MTA gears grinding

New to me MTA. Have not torn into it, only replaced fluids so far. Fluids were complete milk shake, and low. TA doesn’t work. Was hoping that things would improve with correct level and viscosity but no difference. I used hydraulic fluid for the tranny.

If I let it sit in Neutral, clutch out, while engine is running and go to put it in gear, the gears will be spinning and the shifter grinds. If I hold the clutch in for a long time it does not help. The only way to avoid the grinding is to shut off the tractor and let them spin down. Then put it in gear and start the engine with the clutch in. It shifts fine between gears when driving.

So my questions are
1) is this normal?
2) is something out of adjustment or broken?
3) can this be fixed without splitting the tractor?
4) is there any other troubleshooting I can do to narrow down the issue?
5) what else should I know about this situation? Am I damaging anything running it this way?

I won’t be out to the farm til next weekend but I can’t stop thinking about this issue so I want to see what you all think. Thanks in advance.
 
Not normal.Check/adjust pedal freeplay first.If that doesnt help,there may be grease on the clutch disks,or something is binding. Clutch finger broken.....Remove the inspection cover,if you cant see the issue,then split it.
 
New to me MTA. Have not torn into it, only replaced fluids so far. Fluids were complete milk shake, and low. TA doesn’t work. Was hoping that things would improve with correct level and viscosity but no difference. I used hydraulic fluid for the tranny.

If I let it sit in Neutral, clutch out, while engine is running and go to put it in gear, the gears will be spinning and the shifter grinds. If I hold the clutch in for a long time it does not help. The only way to avoid the grinding is to shut off the tractor and let them spin down. Then put it in gear and start the engine with the clutch in. It shifts fine between gears when driving.

So my questions are
1) is this normal?
2) is something out of adjustment or broken?
3) can this be fixed without splitting the tractor?
4) is there any other troubleshooting I can do to narrow down the issue?
5) what else should I know about this situation? Am I damaging anything running it this way?

I won’t be out to the farm til next weekend but I can’t stop thinking about this issue so I want to see what you all think. Thanks in advance.
The term yhdraulic fluid is possibly why the TA is not working. Did it work before the change?? If so was the oil used rated for transmission as well as hydraulic applications? Hytran From IH or other quality brands labeled as meeting Hytran Specification is needed for the One way clutch in the TA as well as the transmission gears (the Trans part of the name. Gears have need of extreem pressure additives which many hydraulic oils do not have. Jim
 
Thanks for replies so far.

The TA did not work before I changed the fluids. The hyd fluid I used met HyTran standards according to the label. I researched quite a bit on this site before doing my first servicing so I was aware of the TA fluid considerations. I didn’t expect the TA to start working with the fluid change, but I was hoping for more drag on the rotating mass of gears once properly serviced since the fluid level was low when I got it. Regardless, something is gently turning the gears when in Neutral. How do I check clutch adjustment? What’s the pedal engagement supposed to be like? I will pull the inspection cover next time I get out there. Really can’t split this tractor this year so hoping the fix is something accessible.

Btw, we have a Farmall H that seems pretty cherry and doesn’t have this issue. That’s all I have to compare against.
 
I dont think any mta should use hightran -- 80/90 is what You should use . the hydraulic oil is not in the transmission on them tractors.
 
It'a pretty easy split. You can easily do a clutch job in a weekend.You may have to split wheather you want to or not it if if gets worse. It may.At the risk of sounding like a broken record... Buy a book! You really need a book. Both owners and service. You can get an I&T service manual at your local tractor supply Store. About 40 bucks. That book will tell you HOW to adjust with all the correct specs.*** Roy ,you can run HyTran in those. The TA doesnt like 90 wt very well. IH used to sell an additive for those.The newer tractors(from 560 up) used Hytran.The 560 used the same TA.HyTran wasnt available when those tractors were new.Hence 90wt plus additive was recomended then.I have a SM; SMTA;350;450 D and othrs. These tractors are filled with Hytran type fluid. Any others get hytran added to the 90 wt if they get topped off. Then changed when The 90 gets drained.If it's good enough for 806 and newer,it's good enough for those older tractors.
 
Without bogging down in too many details, tractor (and book) are in Missouri. I currently live in Louisiana. I only get to go back when I take off from work, and I can’t spend it all wrenching. I’m going back for first cutting of hay next week so I’ll be busy with that (and needing to use it if it’s running). That’s why splitting isn’t an option right now. Hoping for a clutch adjustment or something else simple. Figured I’d throw it out there for discussion in case someone else has seen this before.
 
For the record, this tractor won’t see 50 hours of runtime this year, and probably the toughest thing it will do will be pull a NH 273 square baler or a 268 rake across 20 acres. The whole driveline probably needs gone through and refurbed at some point, and I intend to ‘restore’ it when I am living on the farm in a few years, but for now it’s only going to get simple or mandatory repairs, and sit in a shed 11 months out of the year. The gear grinding issue is mostly an inconvenience and point of curiosity to me. She’s new to me and I love her, but that’s the cold truth of the situation right now.

I appreciate those who have chimed in. Lots of good experience in this forum.
 
I dont think any mta should use hightran -- 80/90 is what You should use . the hydraulic oil is not in the transmission on them tractors.
That is incorrect. Heavy gear lube is too thick and causes the TA to not shift properly. These tractors are why Hy-Tran exists in the first place.

However in this case it wouldn't matter. The TA doesn't work (assuming "out on the low side") so we're not concerned about it shifting.
 
Only adjustment there is to the main clutch is the pedal free travel. That would have an effect if there were way too much free pedal travel and the clutch wasn't releasing completely, OR if there were no free pedal travel at all and the clutch was being held partially disengaged, allowing it to slip.

If you can shift the tractor the way you describe, it's not a free pedal travel issue. Most likely, the pilot bearing in the flywheel is at least "sticky" and is spinning the input shaft to the transmission. Worst case it's failed.

It might loosen up with some use and engine heat. Considering your circumstances all you can do is live with it. Just don't let the clutch out in neutral if you don't want to shut down.
 
Barnyard- that makes sense. I haven’t worked the tractor yet so maybe it will free up. It definitely sat neglected for a while before I bought it, so I would not be surprised if ‘sticky’ is the problem.
 

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