550 PTO Issue

[Ollie03031]

I just purchased a 1965 550 gas. It has the forward handle for
PTO. When I engage the PTO (push it forward) it starts the
PTO but when I actually put it under load the PTO comes to a
stop. I can keep it engaged by pushing the PTO lever forward
with my foot. Removing my foot allows the PTO to come to a
stop. I am use to Fords where when engaging the PTO you
have some gear clash and it's engaged. The Oliver has no
solid feel of any gear becoming engaged. Is this normal. How
do I fix the under load problem.
Thanks
Ollie

 

[Anonymous-0]

You need to have the handle snap "overcenter" and or adjust the clutch. You need a firm snap on the handle.Take care of the problem otherwise you will warp the clutch disk and it will need to split to make the repair. Do you have an operators manual?

 

[SW3]

The pto clutch is a dry clutch system, you may have oil leaking from the transmission seal inside. When it gets onto the pto clutch disc they stick. I had the same problem with mine. Is there any oil leaking from the pto inspection cover? Remove the pto inspection cover under the tractor and take a look in there. Hopefully all you need to do is adjust the pto clutch -
As per my manual - 1973 Oliver 550. To adjust the clutch, stop engine, release pto lever (push it forward) Remove hand hole cover from under the tractor. The hand hole cover is about in the center of the tractor held in place by four small bolts. Reach through the hand hole and rotate the pto clutch assembly until the adjusting ring lock pin is on the bottom of the assembly. With a screwdriver tip, depress the locking pin and rotate the adjusting ring to the next notch. Clockwise to increase, counterclockwise to decrease clutch engagement pressure. Very easy to do, it may take a few notches to get it adjusted correctly.
Pick up an owners manual ASAP and do some searching and reading on this site, lots of good info here.
Good Luck and congrats on your new purchase.

 

[SW3]

I think the manual was for the tractors with the lever behind the seat. Says realease the clutch by pushing the lever forward. Ours are different and I believe would be the opposite. Mine has the lever like yours and engages by pushing it forward and it has a definite "snap"

 

[wmthrower]

These fellas gave you good advice. Many of us who own 550's have had to do this. Its a good idea to look in the inspection cover anyway. You won't know that you have an issue with grease/oil leaks in there if you don't look. It should be dry.
The clutch is not difficult to adjust. Don't over tighten it though. You can feel it "snap" into place.

 

[Ollie03031]

Thanks for all the responses. I notice no snap so adjustment will be the first thing I try. No I don"t have a service manual. That will be my next purchase. Will open it up this afternoon and do see what I find, hopefully just an adjustment.
Thanks

 

[Ollie03031]

Opened it up. No oil but plenty of grease. Found the adjustment ok and made a single click change. Still no change PTO stops under load. Made another adjustment, three clicks, no change PTO stops under load. By the time I quit I had easily done a complete revolution or more with no change, also no click. When I engage the PTO and push the hand leaver forward the PTO starts. Note this is the large hand lever from the brake peddles. The PTO starts no problem. When I remove my hand the level seems to disengage and the PTO will come to a slow stop. Putting force on the lever will re-engage the PTO. Seems like something should be locking the PTO into engagement but nothing is. The only way to keep the PTO running is by keeping pressure on the PTO lever.
The operators manual talks about 40lbs of pressure on the handle. Not sure what they mean by that statement.
Also their is no click of engagement.
Thanks

 

[SW3]

Not sure I can explain this clearly, but here goes. Have someone work the lever while you lay under there and watch how it works. When you move the lever to engage the pto those 3 little arms move in and have to move over center making a "snap" which you can definitely feel and hear. This over center action locks the pto engaged. The 40 lbs is the amount of pull it is supposed to take before it snaps into the locked position. This is measure by attaching a spring scale just below the lever knob and pulling. Personally I have never check the amount of pull, just adjust it so it snaps in. Good Luck.

 

[Farmritch]

The adjustment might be too tight rather than not tight enough
Once you get it the first time you will understand it better.

 

[Ollie03031]

I can lay on the ground under the tractor and move the three fingers that do the engage disengage with my fingers and I can reach up and move the arm back and fourth watching the three arms move the adjustment plate in and out. Nothing seems to lock anything into position. The only action that takes any force is pulling the arm back over the latch to thatch the PTO off. Seems like I should see something that locks the PTO on but I don't.
Thanks

 

[Ollie03031]

I am going to look at the too tight vs. too lose idea. The system looks like three fingers doing a push up on a table. When I nove the fingers in and out with the controls nothing seems to lock them into position when I engage the PTO. If things were too tight I could see that the fingers never got extended enough to cause them to lock. Will give that idea a try.
Thanks for the idea.

 

[Ollie03031]

Success. Farmritch got it right. It was way too tight. After backing off the collar two complete turns the PTO engaged correctly and I even got the click. I may have backed it off just a bit too much because it does not take 40 pounds of pressure to engage, maybe about 20 or 30. It also is now easier to disengage and lock in the off position.
Thanks everyone for your help.

 

[wmthrower]

I have one question for you. By plenty of grease do you mean a lot? I ask because my clutch discs went bad from too much grease. The grease tube was shot and all the grease was going to the discs.

 

[Ollie03031]

Things were covered in grease but the area was not full of
grease. There was grease on the cover plate and some
stacked around the edge of the opening but not much on the
adjustment plate or the three fingers that moved in and out to
put the PTO in operation. So yes there was grease but I
probably over stated the "a lot of grease".

 

[erikvann]

I have a question for you all about the amount of grease and where it should be. I too am experiencing difficulty engaging my pto clutch (won't snap into place) how do I tell if the grease tube is bad? I had a fair amount of black grease. Things were visible I could see the pto clutch and all but I dont know if I have an issue with grease or not. Going to try adjusting the clutch to that that SNAP!

 

[erikvann]

I adjusted the clutch so it would SNAP. I am concerned about the condition of the clutch housing. Things seem amiss. I think I have some oil in there. There was some water that spilled out when I removed the cover. The clutch seems to be coated in grease/oil kind of hard to tell. Can I clean it off with something like brake cleaner? My tractor is in pieces because I am working on the hydraulics so I can't really run it to see how the pto clutch works but I am sensing a Z split is in my future.

 

[wmthrower]

The only way to really look at everything is a Z split in my opinion. You can look in there but it is hard to tell what is what sometimes. Mine had grease sitting on top of the inspection cover. It was a real mess. I don't think that it is that common of a problem. My tube was actually ripped/split so every time you greased the throwout bearing it just put grease on the clutch.