clutch grinding after adjustment

[Charles Elliott 2]

I recently adjusted the clutch petal on my MF50 according to the service manual, and the recommendations from people on here. When adjusted with the 3/8" pedal travel before encountering resistance, it grinds when pushed all of way down. It has a dual stage clutch, does this mean that the clutch will need to replaced in the near future?

 

[Masseynut(Australia)]

I would envisage the release levers are fouling the rivets on the PTO drive plate, when fully depressed to the floor plate. This indicates that there is wear in the levers/ pins/ links on the clutch cover.
If you are successfully gaining enough travel on the pedal to disengage the second (PTO) stage before reaching the bottom of the pedal travel, I would increase the amount of free-travel in the pedal. That way, you are decreasing the travel of the release levers, and not reaching the point where the levers foul on the PTO drive plate.

I believe the clutch will want attention at a later stage to rectify this problem.

regards, Evan.

 

[Tony in Mass.]

Like I said in the thread below, it will take you a few tries. When these things are starting to wear- or as masseynut reckons, already is worn out, the rulebook has to go, you have to do it by the seat of your pants. I have a clutch plate that came out of my 35 project that is just as masseynut sez, the rivets are nearly sheared. I will take pics tomorrow and post them on here. If you get it adjusted so's the thing rolls with some guts, yet stops to let the live pto do its thing, you might find this clutch lasting a while longer. I find most tractors have been flogged to death, your inherited one might have had more and harder use when new than you'd think. And I wouldn't doubt it is factory clutch too, so just loosen the bolt once more, markk the position it is at now, and twist it one way, if worse, twist it the other...etc.etc etc..

 

[Charles Elliott 2]

I wouldn"t be surprised if you were right, to my knowledge, it was only previously used to pull wagons around at a county fair ground. And the fact that the clutch only grinds when fully depressed is okay for me right now anyways because it doesn"t get used for brush hogging anymore anyways, it just tows trailers and plows a little bit during the summer, and plows snow during the winter.

Anyways... this just add to the never ending list of thing it needs lol

 

[Dan in North Houston]

Years ago I replaced a clutch in a JD 350 dozer. Adjusted it according to the manual, but when I got it back together it wouldn't work. Pulled it out and redid it 3 times before I figured out that the pin in the linkage behind the clutch pedal was almost worn in two. Was worn such that it wasn't readily visible, but it introduced enough slop in the system that it completely messed up the adjustment settings. So now I take out all the linkage pins and check them before doing anything else to clutches or brakes.

 

[Tony in Mass.]

You see your clutch is not alone in this plague. As you can tell, the other is brand new. This tractor must not have ran good. I guess that's why I got it cheap.

 

[Charles Elliott 2]

Does the old clutch have oil on it? And it looks like the new clutch's rivets are more recessed so that they don't meet the same fate. How hard is it to do the clutch job, the thing that worries me is that I don't know if there are any seal leaks into the bell-housing, judging from the drain hole in the bottom, it doesn't look like much of anything as there is hardly wet down there. I plan on doing an in-frame rebuild sometime this summer, and possibly a clutch job. The MF50 is really only used for snow plowing now, as it has been retired and replaced in the field with a new Deere diesel(wasn't my choice of tractor to replace the MF50 and the Ford Jubilee we used lol)

 

[Tony in Mass.]

Well, I'll tell ya. There are easier clutch jobs in the world, lighter ones too. To me, braking the tractor in half is the ugliest. The dash, steering, sensor lines, linkages on and on. Then you need to engineer a place to leave the engine while you roll the back away, or visa versa. I guess the tranny is suppose to be the one moving, but when I get into one of these, I usually roll the engiine upside down or do something besids the clutch, 'cause it is a big deal to get that far for just one item, like you say, do seals, check EVERYTHING, don't split it again until you are in great middle age... as far as this old plate, dunno. I bought it all as junk, and it had lots of issues to become classified as junk. I can't say fer sure it is even the proper clutch plate for the machine, it is cracked, bent, warped, and wheither it is soaked with notor oil, tranny fluid or generations of various mouse excrements, or a combination of them all. Now that I think of it, on the H Ferg forum I posted pics of the crankshaft, it shows the new rear engine seal and corny paper gaskets. The mainshaft seal to the tranny case has me stumped at the moment. I am gun shy of popping a snap ring in the tranny part, we'll see. BTW, on this or HFerg, I posted pics of the inside of the tranny case, I found it easy to remove, and the whole dash and battery box are out of the way till the engine is bolted back up. not by the book, but I've done harder jobs. If I was you, before you tackle this 50, find someone doing a clutch near you, any kind of tractor, just to watch the process. If you had a couple older simpler models to do first, this would go better for you. And don't tackle it alone. 2 brains are better than one... well, sometimes. did you hunt down some manuals yet?

 

[Charles Elliott 2]

When I inherited the tractor, it has both a shop and parts manual, no operators manual.. go figure. Funny thing is I have the whole front half of the tractor apart right now. The fair grounds that owned the tractor before my dad picked it up and then gave it to my grandfather decided somewhere down the line to rewire the MF50 their way, and add a flasher to the rear amber's. So I'm in the process of rewiring it as the wiring for the lights is faulty, and driving me nuts in the process -_-. I decided to install a fuse block under the dash, so that I can run power into it, and then away to whatever else. So instead of having 5 inline fuses all over the place, its in one organized place and tucked away. Hopefully soon, now that im back from college I can rebuild the engine and oil pump. I have a large pole barn 30ftx120ft in order to work on it in. Btw yes I know it is messy and needs some paint, I have to work on cleaning it up these coming weekends. Ive been away at college for 8 months lol.

Btw here is a pictures of the fuse block I haven't gotten around to running the wires yet. The Barn my grandfather built in the 50's, The massey in pieces and the Jubilee thats getting a 12V conversion and alternator.

 

[Tony in Mass.]

Well. Holy cow. Since you are this far right now, and going to get into the engine anyway, start supporting the back half now, the square hole on the bottom is as solid as you can get. I roll the front axle forwardjust a bit, but without the engine/ I have a iron leg oak factory pallet, but find anything high and stable enough, roll the axle and engine just far enough off the spline to clear the tranny half. safer to wedge the front axle pivot with wood wedges, then remove the whole front axle. as you strip the engine, it will amazingly get lighter and lighter, and two guys can pick up the bare block and walk away. I do the same thing when putting it all back together, put the pallet right infront of the tranny shaft, gather all sorts of wood wedges and shingles put the finished/ half finished engine on it-carefully, bolt the clutch on, waddle it around and wedge things up, maybe put a jack under the tranny, and when things are aligned good- wiggle the clutch onto the spline. Life is easy after that. you are closer to a good start than I thought. Just keep... removing things.

 

[Charles Elliott 2]

Thanks, believe me I would love to completely strip the tractor down to the bare block, the problem is, I need to use the tractor to pull wagons, brush hog occasionally, and for plowing in the up coming week. So, I wont be able to take the whole thing apart. I am going to work on it a little at a time. The in-frame rebuild only requires you to pull the head off and oil pan and measure the crank for the bearings. So it is something I could get done in a days work, and have it up and going the next day. Then I'd like to eventually do the clutch. The other problem is, I'm 19, and just got home from college (I don't have any money right now) So it would be at least a week or two before I would be able to get the money for a rebuild kit, then a clutch etc...