Please help I'm stuck!

[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.