Ford 4500 loader drive problem

[afloyd]

Hey fellas,

I have a ford 4500 loader with the shuttle shift. I have run into a problem shifting. The loader will go into reverse and pull like a truck but when going to forward it struggles to engage. If you put the bucket on the ground it will then engage and you are on your way around like normal. The loader will still spin the wheels in forwards but hesitates going into drive. I changed the transmission oil and filter with no difference. The shift linkages feels as tho it's clicking into drive as normal which is weird. Engine has just had a fresh rebuild and runs well. Any feedback or suggestions would be great.

 

[Fritz Maurer]

Need to overhaul forward-reverse clutch pack on the front of the trans.

 

[Check Break]

Hey fellas,

I have a ford 4500 loader with the shuttle shift. I have run into a problem shifting. The loader will go into reverse and pull like a truck but when going to forward it struggles to engage. If you put the bucket on the ground it will then engage and you are on your way around like normal. The loader will still spin the wheels in forwards but hesitates going into drive. I changed the transmission oil and filter with no difference. The shift linkages feels as tho it's clicking into drive as normal which is weird. Engine has just had a fresh rebuild and runs well. Any feedback or suggestions would be great.

It's possible you have a linkage problem. Follow the linkage forward to the bellcrank that turns a vertical shaft (control valve shaft) in the bell housing. There is another bellcrank (control valve arm) pinned to that shaft inside the bell housing. The roll pin holding the control valve arm (inner bellcrank) can partially shear, reducing the bellcrank's throw, but I doubt it. What usually happens is the clevis pin connecting the control valve arm with the shuttle valve wears, preventing full travel of the valve spool. A classic sign of this is the shuttle snaps into F or R just like normal, but won't engage in the opposite direction, or will pop in after some manner of gymnastics are performed. The clevis pin is 1/4" diameter x 3/4" long and is secured with a cotter pin. I suggest you go to messicks*com and look at the parts diagrams for your shuttle. They are found under Category: Transmission and start with Diagram 7U01 Torque Converter. You'll see the bellcranks and pins I've mentioned. After that, remove the plate under the bellhousing and check out the control valve arm and clevis pin. Won't be long before you're back here again asking if anyone knows Harry Houdini because it takes a contortionist to replace that clevis pin. It helps if someone is on the tractor engaging F and R as you're watching the arm and clevis move, but you risk getting run over in the process. If you don't already know, the steering box can also be removed allowing more access from the top, but that's all the access you're going to get without splitting the tractor.

If your clevis pin isn't worn, then the next place I'd look is the blocker valve on top of the oil distributor, right under the steering box you removed. One of the blocker pins or associated spring could be damaged, preventing a shift into F (preventing the valve spool from moving into the F position). It can be R/R-ed through the hole in the top of the bell housing you just made by removing the steering gear.

There's also the possibility you have a combination of all of the above, but you need eyes on first before I offer any additional solutions. Otherwise, that's pretty much it when it comes to fixing your problem from the outside looking in. These two remedies should solve your problem if it's solvable without a split. After that, all I ask is you post back and tell us what happened, good or bad. Just make sure you avoid getting run over during your diagnostic phase.

 

[afloyd]

Update!!

Unfortunately @Fritz Maurer was right and the clutch packs have died. I'm never lucky enough to get an easy fix. Here is a taste of the condition of the clutches. Hopefully it goes back together this week!! Thanks for your input @Check Break

 

[LarFure]

How many hours on the meter? I'm assuming the clutches were worn like that due to a lot of use.

 

[Ultradog MN]

How many hours on the meter? I'm assuming the clutches were worn like that due to a lot of use.

The original Lucas hour meters on those 3 cylinder Fords were notoriously failure prone. Rarely do you see one still counting after two or three thousand hours. If you see one that's still counting there is about a 97% chance it's been replaced.