PTO Clutch on Ford/NH 2120 non functional

[Mike Newth]

I think that the heading says a bit but here are the details.
I have a 1994 Ford 2120 4WD with 2 stage clutch( and a safety cab).
Recently after a day of fairly heavy dung shifting the clutch developed some slippage which meant that getting the tractor back to its shed was problematic. Checking I found that the free play movement in the clutch pedal was 0 - so I adjusted it as per the manual and the drive gear was completely sorted but the pto is no longer capable of being disconnected by use of the clutch pedal. I haven't actually used the PTO since late autumn when it did perfectly good service driving a rotovator.
It is possible to engage the pto at low revs but it turns even when the clutch is floored. A friend suggested put an implement on the pto and then engaging it in the hope that the pto plate has become stuck by the face to whatever it rests on and could be freed by the shock - I tried this with a mower but just couldn't get the drive engaged - the same trick did work with a small water pump but that lacked the resistance to do much I think.

So I am wondering if anyone knows a trick for this. I've thought about finding a piece of equipment that has a neutral gear of its own which would enable me to attach to the pto and then bump the selector in against zero resistance prior to engaging drive on the device - nothing I own has this sort of characteristic but I suppose that it might work. The one thing that I desperately don't want to do is to replace the clutch - as far as I can see that would cost a US owner $2000 + for parts alone - past experience suggests that in the UK it'll be twice that . Any suggestions welcome - and I am aware of the dangers around PTOs and will only do things that don't kill people - I hope!

 

[Mike Newth]

It's a bit sad replying to my own thread - but I thought that I should tell what I did.

At the time, about 3 years back, I realised that it was just that the clutch was down to unadjustable territory. The UK price for a new one was over £2000 + (20%) Tax and plus input and output bearings so very scary! Searching the NH site as a US customer revealed that a refurbished unit was available at $1000 including the two bearings (that was about £650 in those pre-brexit days). I spoke to a dealer near a US resident family member and sent him the money - the unit was with him a couple of days later , my nephew picked it up and took it home and I got DHL to transport it from suburban Pennsylvania to rural Wales in not much than 24 hours and for a bit over £100. Customs duty added about 25% to the full price including transport. A local engineer charged me for 16 hours work fitting it which was about £300 and the tractor came back in a couple of days with a fully functional clutch and at a total price of
£650
£100
£200 (tax)
£300 (work)
£65 (returnable if I can get the old clutch to the US)
so £1315 in total or about $2100 . The only regret is that I can't bring myself to throw away the old unit and it's not really practical to return it to the US to claim the $100 I've got it sitting on the side and mean to take it to a clutch specialist to see about resurfacing etc.

The devaluation of the £ has changed the economics of this transaction considerably but (especially if you're using a more fashionable currency) I imagine that it could be well worth looking at.

 

[fried1765]

It's a bit sad replying to my own thread - but I thought that I should tell what I did.

At the time, about 3 years back, I realised that it was just that the clutch was down to unadjustable territory. The UK price for a new one was over ｣2000 + (20%) Tax and plus input and output bearings so very scary! Searching the NH site as a US customer revealed that a refurbished unit was available at $1000 including the two bearings (that was about ｣650 in those pre-brexit days). I spoke to a dealer near a US resident family member and sent him the money - the unit was with him a couple of days later , my nephew picked it up and took it home and I got DHL to transport it from suburban Pennsylvania to rural Wales in not much than 24 hours and for a bit over ｣100. Customs duty added about 25% to the full price including transport. A local engineer charged me for 16 hours work fitting it which was about ｣300 and the tractor came back in a couple of days with a fully functional clutch and at a total price of
｣650
｣100
｣200 (tax)
｣300 (work)
｣65 (returnable if I can get the old clutch to the US)
so ｣1315 in total or about $2100 . The only regret is that I can't bring myself to throw away the old unit and it's not really practical to return it to the US to claim the $100 I've got it sitting on the side and mean to take it to a clutch specialist to see about resurfacing etc.

The devaluation of the ｣ has changed the economics of this transaction considerably but (especially if you're using a more fashionable currency) I imagine that it could be well worth looking at.

ABSOLUTELY DO SAVE YOUR OLD CLUTCH!
It can be rebuilt by any good clutch repair shop.
I replaced my 1920 Ford 4x4 clutch last year (1050 hrs), because I was refurbishing the entire tractor, and did not want to deal with clutch replacement anytime in the future.
I had a friend help me, and we split the tractor, and installed the clutch package ourselves.
I bought a new aftermarket clutch kit on E-Bay for a great price.
Project was first clutch for me, but with his knowledge and assistance, the installation went well.
My old clutch is saved for unlikely future use (I am 76 years old).
Glad to hear that your 2120 is now happily repaired.
In my opinion, the Ford -20 series tractors (Shibaura) are some of the best tractors ever built.

 

[Mike Newth]

We share a philosophy and I'll follow your example - if I can find the kit! m