cant find 1st and 3rd gear

[COASTBUSTER]

I have a Ford 4000 hd industrial backhoe loader. 1964 I think. runs great but the shifter wont go into 1st or 3rd gear. 2nd,4th and reverse work fine. Is there a shifting fork problem ? I f so,how hard is to fix? Can it be done by accessing the fork from under the shifter plate? Dan

 

[Opti-Mist]

Depending on the cause, maybe. Pull the shift cover to expose the shift forks and rails.

 

[COASTBUSTER]

I TOOK THE SHIFTER COVER OFF AND WITH THE HELP OF THE SERVICE MANUAL,DISCOVERED THAT THERE ARE 3 SHIFT RAILS FOR THE FORKS. 1 ON TOP FOR 1ST AND 3RD,TWO AT THE BOTTOM OF TRANNY CASE ,FOR 2ND AND 4TH AND 1 FOR REVERSE. TURNS OUT THAT THE GEAR OIL WAS VERY LOW. P.S. I JUST BOUGHT THIS TRACTOR. THE SHIFTER RAIL FOR 1ST AND 3RD WAS RUSTY AT THE ENDS,I GUESS FROM CONDENSATION OVER THE YEARS,SO WITH THE HELP OF A HAMMER AND CHISEL,I WAS ABLE TO GET IT TO SLIDE BACK AND FORTH. A LITTLE LUBE IN THE RIGHT PLACE AND 5 QTS OF GEAR LUBE AND I NOW HAVE ALL 4 GEARS AND REVERSE. MORE SIMPLE THAN I EXPECTED. THANKS FOR THE REPLY. DAN