Please help I'm stuck!

[barngal]

JD 870

I was mowing in deep grass and ran into a small pile of logs which jammed in front of my front and rear wheels. (I should have known they were there)

The complication: my clutch is stuck in first and won't engage. It does work the PTO.
Now I can't start the tractor because the clutch is stuck in first gear. Can't get into neutral or reverse.df

?somehow too much pressure on the transmission?.

If I can't remove the logs, is there another alternative? I've thought of jacking the tractor or blocking and trying to dig out the logs (a safer alternative). Is there anything mechanically I can try first?

Any ideas? I hate leaving it unattended in this field...

 

[LD1]

Look underneath. Might have a log or stick binding up the clutch pedal or linkage

 

[EddieWalker]

I had something like that happen with a Jeep CJ5 once. I got it twisted in such a way that the clutch wouldn't disengage and I couldn't get it out of reverse. Fortunately I had a winch and I was able to pull it to a flat enough spot where I could get the clutch to work again. Bad design on Jeeps part with part of the linkage on the frame and part of it on the bell housing.

In your situation, I would find some way to pull it out of there. If you can't get a vehicle close enough to hook up a chain, it might be time to buy a Come Along. Jacking it up might work, but usually you are still in the same spot that you got into trouble and it's easier and faster to just drag it to a spot where you want to be.

Good luck,
Eddie

 

[pmsmechanic]

Can you turn the engine backwards to release the pressure on the gears? Just grab the fan or put a wrench on the alternator pulley bolt and turn. Sometimes you have to hold the belt tight by hand to be able to turn the engine over. Just make sure the key is off and the stop knob if it has one is pulled out.

This is if the info given in post number two doesn't work as I would do that too.

 

[barngal]

Thanks. The clutch linkage is clear. I thought about trying to pull it out with the truck. I'll give it a shot I do have a come along I was hoping there was yet easy way out ha ha . I'll post what works thanks

 

[zzvyb6]

Is it in 4WD ? If so, push down the 4WD lever beside the seat. Also, I believe you mean it won't allow you to move the shift lever. If so, try to shift it into the intermediate gear range (other lever on the left side of the seat). That will unlock the front to rear diff enough to move the shift lever into neutral.

Is the pto locked up ? If so, try to remove the drive shaft or raise the mower with a jack to release the blades.

If nothing else works, jack up the front with a floor jack and pick the front wheels off the ground. That also releases the front to rear diff.

My 1070 does exactly the same thing once in a while.

 

[beenthere]

Were you mowing with a belly mower or one on the 3 ph?

A pic or two would help, but you probably are well on the way to get it "unstuck".

Don't know for sure from what is described, if this is an issue where you can't start it because of a safety switch for the neutral position, or just how the logs are affecting the problem. So prolly not much help here. If the safety switch, then might be able to bypass it if able to find it and get to it.

 

[Loadstar]

Are you able able to rock the rear tires by hand. Sometimes in a bind you can grab a tread and grab the shifter and start rocking.

 

[pohorsky]

I know if our mower gets bound up on something, the tractor cannot shift in order out of gear. Our mower has a shear pin which sometimes I'll remove to get the PTO freely spinning or if I have some help, I'll pull it with our other tractor until it's free.

 

[LD1]

IF the linkage isnt binding, my question is:

Is the clutch actually not releasing? Or are you just unable to shift gears with the clutch pushed?

If the clutch is actually releasing but not allowing you to change gears, is it possible to start the tractor with the clutch just pushed? Does this tractor have 2 shifters? A H-L-R shifter and a 1-4 shifter? And if so, are both not working? Please give some more detail.

Betting you wish you had a HST tractor right now.....

 

[barngal]

The clutch is not releasing, so when I push the clutch, the engine doesn't turn over. Its a PTO driven mower, and I don't think the mower is jammed but I'll check.
I couldn't shift the intermediate gear lever either. I don't think I was mowing in 4wd but I'll double check.
Yes zzvyb6, my clutch problem is the same as you have mentioned before. The clutch problem preceded this event, which complicated everything.
I believe the logs are the main complication, locking up the diff (if I have the right terminology) so I suspect getting them out will let me get the tractor back into neutral and started.
I can't work on it again until tonight or the morning, but I have gotten a lot of good ideas on things to try. My guess is I will be jacking it up or pulling it out but we'll see.

 

[LD1]

Stuck in first gear, the starter should still have enough azz to crank and spin the engine, tires, mower, and anything hooked to it.

Is the starter even attempting to start? or do you have a safety locking you out of engaging the starter?

 

[beenthere]

I'm not fully understanding your description of the problem, so am hoping you understand it better and can decipher what took place, and get it corrected.

 

[davesl708]

I am not sure of the problem with the logs being stuck. If they are wedged between the front and rear tires or between the tires and the frame. Either way letting the air out of the tires would free the jam. A portable/hand saw to cut the logs in half would work as well to unjam the drive.

 

[zzvyb6]

The 870 970 and 1070 have a 'neutral start only' requirement. She has to get it into neutral on the center floor stalk in order to engage the starter. If she defeats the switch, it may start with the clutch pushed in, but its just bad practice to defeat safety devices or teach people how to do it.

I believe the tractor is situated between some logs that are a little too close to the wheels to allow then to reach a neutral drive moment. (meaning that the front drive torque is fighting the rear drive torque) and the transmission is holding diff loads that prevents the shifter fork from moving the intermediate shaft. This is a manual shuttle transmission. The shuttle is stuck by gear side loads.

I suppose you could bang on the shifter with a hammer or a board to pull it out of gear, but the risk of breaking the fork and or other parts is pretty high.

Best practice to pull the range control lever on the left side of the seat either forward or rearward (depending which of the 3 ranges its in) just far enough to disengage the transmission final drive without changing ranges. This will put the tractor into a neutral state with unloaded gears even though the main tranny is in R, or 1-3.

If the front tires are not filled with liquid, you can let out some air from them to release the driveline torque. A floor jack will easily solve this problem if you can get a front tire off the ground. Then use the foot operated rear wheel diff lock to crawl the machine out from over the logs.

Towing the tractor out of the situation may break an axle shaft.

 

[barngal]

Thanks to all, got it fixed!
Got the logs out of the way, but now the mower was dropped and the tires didn't move at all, so the transmission still felt "jammed" and I couldn't get the shifter into neutral. I didn't want to bang with a hammer, I was already pulling with all my weight and afraid I'd break something. I jacked up the front axel a little and was able to get it in neutral start the tractor, raise the mower and drive off!

I mowed for 2 hrs and the clutch was still "stuck", as in, it would not engage (but it did work the pto properly).
At the very end of mowing the clutch got "unstuck", and starting working properly. Altogether a good day for the tractor.

zzvyb6 is correct; the logs were jamming the tires, felt like the transmission was "locked", too much tension. I can't start the tractor without being in neutral. I also couldn't shift the range control lever; but I didn't know about trying to start even while pulling on that lever.
Lots of great ideas here for future reference, thanks to all.