MF35 no clutch

[takeflight]

Hi wonder if anyone can advise me, you should know I am a complete newby to tractors. Last year I acquired a mf35 four cylinder diesel, bit smokey but it hadn't run for three years, put away last October. Due to the wet conditions, I didn't start it until this week, started up but I now have no clutch, tried adjustment by loosening the pedal and turning the shaft to the right, there's pressure on the pedal but the clutch does not engage. The pto works.

I am sure I have read somewhere there is plate underneath that you can remove and spray under pressure some sort of release fluid. Am I dreaming this and there's nothing for it but to split the tractor.

Thanks

Roy

 

[Jerry/MT]

When you say no clutch do you mean that when you press down on the pedal, the clutch does not release? If so, the clutch disc is stuck to the flywheel.If you have an acess plate near the bell housing, you might remove it and block the clutch down and gently pry with a screwdriver to see if you can pry it loose. Otherwise having some one pull the tractor while you have it in high gear and are stepping on the clutch might also allow it to release.

Next time block the pedal so the clutch stays depressed all winter while you have the tractor in storage.

 

[takeflight]

When you say no clutch do you mean that when you press down on the pedal, the clutch does not release? If so, the clutch disc is stuck to the flywheel.If you have an acess plate near the bell housing, you might remove it and block the clutch down and gently pry with a screwdriver to see if you can pry it loose. Otherwise having some one pull the tractor while you have it in high gear and are stepping on the clutch might also allow it to release.

Next time block the pedal so the clutch stays depressed all winter while you have the tractor in storage.

Sorry for being thick, with the pedal in the upright position, the clutch is engaged ?

The pedal is upright touching the rest and you can feel a pressure when depressing it.

I can engage gears by throttling right back, tick over, but of course I can't change gear on the move and the only way to stop is to throttle off stand on the brakes and yank it out of gear. Not good.

Thanks for your help, I have a workshop manual, any idea where I can get an owners manual, I need a dummy's guide to tractors.

Roy

 

[WilliamTO-35]

If your problem is that when you step on the clutch pedal the tractor continues to move, then your clutch disk is probably stuck to the flywheel. That can happen, especially if some oil from a seal leak got onto the clutch disk, and the oil " fried" into a sticky or solid mess. I had the same stuck clutch on my Ferguson TO-35 several years ago. I found out I had a problem when I pulled up to my garage door, and the tractor didn't stop. I wound up putting the end of my front loader right through my garage door. Old time mechanics have told me that spraying a CO2 fire extingusher up into the flywheel/clutch plate area will unstick the plate. I never tried the CO2 approach, but I did spray lacquer thinner up there, through the inspection plate opening. I used a compressed air siphon type sprayer , and sprayed about two quarts of lacquer thinner up there. It worked, and I haven't had a stuck clutch ever since, which is about 15 years ago. However, given the flamability of a lacquer thinner/air mixture, I'm lucky to be alive ! Perhaps some cleaner or solvent with lower flamability , in spray cans, might also work. I've seen some electrical cleaners that were labeled " non-flamable". Don't use any cleaner that contains chlorinated solvents. Wear a charcoal filter respirator, and good eye protection. If you can pop the clutch disk loose with a long wooden wedge while the pedal is depressed, you'll have a better chance of getting the solvent in where it's needed.

 

[takeflight]

If your problem is that when you step on the clutch pedal the tractor continues to move, then your clutch disk is probably stuck to the flywheel. That can happen, especially if some oil from a seal leak got onto the clutch disk, and the oil " fried" into a sticky or solid mess. I had the same stuck clutch on my Ferguson TO-35 several years ago. I found out I had a problem when I pulled up to my garage door, and the tractor didn't stop. I wound up putting the end of my front loader right through my garage door. Old time mechanics have told me that spraying a CO2 fire extingusher up into the flywheel/clutch plate area will unstick the plate. I never tried the CO2 approach, but I did spray lacquer thinner up there, through the inspection plate opening. I used a compressed air siphon type sprayer , and sprayed about two quarts of lacquer thinner up there. It worked, and I haven't had a stuck clutch ever since, which is about 15 years ago. However, given the flamability of a lacquer thinner/air mixture, I'm lucky to be alive ! Perhaps some cleaner or solvent with lower flamability , in spray cans, might also work. I've seen some electrical cleaners that were labeled " non-flamable". Don't use any cleaner that contains chlorinated solvents. Wear a charcoal filter respirator, and good eye protection. If you can pop the clutch disk loose with a long wooden wedge while the pedal is depressed, you'll have a better chance of getting the solvent in where it's needed.

Thanks guys your right with the advice I sprayed some brake cleaner, started up got her into to gear and drove her around to warm the clutch and by standing on the brakes from time to time, the clutch freed itself. I think as advised when I put her away for winter I am going to block the clutch pedal.

Thanks again to both for the help.

Roy

 

[Jerry/MT]

Glad you got 'er runnning.

 

[Fahmahdave]

I had the same problem with my MH-50 but with a very different cause. The three levers that release the pressure plate and clutch disk wore out and broke. One is just cracked, but the other 2 pulled right off the ball head on the bolts. I'm looking for the small parts now because I don't really want to split the tractor because of a sub-frame that connect the front end loader to the rear end.