Gravely 5200 Hi Low question

[epoxyoyo]

Ok I got my 5200 up and running with the new Honda Clone engine. Runs great. Only thing is I have adjusted my forward and reverse rods and they work fine. Hig and Low rods are also adjust but here in lies the problem or so I think. I move the high low lever to a neutral position and when I move the forward reverse lever the tractor still moves. It does "eem" to change speeds when I move all the way between high and low but there seems to be no neutral midpoint. Is this normal or could it be really be stuck in either high or low. I tried sing the rotary plow today with the lever moved all the way back today in the low position and it seemed to be too fast. Level was pulled all the way back and locked down and the arm the lever goes through was all the way back also. Any thoughts on what to look for? Thanks

 

[oldmech]

Hi! First! Try to adjust bands more tight.If bands are too loose they slip and can destroy itself very fast. I buy 3 Gravely and all was bands too loose. Get bands tight. If bands are too loose the planetary dont work . No speed change. You adjust the bands by rods shifters. Good luck !Oldmech

 

[epoxyoyo]

Thanks for the reply but I'm not sure where the rod shifters your talking about are located. All I see are the adjustment nuts on each side of the levers that the control linkage rods go through from the handle bars. Are these something inside the transmission that will require em taking the engine back off?

 

[2manyrocks]

OldGravelys.Net: Gravely Manuals & Parts Lists: Walk-Behind Tractors

Get the factory manual. It will give you the proper adjustment procedure.

Did you post your clone conversion here? Would like to see what you did.

 

[epoxyoyo]

Thanks. I have the manual but it doesn't go into detail enough. Guess I'll have to fiddle with it till I figure it out. I haven't posted the clone project yet. I will get it up soon.

 

[RichardTX]

The tractor will creep in neutral. It is the nature of the thing. Make sure you have good oil in the transmission and that it is full. If you have not changed the transmission oil in a while it might be a good idea to put in 6 fresh quarts.

 

[epoxyoyo]

Thanks RichardTX. I did drain the old fluid out and put in new however I used 90wt and then read later that the 5000 series should use 10w-30. I plant to drain and refill with 10w-30 to see if that makes a difference.

 

[RichardTX]

Old Gravelys.net has all the manuals for your tractor.

90 wt is generally not a good idea in a Gravely as some 90 wt gear oil will attack the brass differential gear. Also the sulfur added makes it more like a cutting oil than a lubricating oil. Personally I use 20w50 because of the high temps in my location. It is supposed to be 100-103 for the next 5 days.

Since the 5200 is a two speed machine, it will be a little fast for plowing but if you keep the RPMs down it should be manageable. Many a garden has been plowed for many years with a two speed machine. In the overall history of the tractor, the 4 speed tractor came out many years after the plow. Don't try to plow virgin soil to max depth at the start. Unbroken soil will likely require 3 or more passes increasing the depth each time.


If you question if the high-low is working check your ground speed. It should be noticeably faster in high especially at higher RPMs.

 

[epoxyoyo]

Thanks RichardTX for the advice. I'm going to drain the 90 weight this weekend and put in regular oil and see what that does. I was trying to dig to deep with the plow. It's hot and dry here as well in South Georgia. Looks like you guys are under the same drought we are. I'll start out going down a couple inches to break the surface and then go over it again a couple more inches till I get down about 8 inches.

 

[RichardTX]

I have found that when plowing multiple times, reversing direction every other pass helps. If prevents the soil from being mounded up too high in the center.

I assume you read the manual on how to operate it and adjust the plow angle.

The angle is fairly critical. Once set, it should just steer straight without any operator intervention.

"Look Ma! - No hands!"