Clutch slipping? Or not?

[Atlas222]

Hi. I have a 2013 Mahindra 3016. I was mowing a pasture with my bush hog and the tractor suddenly lost almost all of its momentum. It felt like the clutch was slipping. It would not move uphill at all in a higher gear, and I was only able to get it out of the pasture in low. But then, after sitting for two days, it seems to be running fine. I am fairly handy, but not an auto or tractor mechanic. Any thoughts before I take it to a professional?

If it is relevant, I have had a clutch problem recently where in my clutch plates are sticking together. On two separate occasions after the tractor sat for a while, I had to bump it into a tree to get it to release, so that the clutch pedal would start working again. Maybe related to my new slipping problem?

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

Does your clutch pedal have a little free play before it engages? Our oldest tractor is 1980 and we have 5 more. On a farm and also haul dirt and cut logs. Never put a clutch in these.

 

[Atlas222]

No play or odd movement in the clutch pedal. The clutch pedal seemed to be working as normal. And the engine was running fine and throttling correctly. When I would put it in gear, the tractor wanted to move, like it budged slightly, so I think the clutch pedal is working fine.

 

[Roadworthy]

I don't think the clutch pedal IS working fine. I think it's riding the clutch causing slippage. Adjust it to the point where you have some free play on the pedal (perhaps an inch) before it actually starts to do anything. I think your slipping problem will disappear.

 

[Atlas222]

OK, thank you! I will try that. Does it sound to you like it could have been some sort of temporary catch, since everything seems to be working fine today? When I was in the pasture, I could at best creep along in the lowest gear. Today I went uphill in the highest gear with full power and torque.

 

[ptsg]

I wonder if a stick or something got stuck somewhere in the clutch linkage and caused it to disengage. Then, somehow it popped out or moved slightly and start working again.

 

[sandman2234]

The first thing that comes to mind, is where does your left foot sit once you start moving? If it stays on the peddle, you will have clutch issues and this might be a warning sign?
David from jax

 

[MarkF48]

Something to try.....
Put two adjacent dots of paint on your rear wheels, one on the tire, one on the wheel. A tire with low air pressure that slips on the rim can seem like a clutch slipping. I had this happen one winter while moving snow. My rear tires are loaded with beet juice which evidently helped the slippage.

 

[Atlas222]

I truly appreciate all of these thoughts and suggestions. I know I do not ride the clutch, so that is not my issue. Something getting stuck in the linkage sounds the most like what I experienced, especially because it started working again and seems to be fine now.

also, the idea of the rim spinning inside the tire is a good description of the way it felt, but I actually did watch that when it was happening, and that was not the problem either. And my tire pressure is good.

I am planning to take it back out to the pasture today, but I will spend a bit of time in an area that does not have as much uphill slope, just in case it starts happening again. But first I will adjust my clutch pedal to make sure it has a little bit of play in it. Thanks again for all of y’all’s input.

 

[Nc wes]

Just finished with a similar issue with my clutch. Started sqealing a bit and clutch petal would not return all the way up on its own. Ended up breaking it in half. Found moisture in the housing and the shaft that moves the throw out bearing was really stiff. Spent about 3 days on and off cleaning it up with neighbor and glad to say it seems better than new now. Still not sure how water made it in there but replaced the throw out bearing as well as the clutch plate.
Spent the $ to pickup the service manual which was somewhat helpful.