Pasquali Tractor Clutch Mod

[mpilihp]

Ive had issues on and off with the clutch on my 988 Pasquali, two problems really. The first is using it sometimes my foot will slip off of it in the most inconvenient times and the second is with breaking clutch cables.

The first issue is because the pedal pushes straight down and if your boot is wet or muddy the force needed to keep it down can cause your foot to slip off of it forwards causing you to learch and possibly into something. So I made a inclined serrated add-on that gives my foot something to push forward against and it is very grippy. Here are some pictures of this fix:





The second issue is the clutch cable keeps breaking once or twice a year. I've been making it from cable stock from Tractor supply but really don't want to keep doing that. Ive found that the cable sheave where it goes into the adjuster is at an angle and the metal end is scraping against the cable. So using a couple pieces of PEX tubing I made a brace to hold it straight up and down.







Hope this can help someone else!

~ Phil

 

[Shadow99]

That's a great idea Phil ! I used some grip-tape on my 993 clutch pedal, but it doesn't last long. Planning on converting over to hydraulic at some point in the future.

Rick

 

[JoeZZ]

Phil,
Have you found anything to use as a boot on the clutch shifter fork. I was told a cow bottle nipple would work...have not tried it as they seem a bit small...

Joe

 

[garthbradbury]

Help..!! I own a Pasquali Orion 850 and use it for contract mowing / mulching on steep banks. I have a serious overheating problem, she runs ok for a couple of hours then starts to get hot. Have tried stopping every 20 - 30 mins and cleaning the front grill, sweeping the grass etc away, checking the rad and cleaning if necessary. We have just had engine re-built as she got so hot she cooked herself...inexperienced operator was using it! I had a new core fitted to rad and bigger fins, but alas, same problem!
Any ideas or has anyone had same issues?

Garth

 

[mpilihp]

That's a great idea Phil ! I used some grip-tape on my 993 clutch pedal, but it doesn't last long. Planning on converting over to hydraulic at some point in the future.

Rick

Hi that's a great idea, do you have any ideas on how to implement it?

 

[Kossack]

Although I haven't personally seen a hydraulic clutch modification I know that they are done by Jack Speake at American Pasquali in NH. Last price I heard was about $600 for the job. I'm thinking it would sure beat replacing cable after cable; sometimes three of four a year and usually at least once in deep snow hunting around for the cable ends that have dropped off.

 

[Shadow99]

Uhh Yeah, Good luck getting a response from Jack. Only way I would get a response from Jack was to hound-him constantly on the phone, and even then there was no guarantee you would get what was promised. He promised to send me 2 fuel filters, an oil filter & some missing lug-nuts for the 993 I got used from him, that was 1 yr ago!
I was going to use a universal hydraulic clutch kit, like for an old VW bug. And just use a larger piston master to overcome the 150 lbs of force required to push my clutch pedal down (do to after-market pressure plate, Jack installed). I removed the pedal return-spring, under the deckplate, that eased the pressure somewhat.

Rick

 

[JoeZZ]

I broke the clutch cable on my 997 a couple of weeks ago and have been going over the tractor to take care of odds and end stuff that I’ve been meaning to do.

I have two 997’s with FEL that I use very hard. One I’ve had for 5 years and another for 2 years. This is the first broken clutch cable between the two of them.

The clutch always seemed very difficult/binding somewhere. Just before I bought it someone had done a clutch job on it…as it was advertized “new clutch”. A number of problems contributed to the issues that ultimately caused a stiff pedal and broken cable.

The 3 finger pressure plate had at some time been rebuilt and installed incorrectly.

I took it to the good folks at Buffalo Clutch in Cheektowaga NY that did an incredible job rebuilding the pressure plate properly using Model A pivots/pins and Air Brake springs.

When I went to install the new set up I found that it did not seat properly on the flywheel as it sat up partially on a lip at the outer edge of the flywheel. Some careful cleanup on the periphery of the pressure plate did the trick.

I take a lot of before, during and after pictures on projects like this to document things.

I looked at my “before” pictures and I could see where the pressure plate was not installed correctly when I got the tractor. The improper pivot parts also caused much of the stiffness in the pedal. Now it functions very well.

I can’t help but think that regular breakage of cable is indicative of a problem elsewhere….does it always break in the same place?

As far as filters go…I am at a point that I’ve modified and or identified every one of them to the point that they are readily available and comparatively inexpensive.

The in tank fuel filter is a Baldwin PT459 with an extra washer behind it because it is a touch shorter.
The same is used for the hydraulic system in tank filter but with a machined bracket made from an old original filter.

The engine oil filter has an adapter so that a Wal-Mart ST3614 mounts up to it.
The hydraulic return line filter and inline fuel filter/water separator were added just to have a belt and suspenders on.

Parts that I have needed I get from Tom Brach at Italian Tractors in Canada…this is a very reliable source of Pasquali Tractor parts.

I believe that Tom Brach as a way of doing business has increased the value of Pasquali Tractors across North America…if for no other reason than to have a source of parts that is utterly reliable.

Joe

 

[Kossack]

Joe,

My clutch cable breaks the same way as Phil reports at the beginning of this thread. I was able to improve the situation just as Phil did by adding stiff tubing to straighten the cable path through the adjusting bolt and onto the clutch pedal. But the cable was also being abraded by the small opening through the adjusting bolt. Here I used an adjusting bolt modified by Jack Speake to have a larger diameter opening through its center that greatly reduces cable abrasion.

However, I also encountered a situation similar to Rick's after Jack installed a new clutch assembly with a five fingered pressure plate that required a great deal more clutch pedal force to actuate. I was then breaking clutch cables so often that it has limited my use of the tractor to work situations where I can make do with minimal shifting without the clutch until I can find another solution.

Like Rick, I'm thinking of a hydraulic clutch conversion. Any ideas?

 

[JoeZZ]

I am curious as to what your cable end at the cultch pedal looks like.

It seems as though it is not pivoting with movement from the pedal.

Picture 1 shows the parts from my 997 clutch cable….are they familiar or do you have a different set up?

Picture 2 is the rebuilt 3 finger clutch with what I believe are air brake springs that are what determine clutch pressure. I just installed this…effort is increased but not objectionable.

A hydraulic clutch is doable, I’m sure…but the expense is certainly a factor.

Joe