Ford 5000 belt pulley

[Jmaki]

I am considering going back to have a second look and test drive a Ford 5000/Fordson super Major. When the fellow started it up in his garage it was -20 out and the belt pulley on the side was spinning. When I questioned it he said it was because the fluid cold and thick, and said see it stops with your hand. And he did stop it by just placing his hand on it. I don t really want to buy it if there are any known issues(I realize it s old and anything can break at any moment)and I don t know much about these old tractors especially when it comes to the belt pulleys. Just wondering if the pulley continually spinning is a sign of clutch issues or anything else. I plan to go back and look at the tractor when it s above freezing to see if things change, in the mean time just looking for opinions and things to look for that could be trouble. Thanks

This post was edited by Jmaki on 03/16/2023 at 08:28 am.

 

[Majorman]

Oil drag will cause the pulley to turn as you describe. Check the clutch by putting the
tractor in gear and standing on the brake pedals. If the engine dies you have a good clutch,
if the engine does not die and you do not move, slipping clutch. I used to fit a new clutch in
around an hour and a half but it would take me a day now. ;0(

There are two types of clutch in a Super Major, standard and live. If it is a live clutch, new
ones are available but are expensive, saying that however, they are superior to the original
version from my experience. A live clutch allows you to stop the tractor driving forward but
leaves the PTO turning. The PTO has to be turning for the hydraulics to work. There is also a
clevis pin in the clutch pedal surround that prevents the PTO clutch working when not in use.

How top check if you have a live clutch? Look at the high/low range lever. If high is up you
have a live clutch, if down, it is a standard one.
 

[Jmaki]

When you say there are two types of clutches.standard and live. Do you mean single and dual stage or does it have some sort of other clutch? He told me it was an independent pto, so I assumed the pto could engaged and disengaged without the clutch.

Also can a loader be plumbed into the the hydraulics fairly easily on these tractors?

Like I said I m not too familiar with these older tractors so all the help I can get before purchasing is appreciated.
 

[Majorman]

That tractor has a live PTO not an independent one. Independent PTO's did not come in until the
'000 series tractors in 1965. These are a totally different beast.
 

[Majorman]

Loader is tapped into the Auxiliary Service chest as shown here. Pulling the knob out isolates the rear lift arms and diverts oil flow to the loader, the loader is then controlled by the main hydraulic lever. Alternatively, if the loader has a separate control valve, then the main flow comes from this port, the lever is lifted to the top of the quadrant and the loader valves used to control the loader. In this case you will need to fit a return pipe to the filler plug on the rear axle.

Your biggest problem may be finding a loader to fit this tractor.
 

[Jmaki]

Ok thanks for the help. I looked up the price on a dual stage clutch for it and it looks like it would be about $1300 when all said and done to get one. So yeah I want to make sure the clutch is working good.
 

[SkipperII]

Is he referring to the last Super Major, or the first 5000? They were both called the Super Major/ 5000.
 

[Majorman]

Hope it is a Super Major. :0)



The '000, X Series Super would not have a pulley unless it was a PTO one.
 

[derwen1959]

We used to have power major with side pulley which was
permanently turning but would stop if I held piece of
timber against it

Sounds a huge amount for clutch
 

[Jmaki]

Yeah that s what the tractor looks like that I looked at. It has the Ford 5000 Diesel decal on the hood.

When you say it might be hard to find a loader to fit is that just because it will be hard to find a bracket to fit it? If that s the case I m not too concerned as I have no problem fabricating stuff up. Do you happen to know what series of loaders would fit even if the mounts need to be changed up.

Thanks for the help
 

[SkipperII]

We used to mount Superior or Du All loaders on the Majors, and personally, I would recommend putting a front pump on it, rather than using
the rear hydraulics.