Case IH 585 hard to shift

[Jrasband]

I am wondering if I can improve the shifting quality of this old tractor.

Shifting low,high, reverse lever is much easier than shifting the gear lever. foward reverse lever can be trickey to get into nuetral - sometimes I go back and forth from forward to reverse just trying to get into nuetral...

Shifting the gear lever can be so hard, it is impossible to shift while moving without stopping first. could this be a fluid problem, Is it possible there is dirt in the linkage? Hard to believe it came out of the factory like that.

I recently changed the hydralic fluid and filter, I replaced it with travler 46 as that is what was recommended. The fluid is very thick and I was wondering if putting something thinner in there would help.

I bled the system by removing a power steering hose and turning the wheel back and forth while running. Everything hydraulic seems to work good I think. The power steering does not work at idle - I have to give it a little throttle for it to work, is this normal?

Any ideas or advice are welcome.

 

[Jrasband]

Also, I get a slight grind when shifting from forward to reverse for what it's worth.

 

[LouNY]

It could be your clutch is not releasing completely or cleanly.
A slight grind while shifting from forward to reverse if you are stopped and have not released the clutch,
would lead towards that thought.
It could also be a pilot bearing binding a bit.

Also I do not believe that these are a synchronized transmission and they will grind unless motion is stopped.

 

[Jrasband]

I will adjust clutch to make sure it is in spec. The adjustment rod on the clutch where it connects to the linkage on the top is 1/3 worn through. I took it off and put epoxy on it, we'll see if it holds up.

Being that im mainly having problems with the gear selector it seems there is a issue other then the clutch.

I haven't noticed if the grind is only when im shifting from fwd to reverse in motion or not. I think that may be the issue. I will check it next time I use the tractor.

 

[Farmer495]

I am wondering if I can improve the shifting quality of this old tractor.

Shifting low,high, reverse lever is much easier than shifting the gear lever. foward reverse lever can be trickey to get into nuetral - sometimes I go back and forth from forward to reverse just trying to get into nuetral...

Shifting the gear lever can be so hard, it is impossible to shift while moving without stopping first. could this be a fluid problem, Is it possible there is dirt in the linkage? Hard to believe it came out of the factory like that.

I recently changed the hydralic fluid and filter, I replaced it with travler 46 as that is what was recommended. The fluid is very thick and I was wondering if putting something thinner in there would help.

I bled the system by removing a power steering hose and turning the wheel back and forth while running. Everything hydraulic seems to work good I think. The power steering does not work at idle - I have to give it a little throttle for it to work, is this normal?

Any ideas or advice are welcome.

The range lever (H L R) is not synchronized, you have to be perfectly stopped (even hold tractor with brake) when shifting it. Also, do not use the range lever as "neutral" since it's harder to put back into gear, even though it can be left in neutral (the later tractors removed "N" from the range lever shift knob)

Use speed lever (1 2 3 4) for neutral. Speed lever is synchronized you should be able to shift up or down on the move just by clutching and moving the lever. I do a lot of road haulage with that box spreading manure and use to bale a lot of hay with it, very easy shifting transmission.

If you take off the trans tunnel cover and the parking brake panel you will see almost all of the speed lever linkage. It could be seizing up or loose joints from wear. I am betting linkage issues are the problem. The range lever has way less moving parts before it goes into the transmission.

Last oil and filter change I just put in Walmart Universal Tractor Fluid, works perfect hot or cold.

Hyd system self bleeds by activating all hyd functions over and over a few times.

the 2wd models should turn wheels at idle, the 4wd likely will struggle at stop and dead idle.

 

[Jrasband]

The range lever (H L R) is not synchronized, you have to be perfectly stopped (even hold tractor with brake) when shifting it. Also, do not use the range lever as "neutral" since it's harder to put back into gear, even though it can be left in neutral (the later tractors removed "N" from the range lever shift knob)

Use speed lever (1 2 3 4) for neutral. Speed lever is synchronized you should be able to shift up or down on the move just by clutching and moving the lever. I do a lot of road haulage with that box spreading manure and use to bale a lot of hay with it, very easy shifting transmission.

If you take off the trans tunnel cover and the parking brake panel you will see almost all of the speed lever linkage. It could be seizing up or loose joints from wear. I am betting linkage issues are the problem. The range lever has way less moving parts before it goes into the transmission.

Last oil and filter change I just put in Walmart Universal Tractor Fluid, works perfect hot or cold.

Hyd system self bleeds by activating all hyd functions over and over a few times.

the 2wd models should turn wheels at idle, the 4wd likely will struggle at stop and dead idle.

So I ended up pulling the trans tunnel cover and I also pulled the seat and rear housing cover off as well to get a better look at everything. lots of dirt and debri all over the place. I cleaned everything best I could with compressed air and cleaned all of the joints with pb blaster. This helped a lot - the 3 pt hitch levers are smoother and eaiser to pull now.

The speed lever is working good for 1 & 2.

The linkages do not look worn as far as I can tell.

3 & 4 I was not able to improve at all. It is defiantly in the linkage that is preventing it from shifting smoothly. I disconnected it at the trans and was able to easily shift the gears with a cresent wrench. I think that there is debri or rust seizing it at the linkage point. I will have to remove the wheel, fender, and all of linkages up to the 3 & 4 linkage to remove, clean, and grease.

While I am at it I will change the wheel spacing to all the way out. I will also address some rust on the fender and repaint.

Hopefully will get to it tomorrow if my friend will let me use his shop. Will be easier while I got some stuff already removed. Will post a update afterwards.

 

[Jrasband]

So I got it all torn down, the shaft that holds all of the linkages was corroded as well as the brass bushings that slide over it. I polished everything with 320 emory cloth till it was shiny again. I used white lithium grease on everything for reassembly. Would of rather used anti-seize compound, I think it would last longer but i couldn't find any and didnt want to drive to town. I got it all back together and it is so much better, so easy to shift! I was amazed at how much better everything works lol. So the tractor is much more enjoyable to operate.

Thanks Farmer495 for your input, super helpful.

I still get a slight grind sometimes from shifting the range lever, when I am at a full stop holding the brake. I am pretty sure the clutch is adjusted properly.

 

[Farmer495]

So I got it all torn down, the shaft that holds all of the linkages was corroded as well as the brass bushings that slide over it. I polished everything with 320 emory cloth till it was shiny again. I used white lithium grease on everything for reassembly. Would of rather used anti-seize compound, I think it would last longer but i couldn't find any and didnt want to drive to town. I got it all back together and it is so much better, so easy to shift! I was amazed at how much better everything works lol. So the tractor is much more enjoyable to operate.

Thanks Farmer495 for your input, super helpful.

I still get a slight grind sometimes from shifting the range lever, when I am at a full stop holding the brake. I am pretty sure the clutch is adjusted properly.

You are welcome, glad you got it cleaned up, they shift nice when the linkage is tight. I love running through the gears hauling.

If you use range lever for "neutral", some gear clash is typical when putting into gear.

You should not get any gear clash going L to R or R to L for example if clutch fully depressed to floor and feet on brakes before moving range lever in one direct movement.

Clutch should be self adjusting, but manual adjust was on the older models, I'd have to look up when it switch over was.

Tractor could have internal wear from poor shifting habits years before you bought it, so if it doesn't grind too often or badly it might be just be the nature of the beast.

 

[repete]

Jrasband, I have a 584 and on rare occasions it gets locked in low range and cannot get to high or reverse. On mine when this happens, I use a crescent wrench to move the lower shift linkage as it goes into the transmission rearward to get it out. I have no real idea of why it may do this but I think it is related to shifting it too quickly.