Locked in reverse

[DWHEELS]

My 1953 utility 300 is locked in reverse,
I can shift into my forward gears
although reverse is still locked in. Does
anyone have any ideas as to where I can
get it out of reverse. The tractor was in
an open barn, and someone vandalized it,
as the plug wires were all pulled out,
and I'm thinking they were wrenching on
the shifter, after getting it in reverse.
Hope someone can help. Thank you

 

[SDE]

Happens to a lot of old tractors. It has happened to me also. The end of the shift is worn and after the transmission has put in reverse, the shifter slipped out of the shift rail. Pull the shifter out and slide the rails but into the neutral position and then rebuild the end of the shift rod and reinstall.

 

[DWHEELS]

What does it consist of when you say rebuild the shifter, and thank you for you responding.

 

[OregonAaron]

Happened to my tractor a few years ago. It's a bit unnerving as the thoughts of all the different transmission problems flood your mind. However, it is an extremely easy fix.

 

[matthies]

Go to page 2 on the Farmall posts and look for shifter dimensions, this will help you alot.

 

[Roger Tomfohrde]

The detent springs are under the plate that bolts to the transmission. Loosen the ones closest to the seat first. Be careful so springs do not get lost. When lifting the shift base off. Do what is mentioned in other posts.

 

[DWHEELS]

Thank you for everyone's help. Most appreciated.

 

[used red MN]

I am attaching the parts diagram for the shifter of your tractor. If you are viewing it on a phone you will have to click the little picture box at the bottom to see the diagram. If you want from there you should be able to navigate to all the parts pages for it. If you have operated this tractor a bit and have never had any issue with it getting stuck in two gears I would not get to wound up about needing to build up the shifter tip. As you said whoever messed with it put a lot of strain on the shifter and it popped out of place. Probably a good thing if they could have got it to roll and it was not blocked who knows where it might have ended up, especially if you have ditches or creeks in your area.
CNHI IH 300 parts diagram

 

[Steve@Advance]

What other said, it's the shifter jumped out of the rails.

Before trying to line them back up, be sure all load is off the transmission. Block the wheels, push the clutch to relax everything. If it's under load the shift forks will be near impossible to move, and it will roll once in neutral.

 

[super99]

Weld up the worn areas and grind it back to near normal size.

 

[4wdtom]

The end of the shift lever has worn small enough to allow it to slip where it shouldn't go. You need to build it up to near original shape.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

Remove the shifter tower by unscrewing the three bolts that hold it down.

When you pull the shifter out, you will see three shifter rails. The one on the far right will be out of line toward the rear. Use a heavy screwdriver or small pry bar to bring the slot in that shifter rail in line with the other two. You may need to rock the tractor back and forth to get it to shift out of reverse, or jack the wheel up.

Make sure you block the wheels on the tractor because you will be taking it out of gear and it will be in neutral and could roll away.

Rebuilding the shifter is the permanent fix, but you can use the tractor until you find someone to do the welding for you if you are careful using the shifter, and you know how to fix it when it happens again.

Shift at right angles, not diagonally. People make the mistake of moving the shifter straight from 1st to 2nd, instead of first moving the shifter ahead to neutral, over to the 2-3 rail, and then ahead into 2nd, for example. With a worn shifter, it WILL move "diagonally" slipping out of the R-1 rail before the tractor is out of reverse, and into the 2-3 rail.

 

[DWHEELS]

I want to thank you for the excellent
description of what to do and not to do.
I'm sure the shifter is wore out, as I
have parts wore out at the age of 72. I
have a excellent welder who will weld the
shifter once I get it out. Just waiting
for as many comments as possible, now
with your explanation I feel confident in
tackling the problem. Thank you so
much,and for all those who reached out.