reversing a 460

[Rick Wuertz]

I was wondering if anyone has ever reversed a 460-560? Was wondering what it takes to do it. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Hugh MacKay]

Rick: The drive line is actually quite simple, just install the crown gear and carrier upside down, so crown gear is on opposite side of pinion.

The controls like pedals, steering, etc., will be a bit more difficult. Years ago one could buy those parts, I expect much of it will be fabrication today, unless you find an old forklift, etc.

 

[Red Dave]

I've never reversed one, but I do know of a 560 that was made into a forklift. It runs backwards. It looks like a commercially built rig, not a homemade thing, so it must be possible.

 

[Owen Aaland]

Once the carrier is reversed you will find that the shirt forks no longer fit. You will also need shift forks for the reversed drive and move the shift lever to the other deck hole. The forks can be made by cutting the forks off the sliding bars, turning them 180 degrees, and rewelding them.

 

[NDS]

Hugh: Have never reversed a 460 but have M and 400 and there is a little more involved than flipping ring gear. When ring gear is flipped it is directly under shifter and will not clear so shifter has to be moved to other side. The 460 has 2 shifter position deck cover and bosses for needed bolts but holes are not drilled and tapped (at least not on 400) and shifter forks will not work on opposite side so you have to find reverse operation shifting forks or reconfigure the foward operation forks. Like I said before this applies to 400 but I would think 460 would be the same. When our 400 was coverted for cotton picker operation they used reversed operation attchment kit and did not use original deck cover.

 

[NDS]

Sorry your post was not showing when I started mine.

 

[Owen Aaland]

You said it better than I did anyway. I did see an M reversed where they added a two inch spacer under the deck cover and then just extended the forks.

 

[jonny2006]

here is a reversed tranny on a "mv" this should give you an idea....

 

[Hugh MacKay]

NDS & Owen: Not quite, I once made the mistake of putting the carrier in upside down on my 560. The kicker, I got it all together and had 5 speeds in reverse and one forward. 10 and 2 with the TA. All gears worked perfectly. There must be a difference between pre 1958 and post 1958.

 

[NDS]

Hugh: I do not doubt that this is another of the things about old Farmalls that you can never be certain of The IH 460 Farmall parts book shows shifting forks Numbers 360583R11, 360581R11 and 360579R11 for foward operation and numbers 364320R11, 364318R91 and 364317R91 for reverse operation and the illustrations show clearly that they are different.

 

[Hugh MacKay]

NDS: Could it be this; when I put the carrier in upside down, gear sequence did not change. Would that sequence change if the shift lever were moved to the other side. I can see folks wanting the the normal 5 speed and reverse in front of them in a forklift configuration for example.

I've never been around reversed tractors, all I know about this is what happened when I made a mistake. You can imagine getting on the 560D, putting it in reverse, expecting to back out of the shop. Luckily I wasn't up tight to anything that could be run over. I did put it in low and back out, while outside I did try the other gears. Then I quickly put it back in the shop and started dismantling.

 

[NDS]

Hugh: could be that different forks and shifter location on later tractors is just to keep shift pattern the same.

 

[jk]

i saw in red power a few issues back, there was an artical about factory modified 460's. they had a picture of a factroy made 460 forklift that was revered. so it is possible, but how i don't know

 

[Harold H]

Actually a simple operation with a reversible top. Simply flip the differential and install the reverse shift forks on the opposite side of the reversible top, insert the shift lever in the opposite side and away you go. We added flange axle housings, bull gears, and cotton picker front wheel and you had an excellent high clear spray tractor.

Harold H