ford 1715 pto not engaging

[double hunter]

Just got this ford 1715,,am having a problem with the pto engaging, the pto will engage but is not staying engaged,, the lever feels sloppy,,I feel like it is going to be a problem with the shift fork or detente ball assoc with it,,there is a plate on the bottom of the transmission close to where the pto shift lever goes into the transmission, my question is can the shift fork and its components be accessed vie this opening, thanks in advance

 

[Texasmark]

I don't know on the plate.....an I and T shop manual, usually available on ebay for a reasonable price, might tell/show you. My 2000 had that problem when purchased so I just put a bungie cord on the lever to keep it engaged. Lo and behold one day I engaged it and it stayed and has stayed ever since. Mystery to me as I can't come up with a mechanism for it to not hold and then hold when you consider wear would make it slip out and I did nothing to correct for wear.