48 H Stuck in First

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Rferguson61

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I just bought a 1948 H that had been sitting for 3 to 10 years, the guy wasn’t sure. It doesn’t run currently so all of this is done obviously with no power to the transmission.

When I bought it the transmission was stuck in neutral but with some gentle persuasion I was able to get it to start shifting and was about to run through a few gears no problem. I put it in first and then it wouldn’t come out. It wasn’t especially hard to get into first, no more difficult than the other gears. But now it won’t come out.

I have pulled the shifter and I can see the rail is pushed up for first but I can’t move it back.

I have tried lifting one wheel at a time and trying to get it out of gear and that was unsuccessful. One thing to note is when I lift the right wheel it will spin (with the clutch in) no problem forward or backward. The left side however will only spin forward, it hard stops trying to go backward.

Any advice will be a huge help. Thank you!
 
Hello Rferg…, welcome to YT! Does the engine run? If not then all the shift rails etc. up under the lid are dry and likely are rusty this is what you are fighting. Get mean with it use some force that shift rail will likely move back in position. If it does run and you can get it shifting again running it down the road in 5th wide open with the trans lube filled to the proper level should get things lubed up. I suspect it is low, those front lower transmission seals where it drives the belly pump like to leak. Your one way wheel turning mystery is probably being caused by the band brake catching.
 
I just bought a 1948 H that had been sitting for 3 to 10 years, the guy wasn’t sure. It doesn’t run currently so all of this is done obviously with no power to the transmission.

When I bought it the transmission was stuck in neutral but with some gentle persuasion I was able to get it to start shifting and was about to run through a few gears no problem. I put it in first and then it wouldn’t come out. It wasn’t especially hard to get into first, no more difficult than the other gears. But now it won’t come out.

I have pulled the shifter and I can see the rail is pushed up for first but I can’t move it back.

I have tried lifting one wheel at a time and trying to get it out of gear and that was unsuccessful. One thing to note is when I lift the right wheel it will spin (with the clutch in) no problem forward or backward. The left side however will only spin forward, it hard stops trying to go backward.

Any advice will be a huge help. Thank you!
Usedred is correct on the band brake. If the brake is adjusted pretty tight it will act strange. If it is not too tight (pedal moves 3 inches down) then loosen the small bolt at the bottom of the sheet metal brake housing. If that is a no go, there could be a bearing that is worn and jamming in one direction. That issue must be addressed before operating it at any speed. a broken bearing cage can let balls fall out then the case (casting) gets broken. If you can get it out of gear, using the shifter in strict forward back left right only in neutral movenents may clean up the rails and allow it to be used. I would remove the drain plugs under the transmission and final drives just enough to see if there is water in the bottom. If so draining that out is best, stopping when oil comes out. Jim
 
First time I had a problem like this was with a 46 H. Friends grandpa ran nothing but farmalls till he died. I just happened to have had this happen when I was pulling a hay wagon over to their barn to load up some hay we bought from them. What he did to unlock the transmission was to take off the belt pulley housing, grab the stuck shift rails with something and manually move it back into place. Since then I have found that taking the shift tower off is more preferable for me. I just had a W4 with a gummed and rusted up set of shift rails that needed attention. They were so bad I didn't think I was going to be able to get them back to right, but with a little advice from here I the shifter sliding in and out of all gears smother than a lot of my other machines. What I had to do is pull the shifter off to gain access to the shift rails. Then I had to pry and vacuum all the nasty dried dirt and hardened lube out. (The shift tower doesn't do a good job of keeping crud out) then I drenched the entire works with 80-90w and worked the rails back and forth with a large flathead. I was worried about all the crud getting into the transmission, but the heavy oil carried it all to the bottom and I was able to drain it all out. As for the tire locking up, there is something wrong with the brake band on that side, I'd guess some rivets have failed and the liner is getting bound up. I've included a photo of how bad my rails were
 

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Thank you for the suggestions. I haven’t checked the brake band yet however I did get it out of first! I pulled the belt pulley pump delete plate and there it was sticking out. A little downward pressure on the rail and pushed the shifter back and it popped right out! Downside I found out I have three stuck cylinders, not just the one I thought. Time to tear it down! 😊
Thanks again for the suggestions!
 
Thank you for the suggestions. I haven’t checked the brake band yet however I did get it out of first! I pulled the belt pulley pump delete plate and there it was sticking out. A little downward pressure on the rail and pushed the shifter back and it popped right out! Downside I found out I have three stuck cylinders, not just the one I thought. Time to tear it down! 😊
Thanks again for the suggestions!
OK. Now that you are overhauling the motor,it would be a good time to lift off the transmission top and inspect/repair/clean. As said,the shift rails are most likely rusty.
 
OK. Now that you are overhauling the motor,it would be a good time to lift off the transmission top and inspect/repair/clean. As said,the shift rails are most likely rusty.
That’s the plan. I wanted to get it running or taking it apart so when people asked if it runs/works I could say it did before I took it apart. But the plan is everything is coming apart, getting cleaned, repainted, then put back together.
 
When I first heard lefty-loosey as a high school student starting to work for an IH dealership and even in college, I wasn't sure which way was lefty. If I turned the bolt/nut either way, it was still going to the left. The same was true for tightening. All my work experience just taught my body which way I needed to turn somethkng to tighten/loosen. Immediately during first year of teaching small engine and automotive repair (for 35 years), I figured out the best way to teach how to loosen or tighten something is to say "counter clockwise" or "clockwise". During my first semester of teaching, I had dozens and dozens of small engine bolts twisted off or aluminum threads pulled out because I was using the left statement. Using this teaching method reduced that number to zero in the second semester and reduced my stress level to nothing, caused from removing all the bolts or installing Helicoils!!!! The summer after my first year of teaching, I was back working at the dealership, I heard my shop foreman (who also started working at the dealership right out of high school) tell a new guy that. Later I told him about how I was teaching my young students the clock method and he liked it so well, he started using it. So this is just a suggestion from an old guy who still thinks that statement is confusing.
 
When I first heard lefty-loosey as a high school student starting to work for an IH dealership and even in college, I wasn't sure which way was lefty. If I turned the bolt/nut either way, it was still going to the left. The same was true for tightening. All my work experience just taught my body which way I needed to turn somethkng to tighten/loosen. Immediately during first year of teaching small engine and automotive repair (for 35 years), I figured out the best way to teach how to loosen or tighten something is to say "counter clockwise" or "clockwise". During my first semester of teaching, I had dozens and dozens of small engine bolts twisted off or aluminum threads pulled out because I was using the left statement. Using this teaching method reduced that number to zero in the second semester and reduced my stress level to nothing, caused from removing all the bolts or installing Helicoils!!!! The summer after my first year of teaching, I was back working at the dealership, I heard my shop foreman (who also started working at the dealership right out of high school) tell a new guy that. Later I told him about how I was teaching my young students the clock method and he liked it so well, he started using it. So this is just a suggestion from an old guy who still thinks that statement is confusing.
Not sure how it confusing. Clock hands turn to the right. Which means righty tighty. Standing over a bolt right is to tighten , left is to loosen. So that’s why they say lefty loosey, and righty tighty, it don’t apply to left hand threads though. Or else when they are trying to loosen something and actually in tighten mode , you say it’s tight enough!
 
Not sure how it confusing. Clock hands turn to the right. Which means righty tighty. Standing over a bolt right is to tighten , left is to loosen. So that’s why they say lefty loosey, and righty tighty, it don’t apply to left hand threads though. Or else when they are trying to loosen something and actually in tighten mode , you say it’s tight enough!
Understandably, the confusion can come from applying the “direction” rule to the top of the fastener or the bottom as perceived in your vision. It is an “unclear variable” in the statement.
 
Now I am confused about your reply. Don’t you put a wrench on the nut of a bolt or the head of a bolt while standing at it ? I guess u can lay under an oil pan and it’s still the same deal. I didn’t even say a thing about the bottom. Nothing unclear to me in my statement.
 
Now I am confused about your reply. Don’t you put a wrench on the nut of a bolt or the head of a bolt while standing at it ? I guess u can lay under an oil pan and it’s still the same deal. I didn’t even say a thing about the bottom. Nothing unclear to me in my statement.
This is nothing negative towards you, it is a fact of human nature. You have just been doing it so long and it is so second nature to you that the misunderstood part to someone not familiar with the process is blocked out of your mind. Say this X is levers or wrenches on a fastener that is at the point the two lines cross. Someone tells you “left to loosen it”. Someone unfamiliar with the rule may pull one of the levers or wrenches below the x centerline to the left to loosen. That is how it could be confusing. By saying “top” I meant the direction of movement at the 12 o’clock or high noon position as opposed to the 6 o’clock position. As said above actual training should utilize clockwise and counterclockwise to be as precise as possible.
 
I don't think I want to share the road with someone that doesn't immediately associate "right" with "clockwise". With everything changing to digital clocks, soon nobody will know what "clockwise" means. Then there can be a discussion of whether it means up or down.
 
I knew this would stir up the the hornets on here. That is why I said it is a "suggestion". You can read it and forget it or use it. I used it for 35 years teaching and it worked GREAT. I had kids who had never touched a wrench before and quickly understood how to tighten or loosen something. As to the clock, my 3 year old grandson can read a clock and tell us what time it is. So I don't think the clock concept will ever completely die. There are too many clocks with hands out there. For example Times SQ.
 
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