TC 29D Clutch Adjustment?

[ArchyD]

The clutch on my TC29 with 1500 hours on it has started to slip. I noticed it first when running in the higher gears. The other day I was moving some fill dirt when it stopped pulling and just slipped. I immediately dropped the load and put the tractor in the barn. On inspection, I could not find an adjustment for the clutch. The clutch pedal shaft runs directly into the bell housing with no adjustment that I could see.

Does anyone know if it does indeed have an adjustment? If so, where? Also, my dealer's shop manager couldn't tell me on the phone if it did or not. Or if that model (two wheel drive with 9 speed) had a two stage clutch or not. My feeling is that it is a single stage clutch.
Thanks in advance,
ArchyD.

 

[Hooked_on_HP]

I just went to the NH parts website and looked up TC29 -pedal assemblys. It looks like there is a adjusting rod going from the clutch pedal to the clutch arm on the belhousing. Remove the pin from the clevice, loosen the jam nut and turn the clevice to get your freeplay. I'm not positive on this. I'm sure some one will correct me if I am wrong.

 

[JC-jetro]

I just went to the NH parts website and looked up TC29 -pedal assemblys. It looks like there is a adjusting rod going from the clutch pedal to the clutch arm on the belhousing. Remove the pin from the clevice, loosen the jam nut and turn the clevice to get your freeplay. I'm not positive on this. I'm sure some one will correct me if I am wrong.

clutch slippage happens when you loose clutch plate material to the point that pressure plate can not pressure clutch plate tight against the fly wheel. At that point higher torque can not be transmitted from engine to transmission. The adjustment that you are talking about is for the distance between relase bearing (throw out bearing) and pressure plate fingers. That adjustment is to make sure you have enough gap so bearing will not be resting on the fingers to cause damage. In the same time you do not want the gap be so great as you can not push the pressure plate completely to disengage clutch plate from flywheel and pressure plate for a smooth shift.

There is an outside chance that your release bearing already touches the pressure plate fngers and causing the clutch plate slipping. In that hypotetical situation increasing the gap should help the situation. I reckon your clutch plate is getting thin

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[RickB]

Well if the clutch disc is wearing thin, the fingers are moving out to the release bearing as a result. Hence the reduction in freeplay and the need to adjust the linkage. Pretty much what happens with clutch wear.

 

[JC-jetro]

Well if the clutch disc is wearing thin, the fingers are moving out to the release bearing as a result. Hence the reduction in freeplay and the need to adjust the linkage. Pretty much what happens with clutch wear.

True, but I don't think that will add anymore torque carrying capacity to the clutch plate. The purpose of the fingers are just to release pressure off of pressure plate for shift change and not to add pressure between pressure plate and the clutch plate against the flywheel. So you can adjust all you want but once clutch thickness is gone you're done for. At least that's may understanding of it. would like to know if I'm wrong. Please chime in.

 

[RickB]

Your'e not wrong, but not totally right either.
Let's say there is no freeplay in the clutch pedal. By definition, the release bearing is at the very least touching the pressure plate fingers, and in many cases is partially unloading the pressure plate. Measurable freeplay insures the pressure plate is not partially released when the pedal is at rest. This scenario can, will, and does cause the clutch disc to slip. Slip it enough, and the disc is junk. If the original poster has zero freeplay and slipped his clutch once or twice, he can probably adjust the pedal freeplay and go on. Having sufficient disc wear to lose pressure plate to disc lockup will cause the fingers to come back far enough to contact the release bearing at least once without question, and probably cause more than one wear/adjustment cycle. The whole idea of maintaining clutch pedal freeplay is to 1] eliminate the possibility of the release bearing partially disengaging the clutch and roasting the disc, and 2] reducing wear on the fingers and release bearing.

 

[JC-jetro]

Your'e not wrong, but not totally right either.
. Measurable freeplay insures the pressure plate is not partially released when the pedal is at rest. This scenario can, will, and does cause the clutch disc to slip.

Yes, I totally agree with that. I meant in my original post only and only in the case where release bearing is touching the finger and as a result partially releasing the clutch , then and only then adjustment can help more clutch engagement. The whole purpose of adjustment is to secure some free play. Thanks for your response.

 

[ArchyD]

I think the question of my post has caused a lot of thought and discussion. Thanks to everyone for your interesting comments. The question still remains: How to adjust the clutch on a TC-29D.
The clutch pedal is rigidly attached to the clutch shaft that goes directly into the bellhousing. I have not found an adjustment there. There is a linkage from the clutch shaft to the rearend of the tractor, but when I move the clutch pedal, this linkage does not move. I am ignorant as to its purpose.
In the meantime, I have a tractor sidelined by a slipping clutch.

Help!
Thanks
ArchyD

 

[Hooked_on_HP]

I just went back to the NH website and looked up TC29D and they show the same linkage as the TC29. I even looked at TC26 and TC30 and It doesn't show the pedal being atached to the clutch cross shaft. There has to be some type of adjustment. RickB will probably be able to figure this out.

 

[JC-jetro]

I think the question of my post has caused a lot of thought and discussion. Thanks to everyone for your interesting comments. The question still remains: How to adjust the clutch on a TC-29D.
The clutch pedal is rigidly attached to the clutch shaft that goes directly into the bell housing. I have not found an adjustment there. There is a linkage from the clutch shaft to the rearend of the tractor, but when I move the clutch pedal, this linkage does not move. I am ignorant as to its purpose.
In the meantime, I have a tractor sidelined by a slipping clutch.

Help!
Thanks
ArchyD

ArchyD,

A picture may help to see the anatomy of your clutch. In general most tractor clutches are directly coupled. Usually you ave a pedal a linkage and a shaft that directly goes thru the bell housing. Inside the bell housing then you have a cast Iron piece that the release bearing sits on with some distance to the fingers on pressure plate. The distance is close but never touching unless you are clutching because of a need for gear change. The bearing hub and cross shaft are stout and no adjustment you can make there. You have got to have some adjustment between clutch pedal to the cross shaft before it enters the bell housing. That is where the adjustment happens. I have taken many pics of my tractor's external parts and some internal of my F-1700 so I can review the mechanism without being at my so called farm . I'll post the pictures and hoefully it would shed some light.

Now as Rick mentioned previously, if your bearing was touching the fingers on pressure plate (in other word riding the clutch) then adjustment can help you, provided you have enough thickness left. secondly, if you have enough of free play and you still are slipping then most probably you have not enough clutch plate left. there is an very much outside (slim) chance that the bolts between pressure plate and flywheel are not torqued right (loose). This is pretty remote chance and basically what it says that you do not have enough friction between on your clutch plate sandwiched between flywhel and pressure plate. It is highly unlikely but the bad thing is you still need to split the treactor to have access to the pressure plate bolts and then why not change the clutch after all of that. On my F-1700 there is a hand hole with a rubber cover. I can within second check if my release bearing is touching the fingers and if I have enough clutch thickness left. Pretty slick