Jinma 254 - General Operational Question

[ljplum12]

Since this is my first time owning a tractor and first time piloting one (besides a lawn mower) since I was a youngster, there are some things I'm not really sure about operationally, particularly regarding gearing.

The tractor doesn't stall. If I put it in a gear and let off the clutch, it won't move, but it won't die either. Is this normal? How is it different than a car?

I don't know how well this thing is supposed to move across the terrain, but I feel like it's lacking in getting the power to the wheels. With the slightest incline I can't really get it to move above 2 H/L. Is this normal as well?

It seems people don't typically just go out and buy a tractor without having some kind of experience, so I can't find a "Introduction to how to drive a small tractor" anywhere. :laughing:

 

[RonMar]

Not quite understanding what you mean. Does it not move at all or only has issues on an incline.

Basically you have 3 levers to deal with.
1. The main gear lever(1,2,3 and R).
2. The High/low lever down in front of the seat(right and slightly to the rear of the main lever).
3. The Low/Low or "creeper" lever(all the way forward on top of the transmission).
On some models the creeper is replaced by a shuttle shift gear with a linkage up to a F/R lever under the steering wheel. If it is not moving at all, are ALL the gear levers fully engaged?

 

[ljplum12]

It moves pretty well on flat surfaces. Today I was moving some yard waste around and on slight inclines (or even just going over small humps) in order to get it to move I would have to put it in (matching up with your explanation):
1. Main Gear Level - 1
2. High/Low lever - Low
3. Low/Low - Bunny Rabbit (not in creeper)

Due to my inexperience, I don't know if this is normal for this tractor.

 

[RonMar]

OK, that does not sound normal. You should be able to drive just about anywhere in 1/high/high. That is my normal mode even on hills with a bucket full of soil and a grader blade on the back.

it sounds like you either have a clutch problem or a clutch linkage/adjustment problem. To look at the adjustment you need to remove a side access plate. Unfortunately if you have a front end loader the loader mount is usually bolted over the access hole/where the access cover is located. Most loaders are setup so you can remove that loader bracket with only having to support the crossbar with a jackstand.

What you are looking for first is that the throwout bearing is completely dis-engaging the 3 fingers of the pressure plate assembly. When you depress the clutch pedal a fork pushes the throwout bearing forward into the fingers. The fingers act as levers to release the pressure on the clutch disc. The throwout and fingers are on the rear of the assembly and when the clutch pedal is released, there should be about a 1/8" gap beteen the bearing and the fingers. If you have this gap, the clutch fingers may be out of adjustment or the clutch pack has failed. There are some articles written how to adjust it but you should be familliar with mechanic work before you proceed.

 

[redman135]

I 2nd RonMar. That sounds wrong.
When you let the clutch out on a gear tractor you start moving, the speed depends on which gear you are in.

 

[ljplum12]

I have made some adjustments to the clutch based on articles and tutorials, obviously it's still not right.

A couple days ago I set the gap between the throwout bearing and fingers to 1/8" and verified all three fingers had the same gap. I did this by adjusting the linkage.

That must mean I need to adjust the clutch fingers themselves. This video (how to adjust the clutch on a tractor, jimna 254 xl sl 2 tractor clutch adjustment - YouTube) suggests I do that by setting the gap to 10mm. Is that accurate?

 

[ljplum12]

From my reading, if the clutch is slipping, that means I need more pressure on the plate. None of the articles I've found indicate how to do that, they're all how to set the free-play. Is adjusting this gap here how I get more pressure?

 

[ljplum12]

Ok, I think I understand this now, and if someone could let me know if I got this right, that would be great.

• For the main clutch, there are these two measurements ("A" and "B" in photo) that can be made on all three fingers.
• They are tied together (adjusting "A" will change "B").
• The actual measurement of "A" does not matter, only "B" matters (needs to be set to 0.10").
• "A" is changed by loosening the jam nut and turning the bolt.
• The narrower "A" is, the more pressure there is.
• "B" is changed individually on the three fingers the same way, but overall can be set with the clutch linkage.
• If "B" is set to 0.10" and the clutch is slipping, this means "A" needs to be reduced (more pressure).
• All "A" should be adjusted X amount of turns to increase the overall pressure.
• Once all "A" have been adjusted, the clutch linkage should be adjust so that the smallest of the "B" gaps is 0.10"
• With one "B" gap set to 0.10", small adjustments should be made to the other two fingers so they are also 0.10"
• This means that "A" will not be the same on all three fingers, but this is ok, the don't have to be.

Is my understanding correct on all of this?

 

[Ricks284]

Be careful with clutch adjustments - it's really easy to get it adjusted slightly off center and have the clutch plate wear unevenly. Mine was adjusted wrong from the factory and it ended up needing an entirely​ new clutch.

 

[ljplum12]

As long as the distance between the throwout bearing and fingers are all the same I'm good, right?