F 1700 Differential Lock

[namvet69]

Anybody had any experience with the Differential Lock on a 1700 or similar? mine has never worked and looking at the manual I just see a fork on the shaft. There's also a pin on the shaft inside the case. Anybody know anything about this? My manual doesn't go into detail about it. Just wanted some advise before I take it apart. Thanks.


NV

 

[JC-jetro]

Anybody had any experience with the Differential Lock on a 1700 or similar? mine has never worked and looking at the manual I just see a fork on the shaft. There's also a pin on the shaft inside the case. Anybody know anything about this? My manual doesn't go into detail about it. Just wanted some advise before I take it apart. Thanks.


NV

I never opened it up myself. On my 1700 it is much happier if I come to a full stop before I engage it with heel of my right foot. I have to keep it compressed for it to stay engaged. On several occasions lifting the foot off did not disengage it completely and had to fiddle with it a bit. A brief change of direction (backward ) popped it lose on several occasions. There is no adjustment for it on the outside and quite a bit of serious disassembly is required just to get to it. What does it do when you engage it ? does a bit of back and forth motion help it to engage or not?


JC,


PS. Just a peek inside of the 1700 differential housing looking thru hyd lift cylinder housing. It doe not show the fork but shows the engagement ring (same as sliding gear).

 

[RickB]

Having a non-functional difflock isn't all bad. There are 3 pins welded to a shift collar of sorts that does the actual lockup. The collar and one of the pins are visible in JC's excelent photo. Often one or more pins will break free of the collar and float free, making it impossible to disengage the difflock. If yours is totally inoperative and does not randomly engage, I'd leave it alone and learn to live without it. Farmers used differential braking to control wheelspin for 50 years before anyone knew what a difflock was; you can, too.

 

[namvet69]

Thanks guys. I guess I got use to it working on my 3000 pulling logs out but steering with the brakes always helped too. I know, if it ain't broke, don't fix it... but it is broke and I just can't stand to have something that won't work right. On the 3000 when one wheel starts spinning, like when I'm pulling a 3 bottom, I just kick it down with my heel and away we go, but the 1700, the wheel just keeps spinning and there I am, lifting the plows to keep going. On the 300, as soon as I let off a little, it unlocks.


NV

 

[JC-jetro]

Thanks guys. I guess I got use to it working on my 3000 pulling logs out but steering with the brakes always helped too. I know, if it ain't broke, don't fix it... but it is broke and I just can't stand to have something that won't work right. On the 3000 when one wheel starts spinning, like when I'm pulling a 3 bottom, I just kick it down with my heel and away we go, but the 1700, the wheel just keeps spinning and there I am, lifting the plows to keep going. On the 300, as soon as I let off a little, it unlocks.


NV

Namvet,

It is the cost benefit ratio to determine a course of action, at times I was stuck in a little shallow hole and all of a sudden came " a bright idea" and, and got to work only to find myself in much deeper hole . I suggest you find price and availability of the consumable parts such as seal, gasket and etc before taking things apart. See if can even get a sliding collar before you break in to your tractor. Rick has it right. please post us some pics if you decide to dive in and do the repair job. Personally, I leave it alone if it is not damaging any other components of rear axle drive.

Good luck,
JC,