New Member with 1984 Ford 1910

[ClayK]

Hello All,
I just recently purchased a Ford 1910 with a Du-Al loader for $3500.00. I plan on using it to landscaping work around my place. The amount of hours on it are unknown. But, everything seems to work except the 4wd will not engage. It was used inside a building to load coal and the previous owner stated that he never used it in 4wd. The first I will do is to clean it up and change all the fluids. Then I will look into figuring out what's wrong with the 4wd. I'm sure I will have lots of questions for everyone here. Thank you in advance for your help. I've ordered an owners manual but while I'm waiting on it to come in, can you answer the following questions:

How do I change the fluid in the front axel?

Is the procedure different for changing the hydraulic fluid since it has a loader?

What are some of the possible problems that would prevent the 4wd from engaging? (The lever doesn't seem to travel far enough to engage the front wheels)

Thanks,
Clay

 

[rayikeo2]

Putting in the 4 wheel drive with a loader. It has been discussed here before, make the front wheels are straight, try lifting the lever up, it takes a little effort to pop it into 4WD. If it doesn't engage, use the front loader to lift the front wheels off the ground and try it that way with the same effort. It is not a smooth gear change, there is a resistance and it sort of pops into gear. Take it out the same way by popping it down. The lever doesn't move very far to engage, only a couple of inches, you can feel it go into gear.

 

[90cummins]

It’s possible that the 4wd is bad because it was used initially when loading coal, using 4wd during loader work on hard surfaces is very, very stressful on the driveline components.
Driveline wrap-up can destroy gears, shafts and couplings.
If don’t find any metal in the front axle when you drain the oil I would suspect that the sliding coupling that engages 4wd is stripped of its splines.
Cosmetically the tractor looks to be in pretty good condition however the mechanical condition is unknown.
Looking at the tires it has seen a lot of work.
The loss of 4wd was most likely compensated by ballast on the 3ph.
When I use the loader on a hard surface I will use my 3ph forks to pick-up approx. 1000lbs of concrete ballast so I do not need to use 4wd. This places the stress on the rear axle which is built much stronger than the front axle.
If rear ballast in not possible I will engage 4wd only when absolutely necessary and never when turning tight corners.
90cummins

 

[jimmysisson]

Is it possible just the lever won't move because of disuse? These sometimes stick where they penetrate the housing, or a detent ball prevents you from moving it. Simple things first, but I'd want to know what the fluids look like in any event.
Jim

 

[90cummins]

Absolutely! I went a bit deeper than I should have given the time you've had it.
90cummins

 

[ClayK]

Well, I'll know more when I change out the fluids this weekend. It sounds like I may be better off just using the tractor as is then selling it rather than putting any money into it. At what point is it not worth it?

 

[rayikeo2]

If the previous owner didn't use the 4WD it won't be worn out. Actually it may still be in near like new condition. Keep trying to get it in gear.

 

[ClayK]

Ok, I got the fluids changed in the engine and transmission/rear differential. The hydraulic fluid was a little grey but there was not any metallic pieces or debris. I didn't get a chance to change the front differential fluid as it started to pour down rain. Ah, the joys of not having a garage. I did find out that there are 2 hour meters on the tractor. Their combined time is about 6000 hours. The engine looks as if it was replaced or rebuilt at some point as it is a different color blue than the rest of the tractor. I will also need to replace the water pump because the pulley is wobbling. I'll try to get that ordered today.

I tried all the ways mentioned about getting the 4wd to engage. But, I had no luck. I think I'm going to use it in 2WD mode until I get my garage built or decide to sell it. No use and pulling it all apart if I can use it as is. Again, still don't know if it is worth putting much money into it. Everything else on the tractor seems to work well like the hydraulics, PTO, 3 pt lift, and FEL. When it stops raining, I'll try to post some more pictures.

Clay

 

[Soundguy]

i'd try penetrant oil on the linkags and any sliding shaft collars.. etc. maybee even light tapping.

check out the exploded diagrams to.. can give you a clue as to operation.