TO-35 hydraulic leaks

   / TO-35 hydraulic leaks #1  

veedub

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I just bought a 1955 TO-35 and the hydraulic fluid was quite low, like 3 gallons low. After running it some I could see indications of water on the dipstick so looks like I will be draining and replacing all fluid. But sitting at rest there's a steady drip under the tractor leaving a puddle which I noticed after work tonight. Under further investigation I think I am missing a cover under the tractor which is where the fluid is leaking, but I'm not sure if this area should have any fluid getting to it in the first place. I think I may have a leak elsewhere and the lack of this cover is just allowing it to leak more steadily here. From what I can tell its just an access cover? I don't have a manual yet but I am working on acquiring one I don't think TSC carries one for this model. There's a machined flat area and 4 threaded holes where it appears the cover would go. If I look up the hole I see the horizontal shaft that the brake pedals are attached to and some springs(clutch related maybe?) and maybe a smaller round access cover. I didn't investigate too far what's in there as it was getting dark and its hard to look up there without fluid dropping onto your face. Any insight would be helpful
 
   / TO-35 hydraulic leaks #2  
tsc does indeed carry a ferguson service manual... or most do.

ok.. i was hoping by the end of your post you would actually identify the location of the leak instead of just letting us guess.

A leak fromt he clutch bellhousing area can be 1 of 2 oils.

crankcase.. or trans.

crankcase comes from a bad rear main. trans comes from a bad input shaft seal.

input shaft seal is easier to change.. cheap.. but does require a split.. might as well do clutch too.. etc.

determin oil type. go from there.

ps.. a very minor drip may be fine.. all depends on your tolerance level.

hard to find an acient tractor with no drips at all. some of us think of it as automatic rust proofing.. :)

now if it's a significant leak.. of course it needs attention.

ps. the reason ther eis a drain there is to keep that oil off the clutch..e tc..
 
   / TO-35 hydraulic leaks #3  
ps.. i'm not a fergy guy. probably someone like 'the kid' will be helpfull for specific info for your machine.
 
   / TO-35 hydraulic leaks
  • Thread Starter
#4  
tsc does indeed carry a ferguson service manual... or most do.

ok.. i was hoping by the end of your post you would actually identify the location of the leak instead of just letting us guess.
...
ps.. a very minor drip may be fine.. all depends on your tolerance level.

hard to find an acient tractor with no drips at all. some of us think of it as automatic rust proofing..

Sorry I was planning to include pictures but I was posting from my iPhone and couldn't get it to work. The access panel I think is missing a cover appears to be right between both the crankcase and the transmission end of the tractor. The fluid leaking seems to be hydraulic/trans fluid though not oil.

The leak is siginificant enough to need to be fixed. I drive vintage VWs I know all about living with leaks the vw community likes to joke aircooled vws don't leak they mark their territory...This leak is an almost steady drip every 3-4 seconds that amounts to quite a puddle over a days time.
ñ photo 1.JPGphoto 2.JPGphoto 3.jpg
 
   / TO-35 hydraulic leaks #5  
very likely a 4$ seal that's gonna split yer tractor...
 
   / TO-35 hydraulic leaks #6  
I just bought a 1955 TO-35 and the hydraulic fluid was quite low, like 3 gallons low. After running it some I could see indications of water on the dipstick so looks like I will be draining and replacing all fluid. But sitting at rest there's a steady drip under the tractor leaving a puddle which I noticed after work tonight. Under further investigation I think I am missing a cover under the tractor which is where the fluid is leaking, but I'm not sure if this area should have any fluid getting to it in the first place. I think I may have a leak elsewhere and the lack of this cover is just allowing it to leak more steadily here. From what I can tell its just an access cover? I don't have a manual yet but I am working on acquiring one I don't think TSC carries one for this model. There's a machined flat area and 4 threaded holes where it appears the cover would go. If I look up the hole I see the horizontal shaft that the brake pedals are attached to and some springs(clutch related maybe?) and maybe a smaller round access cover. I didn't investigate too far what's in there as it was getting dark and its hard to look up there without fluid dropping onto your face. Any insight would be helpful

The four holes are bolt points for the clutch inspection cover. The lowest point on the bell housing should have a tiny hole at the lowest point. A cotter pin should be installed to keep that opening from clogging. If it where to clog up, well all that oil on the ground would fill the cavity and sooner or later infect the clutch. Check around at some tractor salvage yards for a replacement. You don't want dirt to get up inside that area. Bad Karma. A small rock could destroy your clutch. Better for to leak out the tiny hole that have an open exposed area endangering the clutch. Soundguy is correct. The tranny seal is bad letting that eight gallon reservoir leak out. The seal can be replaced without splitting the tractor. If the clutch has quite a bit of time on it, it might be worth replacing it at this time and split the tractor which would make replacing the bad seal much easier. Two birds with one stone so to speak. Tractor Supply sells I&T manuals. If it can wait you can order one online and save a few bucks.

It's hard to tell tranny fluid from motor oil. They are in this case very similar. That's why there is an inspection plate to look at both areas to verify the leak.

Agcopubs.com has the service manual at a reasonable price. FYI AGCO is the mother company for Massey Ferguson.

http://www.agcopubs.com/default.aspx?model=TO35&brand=44096&keywords=Shop manual&searchForm=0

I might advise if you don't feel comfortable with a major repair as this then trailer it to a repair shop. Do get the manual and review it to see if your up to the challenge.

One thing I didn't mention. You said water was in your fluid. Replace your shifter boots. That is a common problem on tractors left outside.

-kid
 
   / TO-35 hydraulic leaks #7  
how do you replace a trany input shaft seal without splitting the machine? is the input shaft on a fergy different from every other tractor out there?
 
   / TO-35 hydraulic leaks #8  
how do you replace a trany input shaft seal without splitting the machine? is the input shaft on a fergy different from every other tractor out there?

My bad SG the tractor does have to be split.
 
   / TO-35 hydraulic leaks #9  
You can't on the MF. I'm in the middle of getting everything put back on my 135 and when I split the tractor I noticed that the bolts holding the main shaft housing in the tranny were loose. I might have gotten away with just tightening them but I already had the shaft seals (only about $6 each) so went ahead and replaced them. On my 135 it was a PITA. Had to pull the tranny off the differential to pull the lower PTO shaft back enough to drop the PTO drive gear so I could pull the main shaft housing out. Yours may not need to do that. Putting it back together I wasn't careful enough to get the splines and receiving ends lined up enough and broke the lower PTO front bearing holder. $75 and a lot of frustration later I finally have the main part of the tractor back together. Hopefully I'll finish it today and then pray. If you split the tractor check for an engine rear main seal leak; those are easy to replace, can all be done from the back end of the engine. Also if you have hydraulic assist on your steering you'll need to do some special bleeding of the system. You should check to make sure the rear seals on the PTO shaft are OK, i.e., no leaks. Those are fairly easy to replace can be done from the back end. If you pull the pressure plate and clutch be sure to use a clutch alignment tool to get all the splines and pilot bearing lined up. Got one at NAPA for under $50 and it can be used on a variety of vehicles. I bought a manual that is on disk for $9.95 and it has been a fair amount of help (it's a PDF file). A little difficult to find the right pictures to go with the dialogue. Since it's almost 500 pages I didn't print it out. Have printed a couple pages that have helped. Also, when you put the bolts holding any part on the front of the tranny put a nice glob of No. 2 gasket cement on them to prevent leaks around them.
 
 
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