't have been able to start it the second time after installing a new starter; and you saw no marks on the flywheel, which there certainly would be, as well as teeth knocked off the ring gear, if there were really pieces jamming between the flywheel and bell housing.

 

[john in la]

If a starter drive was jammed in the bell housing the tractor would not start with the new starter.
If the motor was locked up because of no oil you would have heard a racket from the valves and it would not crank with a new starter.
I’m going with the inching clutch disc hub broke or the splines on the input shaft stripped out.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

I just ordered the service manual. Thank you

The manual is written from the perspective of an experienced mechanic who has done a tractor split. Don't expect it to give you a step-by-step procedure akin to a Lego assembly manual. It will also assume you have access to any special tools and fixtures that a dealer shop would have to speed up the process. It's not written with a guy in a garage in mind.

 

[showcrop]

Does your clutch appear to engage and disengage normally?

It is an SOS. It has no clutch

 

[showcrop]

None taken. I have worked on minor tractor projects but nothing to this high degree. I have had one person look at it, but they were not a mechanic. None of the shops around here would even look at it. I will see if I can find someone that may have tractor mechanical abilities around here.

Splitting hour tractor is not a "high degree" job. It is just time and some muscle. Less muscle if you block the front and roll the rear. The biggest part of it is taking proper precautions to keep it from falling on you. Falling is less likely if you block the front and roll the rear.

 

[Fritz Maurer]

Rolling the rear of the tractor is doable, but heavier and more cumbersome.... while trying to aim for a hole with a few thousandths clearance...

And if it does turn out to be a major issue, the tractor will have to be separated far enough to work on it , and all alignment will be lost, which means "steering " the halves back together, possibly requiring multiple tries. I may be wrong about this, but I would rather have to manipulate the lighter end.

When sliding it back together, resist the temptation to thread long bolts through to help draw the halves together... I have seen so many broken parts from long bolts being screwed in, thinking they "got it ", (including the author) and then proceeded to wind down on them with the impact, oblivious to the fact that the alignment is not quite right.

When the alignment is correct, and the parts are clean and lubricated, and the floor is clean so that little wheels can roll, the tractor will roll together smoothly... and in some cases of perfect alignment, slide all the way home.

 

[used red MN]

If the motor was locked up because of no oil you would have heard a racket from the valves and it would not crank with a new starter.

I’m not saying that the spare starter parts in his bell housing are definitely his problem but I would say it is likely his problem. Would have to be there in person to make a more solid determination. If lack of oil or oil pressure would be his problem I am curious what would be the cause of the noise you are expecting to hear from his valves? Are you expecting them to be hitting the pistons because they seized in their guides? A tractor engine that has solid lifters and not hydraulic lifters will have very little change in valve noise from lack of oil pressure. Automobiles etc with hydraulic lifters do make a lot of noise when they lack oil or oil pressure. A rod bearing will seize due to the lack of oil pressure long before valves will stick in their guides.

 

[Bob NY]

Rolling the rear of the tractor is doable, but heavier and more cumbersome.... while trying to aim for a hole with a few thousandths clearance...

And if it does turn out to be a major issue, the tractor will have to be separated far enough to work on it , and all alignment will be lost, which means "steering " the halves back together, possibly requiring multiple tries. I may be wrong about this, but I would rather have to manipulate the lighter end.

When sliding it back together, resist the temptation to thread long bolts through to help draw the halves together... I have seen so many broken parts from long bolts being screwed in, thinking they "got it ", (including the author) and then proceeded to wind down on them with the impact, oblivious to the fact that the alignment is not quite right.

When the alignment is correct, and the parts are clean and lubricated, and the floor is clean so that little wheels can roll, the tractor will roll together smoothly... and in some cases of perfect alignment, slide all the way home.

I find that the back half of the tractor is more stable to roll than the front half with wheels that can turn sideways. The weight isn't really a problem when you have the big tires to grip. As for alignment, I make a couple dowels by cutting the heads off long bolts. I thread these in, one on each side, in place of the bolts that hold the tractor together. If the dowels side through their respective holes when rolling the halves together, everything has to be lined up.

 

[Fritz Maurer]

If the dowels side through their respective holes when rolling the halves together, everything has to be lined up.

That's what a lot of guys thought as they were scratching their heads looking at their bent clutch disks, broken bell housings and broken front pumps... among other things. "I had all six bolts in, why didn't it line up?" As far as which half to move, that's up to every individual... If you find it easier, go for it.

 

[showcrop]

Rolling the rear of the tractor is doable, but heavier and more cumbersome.... while trying to aim for a hole with a few thousandths clearance...

And if it does turn out to be a major issue, the tractor will have to be separated far enough to work on it , and all alignment will be lost, which means "steering " the halves back together, possibly requiring multiple tries. I may be wrong about this, but I would rather have to manipulate the lighter end.

When sliding it back together, resist the temptation to thread long bolts through to help draw the halves together... I have seen so many broken parts from long bolts being screwed in, thinking they "got it ", (including the author) and then proceeded to wind down on them with the impact, oblivious to the fact that the alignment is not quite right.

When the alignment is correct, and the parts are clean and lubricated, and the floor is clean so that little wheels can roll, the tractor will roll together smoothly... and in some cases of perfect alignment, slide all the way home.

try it some time, you may be surprised. Pushing on those big rears gives you leverage. Leverage means less effort. Rear is not tippy. Front is. Tippy can be dangerous.

 

[Ozlander]

I always move the back half with the transmission setting on a floor jack.

 

[SkipperII]

Greenbluff; Welcome aboard

I live over on the mainland, West of Mount Vernon.
I suggest that you drop down to the Ford Forum, further down on this site. Lots of good knowledge there. If I remember correctly, if you are going to move a Select-O-Speed equipped tractor, you need to disconnect the drive, with a lever on the side of the transmission, or they won't roll. You can get that info there, as well as in the service manual. Whether you move the front of the tractor, or the rear, depends on the equipment available, I have changed the clutch in a Fordson Major in pea field, rolling the front end on a floor jack, rolling on 2 2x12s.

PS; I have spent many hours keeping line trucks going during some of your many power outages over there.

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