JD 950 - YM 3000 - Stuck Clutch?

[Scotty Dive]

So....I got this diamond in the rough John Deere 950. It has only 460 original hours on it....Axel seals were shot and lots of rust from sitting outside over the last few years.

Got everything working again - the FEL works although it needs a joystick contoller to replace the original two lever system ...replaced the seals and fired her up after changing the hydraulic fluid - there was water in there which probably caused the seals to fail. Refilled and its still milky so it really needs another draining. Anyways..... the engine purrs like it just rolled off the assembly line but it wont move.

With the clutch pedal in, I can shift into any gear and without the clutch I can get it into any gear with a bit of grinding but no forward movement. When its in "gear" I can hear some mechanical noise like somethings engaged. Is it the stuck clutch syndrom? How can I verify its the clutch stuck? I adjusted the clutch a bit both ways (tighter / looser) but no difference. I have to admit, when I push the clutch I really dont "feel" the clutch like on my YM2020 or my Jeep. Wasn't there a trick to unstick it without splitting it?

 

[284 International]

So the tractor won't move under any circumstances? I don't think that is stuck clutch syndrome, thought it might be worn out. . If the clutch is corroded, pressing the clutch pedal won't disengage the transmission. To free it, letting the tractor press or pull against a heavy load with the pedal depressed will usually break everything loose.

That's a bummer. I hope it is something else. Try engaging the PTO, and see if it works. That may help isolate where the disconnect is between the engine and the tires.

 

[Scotty Dive]

PTO works just fine. So if the clutch was stuck, it would be stuck in a gear? I would be surprised if it was totally worn out after less than 500 hours.

 

[clemsonfor]

PTO works just fine. So if the clutch was stuck, it would be stuck in a gear? I would be surprised if it was totally worn out after less than 500 hours.

Not if it was resting in neutral. If it was left in neutral with the clutch down wont it stick to the pressureplate and pushing the petal wont release it, so there fore you cant go into any gear.

How about this can you put a pto implement on and engage it like a bushhog, then clutch in start the pto and lower the BH blades to the ground to see if it breaks anything loose?

 

[California]

This doesn't sound like 'stuck clutch'. If it were, cranking the engine in any gear would lurch the tractor forward (or reverse), with the driveline solidly connected all the way from the engine to the wheels.

The clutch should feel like a Jeep except maybe less force needed. It's probably the same clutch as used in a Japanese car.

This sounds like a badly slipping clutch if you can jam it into gear without pushing the clutch pedal. It's possible the clutch hub is broken loose from the fiber disc. Or possibly the linkage isn't allowing full engagement.

I wouldn't split the tractor without more troubleshooting, but I fear this is where this will go.

 

[winston1]

The 950 had a 2 stage clutch after 1984. Don't know whether yours does or not? Do you know year model? If it has a two stage clutch the pto could work without the tractor moving.

If the clutch was stuck the tractor would move. Clutches stick in the engaged position

Based on your description of grinding when the clutch is not engaged I'm guessing your clutch is a gonner.

 

[kenmac]

Based on your description of grinding when the clutch is not engaged I'm guessing your clutch is a gonner.

I would agree with the above.. Clutch & or pressure plate

 

[yanmars]

The low hours does not mean it isn't the clutch. I let a novice use my Yanmar 336d, he did not use it that long but he rode the clutch constantly I found out and the clutch was soon gone.
Potentially that may be why it sat out, trouble with the clutch so it did not get used and sat out.
If you have an ag shop in one of your local schools they often work on the same for the experience but you cannot be in any hurry to get it back.

 

[chriswheeler]

Hard to judge because the 950 and YM 3000 have a different clutch set up. I have both. The 950 has a live clutch, or a 2 disc clutch, one for drive, one for the pto. With the clutch pedle out, both are engaged on the 950. ( on those built after 1984 ) When depressing the clutch, first part disengages the pto, all the way in is the drive. YM 3000 is a simple single 1 disc clutch. Could be one of 2 things. First and most likely with that low of hours is the coupling on the splined drive shaft has stripped. Had this happen once on my YM 3000. It takes spliting the tractor to fix. Second could be the pressure plate or clutch plate is either stuck or shot on the inner part of the clutch. Drive on the 950 is the clutch plate closest to the flywheel. Tractor split again. Eather way, you are going to split the tractor to see what's going on. After the split, make sure and take the flywheel off and check out the bell housing bolts to the engine. High stress area. My YM 3000 had the lower 5 of 8 bolts broken with the bolt heads trapped behind the flywheel grinding to a powder. My 950 had a brace added between the engine and the trans where it looks like someone had the same problem. I have a small cover on the lower left side of my 950, you might remove the 2 bolts and try to look inside. Don't think it's going to let you see enough from that little hole. Small chance you could see something stuck if it is. Think you are going to end up splitting this one. Be sure the clutch is engaged on the 950 before the split. Otherwise you have the clutch disks slip on the pressure plates and alignment on this tractor doing 2 disks at once is no fun.
Chris

Chris

 

[chriswheeler]

Also, that "grinding" sound you get, sounds just like what my YM 3000 sounded like when it stripped out the drive coupling just in front of the trans. Output of the trans and the drive shaft are harder than the coupling, I just needed the coupling and to clean the metal out of both shafts. Hoye had the part for a reasonable price, might have it for the 950, could be the same part.
Chris