Ford 600 Clutch Replacement

[CECILSSTEEL]

Yes, Mr. Ford made a good general purpose tractor with the Ford 600. My Uncle worked this tractor with a two bottom plow, 6.5' disc and 5' single blade rotary cutter when he purchased the tractor new.

For sentimental reasons I save the harder work for the new JD tractor. I would feel badly if I was working the Ford 600 hard and had to make a repair, not so badly if I was working the new JD hard and had to make a repair.

Soundguy, the flywheel is easy to turn by hand. In regards to engine compression, what does this indicate if anything?

 

[Soundguy]

well.. if the plugs are in, and you can 'easilly' spin the engine over by hand.. then I'd say stuck valves.. or darn low compression .

it's not uncommon to be able to muscle the fan belt around slowly if you try to.. but 'spins easilly' is an issue.. )

soundguy

 

[CECILSSTEEL]

Clutch kit came in today. Successful at mating the engine and transmission back together.

Using long jack bolts took 30 minutes to close the gap from 10 inches to within 1 inch. Then another 2 hours from 1 inch to 7/8 inch. I was about ready to quit for the day by my 86 year old neighor who was helping, was not about to give up. He said let me try this, slightly moved the chalks back on the front tires (axle wedges still in place), rocks the right front axle and then the left front axle and low & behold the stress is releived on the jack bolts. In the next ten minutes we had the transmission and engine bolted back together in perfect alignment. I guess it would have taken me a week to figure this out.

In a day or two should have the tractor completely back together and up & running.

As far as the engine compression, another project for later, late fall or winter. In the mean time the engine is easy to crank cold or warm, runs smooth, and is stronger after after warming up. Had no problems cultivating last year in sandy soil.

 

[Soundguy]

I'm not sure I'd be concerned with comp testing an easy starting machine that worked good..


soundguy

 

[CECILSSTEEL]

I have another question before I give the tractor a test drive. All the components have been installed back on, transmission fluid added back and the hydraulic fluid replaced with new fluid.

Since the hydraulic manifold was dropped out during the clutch dissassembly, do I need to manually prime the hydraulic pump (piston type) before cranking the tractor, or will the hydraulic pump be self priming on its own when cranking?

Thanks for the engine advice.

I have life in the clutch and brake pedals now.

 

[Soundguy]

It will likely self prime if the pump inards stayed wet.

However, you can always remove the plug in the head of the pump and crank over till oil bubbles out and help it out.

soundguy

 

[CECILSSTEEL]

The new clutch and pressure plate made all the difference. Tractor works great, no longer lugging the engine when taking off in 3rd or 4th gear, which occurred with the old clutch. The 600 is now ready to do some work!

Soundguy, thanks for the help. :thumbsup:

 

[Soundguy]

have fun.. she's good for another few decades now!

soundguy

 

[duck77619]

!!New to the forum. I have the same tractor being discussed in this thread; I work this tractor....HARD! I run cattle on an 800 acre island. due to weight restrictions on my cattle barge I'm limited to tractor size and bush hog size. An old tractor is easy to work on and will do the work usually without any issues, as opposed to a new electronic gizzwilly tractor. I have to work on the tractor where ever it goes down at. Im presently down in the middle of a pasture 500 yds from the barge landing and have to transport everything....YAY!!! Will be doing the same job discussed here with the addition of a NEW flywheel. I can find the flywheel gear but no complete flywheel. Does anyone know where I can find the complete flywheel? And what additional parts would be a good idea to change while she's busted open? Thanks for any help.

 

[Cbrown9064]

Do you need a new flywheel? Why not just take it to a machine shop and see if it can be resurfaced. I know that is another trip/delay, but most likely the flywheel can still be used.