TC35 rusted clutch

   / TC35 rusted clutch #1  

Newhollandharley

Bronze Member
Joined
Mar 31, 2009
Messages
61
Location
East Texas
Tractor
NewHolland TC 35 Boomer
When I turned 60 I thought about buying a Harley and got a tractor instead. 2003 NH TC35 Boomer with 85 hours on it. I'm brand new at tractors but got a really sweet deal. My problem is No one told me to lock down (release) the clutch so the flywheel and clutch plate seperate and don't rust together in the off season. I've gotten all kinds of advice from friends but so far nothing has worked. The plates are really stuck and I have no clutch. Pedal and linkage all work fine it just does not release. Local repair shop says $1,500 minimum, have to break tractor in two pieces. They have done this before. I have a front end loader on one end and a back hoe on the other. All kinds of heavy steel bolted on at both ends to re-enforce the frame. Lot's of work to get it in half. Here's the latest suggestion, cut a small hole in the bell housing directly over the clutch plate, insert a piece of cold roll steel against the clutch plate and use an impact tool to rattle the plate break the rust and set it free. What do think ? Does anyone have a drawing or exploded view of the clutch so I can see how to get to the place where the two are rusted together. How much access is there through openings in the spring plate ? I have to figure a way to do this other than breaking the tractor in half ..... I know from reading some of the threads there are some really bright people out there .... Let me have your best shot ... Thanks
 
   / TC35 rusted clutch #2  
Man newhollandharley, I dont think I could bring myself to drill any holes in the bell housing. This is a parts picture from the new holland website. Maybe you can remove one of the items attached to the bell housing to gain access for that impact suggestion? Do you believe the disk is rusted to the flywheel? Or to the pressure plate, or maybe both? My Ford is an old one and never had that problem before, When you turn the key to start it, the tractor tries to roll? Maybe getting it to an open area and get it to run, and drive it, it may come loose on its own. Good luck, TB
 

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   / TC35 rusted clutch
  • Thread Starter
#3  
I can start it easily out of gear and as long as I stay in low low range I can actually put it in and take it out of gear with no grinding so I've driven it many time, very slowly. Jerking it, gassing it, applying brakes hard, running it into a tree (slowly) and stalling it, I've tried everything. I'm told I just don't have the horsepower to break it free. Ive seen the drawing you sent, thanks .. I need a drawing that shows a cutaway of the clutch housing assembled so I can better tell where to drill a hole and a detail of the spring plate assembly to see if there is any access to the clutch pad in the first place.
 
   / TC35 rusted clutch #4  
Do not drill a hole in the belhousing. Looking at the parts diagram it looks like there might be a hole with a plug in it on the left side of the belhousing.I would split the tractor before I drilled a hole in the belhousing. The belhousing is part of the structure of the tractor. If you weaken the structure you weaken the tractor. Hopefuly rickb will see see this post and give you some good honest advice. He works on these for a living.
Bill
 
   / TC35 rusted clutch #5  
I think I'd block the clutch for a week, then start her in gear and drive in tight figure 8's stomping the outside brake pedal.

soundguy
 
   / TC35 rusted clutch #6  
also.. once you do get her free.. start block the clutch when yo don't use her.. many NH machines included a wood block on a string to do this.. I know my 1920 did..

soundguy
 
   / TC35 rusted clutch #7  
It may sound rough but i think i would remove the starter motor and give the back of the flywheel a good rattle with an air chisel . Round off one of the chisels on the grinder so it can't damage the flywheel . It would help if someone could put some clockwise pressure on the harmonic balancer bolt while it is in first gear with the clutch pedal blocked down . Do'nt rattle the ring gear , you may be able to get onto a portion of the pressure plate . If you get it free , give it a bit of a slip as you drive it to pollish off the rust .
 
   / TC35 rusted clutch #8  
I know what you guys will think but I have probably worked on hundreds of stuck clutch brakes, clutch adjusters and stuck clutches themselves and my one saving grace was that can of PB blaster I never went to work without. I would hose tre crap out of it from whatever hole I could get it in there with and then do what I had to do to break it loose. Usually dragging it with another truck and keep on trying to pop the clutch. I've even been known to stick a torch up there to unstick adjusters. I wasn't the only one. It was kinda common practice, but if you use a torch have a fire extinguisher handy.

I think out of all the ones I've had to get ugly with I only had to actually split it on one or two.
 
   / TC35 rusted clutch
  • Thread Starter
#9  
I think I'd block the clutch for a week, then start her in gear and drive in tight figure 8's stomping the outside brake pedal.

soundguy

Now that is a new one. I'll try it and get back to ya, thanks and yes I have been blocking the pedal in a far open position for months now ... I half expected the pressure plate to push it away over time but nothing ...
 
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   / TC35 rusted clutch
  • Thread Starter
#10  
also.. once you do get her free.. start block the clutch when yo don't use her.. many NH machines included a wood block on a string to do this.. I know my 1920 did..

soundguy

When I began to investigate my problem I heard from several fellas that a block on a string came with it. Not when I bought it .. else I would have asked at the time, "what's the block for?" and wouldn't be in this jam in the first place. I'm a metal smith of sorts and I'm going to make a mechanism that I can lock it open EVERY time I'm not riding on it from now on.
 
 
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