LOADER REMOVAL/CLUTCH ADJUSTMENT

[greg_g]

Nice clear description, QSF!

Agreed. Same two things I was describing, albeit mine were troubleshooting steps to perform prior to actually dropping the loader mount (or splitting the tractor). QSF just did a better job.

//greg//

 

[Rod Wood]

Here's the way I like to do it: Get a helper. With the tractor off, put the PTO in gear. Remove the clutch switch. Have your helper push the clutch in all the way and go to the back of the tractor and see if you can turn the PTO output shaft. Adjust the stop bolt to the tightest setting where you can freely turn the output shaft. Put the clutch switch back and adjust it so that it closes when the pedal is against the bolt. If you put the switch in too much it will act as the clutch stop and you'll smash it when you stomp on the pedal.

If you don't have a helper to press on the clutch, I've found that a come-along on the pedal attached to something sturdy is good for holding the pedal down. Nothing else I could think of holds it securely all the way down.

If the PTO clutch needs adjusting it's likely the drive clutch does as well. There needs to be a gap between the clutch bearing and the clutch fork, otherwise the bearing will wear out quickly. As the clutch disk wears that gap shrinks. There is an inspection port on the side of the tractor. (If you have a front end loader the port cover is removed and the holes are used for a front-end-loader support.) Remove the cover. With the pedal released there should be a .1" gap between the bearing and the clutch fingers. Adjust the length of the rod that attaches to the clutch pedal to get that gap to 0.1" when the pedal is released.

The drive clutch adjustment affects the PTO clutch adjustment so the drive clutch should be done first.

There is a more involved adjustment that is done on the clutch itself to make sure all of the clutch fingers are pressing equally. That adjustment does not change with wear and should not need to be changed if it was set properly when the clutch was installed.The finger adjustment can also be used to adjust for wear but I find it simpler to adjust from the outside.

I agree QSF posted a very descriptive Comment, All Posts are helpful to me, I have printed this post I'm going to take it to my shop,
Thanks
Rod Wood

 

[quicksandfarmer]

There needs to be a gap between the clutch bearing and the clutch fork, otherwise the bearing will wear out quickly. As the clutch disk wears that gap shrinks.

Since I posted this I've been doubting myself. Did I get that right? There's enough moving parts in the clutch pack that it's easy to get backwards which direction things move in. But I think I did. As the disk wears the pressure plate moves closer to the flywheel. Pushing the fingers toward the flywheel moves the pressure plate away from the flywheel, so moving the pressure plate toward the flywheel moves the fingers away from the flywheel, toward the bearing, which closes the gap at the bearing.

With the two-stage clutch, there are two gaps that control its operation. The drive clutch gap controls how pedal travel before the drive clutch starts to disengage. The PTO clutch gap controls the amount of pedal travel before the PTO clutch starts to disengage. As the disks wear, the drive gap decreases and the PTO gap increases. So a clutch that has gone too long without adjustment has the bearing rubbing on the drive clutch, and won't disengage the PTO clutch even if the clutch is all the way in.

You can adjust both gaps inside the clutch, or you can compensate by adjusting the pedal travel. When the pedal is released and at the high extent of its travel the connecting rod can be adjusted to give the necessary gap at the bearing. When the pedal is depressed all the way in, at the low extent of its travel, the stop bolt can be adjusted to insure that the PTO clutch is fully disengaged.

 

[greg_g]

When you do this through the inspection window, there are two basic gaps to set. One is between the two halves of the clutchpack, and when set correctly should cause the transmission clutch to release at the 50% pedal point. The PTO should still be turning. The remaining 50% of pedal travel releases the PTO clutch. This is the one you cannot do from the outside. The second gap is between the TOB and the release fingers. Assuming all fingers are at an equal height, you make that adjustment at the threaded clutch pull rod on the outside of the tractor. If the finger height is seen to be unequal, it gets more complicated. You must get all three (or six) fingers adjusted to the point that they contact the TOB simultaneously. When that's the case, finger height should be done before adjusting the TOB gap.

//greg//