TC35 Shuttle Shift, Won't Engage When Hot

[Wild Bill the 2nd]

Hello all,

I have a 2001 TC35 that developed a shifting problem last fall. When mowing, about an hour, the shuttle shift would gradually get more difficult to go into Fwd or Rev. I would eventually almost always have to come to a stop and double or triple shift in order to get it to go in. Then eventually, maybe after an hour and a half of running, it would no longer go into gear at all. I'd park it where it stood, wait an hour for it to cool down, and then go out and finish up my mowing.

This happened to me the last two or three times I mowed the lawn. Shifts fine when cold, no shifty shifty when up to temp.

Two things preceded this problem:
1-When I was out brush hogging a sapling that did not get fully chewed up stabbed the rubber boot (P/N SBA398120860) that connects the two metal tubes that run from the hydraulic pump to the hydraulic filter.
2-I did the 1000 hour service on the tractor. So I changed the hydraulic filter and all the hydraulic fluid. I used a NH filter and used Traveller Premium fluid from Tractor Supply. This is the same fluid I used at the 500 hour service.

This winter I only used the tractor 3 times to push back the snow piles and it never got warm enough to give me any issues. I've contacted two NH dealers and neither had any ideas for me.
Spring is coming and I need to start thinking about this again. I kind of hope that it cured itself over the winter but I really have my doubts.

Anyone heard of this before, I couldn't find anything with my searches? Any ideas at all?

 

[Harry in Ky]

Any ideas at all? Only one. You probably have synchronizer that's in bad shape. You stated that as the problem comes on you "almost always" have to come to a stop to shift, then it gets worse. Just my opinion here, but I think with any gear drive transmission, whether it's sliding gear or constant mesh, syncronized or non synchronized, You ALWAYS come to a stop before shifting fwd/rev. Your salesman may have told you shuttle shifting while in motion is possible (and it may be, for a while), but the wear items within the synchronizer may see it differently.

 

[RickB]

Any ideas at all? Only one. You probably have synchronizer that's in bad shape. You stated that as the problem comes on you "almost always" have to come to a stop to shift, then it gets worse. Just my opinion here, but I think with any gear drive transmission, whether it's sliding gear or constant mesh, syncronized or non synchronized, You ALWAYS come to a stop before shifting fwd/rev. Your salesman may have told you shuttle shifting while in motion is possible (and it may be, for a while), but the wear items within the synchronizer may see it differently.

Exactly.

 

[Wild Bill the 2nd]

I was unaware of this. I thought that was the point of the shuttle shift. Easy fwd / rev and all but not needing to come to a complete stop.
I do a LOT of shuttle shifting when I mow. I only break out a push mower maybe 2 or 3 times a summer. So it is maybe 10 shuttles per tree Probably 30 trees plus all of the other inherent back and forth movement.

Anyone have a diagram or explanation of what gears and shifting mechanisms are where in the trany? I have looked through the parts diagrams at Messicks. It's not like they label anything like Gear 1,2,3,4; Range 1,2,3; or fwd/rev. Having difficulty making heads or tails from it all. Obviously, I'm looking for the syncro that might be the culprit.

I told the dealers about my shifting habits and they were not phased by it when I told them. Said I thought it would have the shifts of a 3000 hour tractor at 1000 hours. They still said they hadn't heard of it.

I'm still wondering why it would have shown up when it did after the service, or maybe the brush hogging in the confined spaces of a former tree farm finally did it in...

 

[Wild Bill the 2nd]

I was unaware of this. I thought that was the point of the shuttle shift. Easy fwd / rev and all but not needing to come to a complete stop.
I do a LOT of shuttle shifting when I mow. I only break out a push mower maybe 2 or 3 times a summer. So it is maybe 10 shuttles per tree Probably 30 trees plus all of the other inherent back and forth movement.

Anyone have a diagram or explanation of what gears and shifting mechanisms are where in the trany? I have looked through the parts diagrams at Messicks. It's not like they label anything like Gear 1,2,3,4; Range 1,2,3; or fwd/rev. Having difficulty making heads or tails from it all. Obviously, I'm looking for the syncro that might be the culprit.

I told the dealers about my shifting habits and they were not phased by it when I told them. Said I thought it would have the shifts of a 3000 hour tractor at 1000 hours. They still said they hadn't heard of it.

I'm still wondering why it would have shown up when it did after the service, or maybe the brush hogging in the confined spaces of a former tree farm finally did it in...

 

[Harry in Ky]

I fear you may be confusing "shuttle shift" with "power shuttle". Two completely different animals. A power shuttle has lubricated clutch packs designed to take such abuse. Shuttle shift merely puts forward and reverse on one lever and offers both directions in all speeds. Power shuttle transmissions are, of course a bit more expensive, and come with a different set of problems.
As for your repairs. You need a bit more than online parts diagrams if you plan to change a bad synchronizer. I'm sure manuals are available for your tractor, and you will need at least the transmission section. I believe you will need to access the trans from both ends in order to remove the necessary shaft(s) that must be out on the table before the synchro comes out.

 

[Wild Bill the 2nd]

No, I imagine that I would take this to a dealer for repair. I was just looking to see if I could get an idea of what this might run me at least in parts and how much needs to be tore down in order to do it.

Per the New Holland website

SYNCHRONIZED SHUTTLE SHIFT (SSS)

If you perform tasks that require shifting between forward and reverse repeatedly, and you prefer a traditional transmission, the SSS transmission can make it easier. The Boomer 30/35 utilize 12x12 SSS transmissions, while the larger Boomer 40/50 use 16x16 SSS transmissions. The shuttle lever (mounted on the left of the steering column) and the gears are synchronized, so there's no need to come to a complete stop before shuttling or changing gears.

Still dismayed/confused on this being the issue. Never ever heard a grind or anything under my understanding of normal shuttle shifting.

The b!tch of it is I'm skeptical that they will ever be able to tear it apart to see what is happening since it needs to be hot from running for an hour before it exhibits the problem. I just don't want to get a $2500 bill after they try something and then have it not solve the problem.

 

[LarryD]

Your number of direction changes sounds like a perfect situation for a hydro drive, or possibly a good ZTR to mow around the trees.

 

[Btown]

Sycronized Shuttle Shift can change gears 1-4 without stopping. But range changes and direction changes you should be stopped. Like others said a Power Shuttle Shift can change from foreword and reverse without stopping or even using the clutch.

 

[Wild Bill the 2nd]

Your number of direction changes sounds like a perfect situation for a hydro drive, or possibly a good ZTR to mow around the trees.

I wholeheartedly agree. I bought the tractor when I was plowing up plots for a Christmas tree farm. These days I mostly mow with it and a hydro would be a much better option. I think a ZTR is out of the question due to side hills and problems mowing when the grass is damp.

Looking through the parts breakdown on Messicks...

03.08 Lower Transmission gears - It looks like the fwd/rev selector runs through gear 26. Maybe when the machine gets hot the needle bearing 29 has issues rotating freely and locks me out. It would be about $175 in parts to replace shaft 25 and everything on it.

That being said, if it is on the 03.07 Upper Transmission gears it mates up at gear 11 thru gear 16. Replacing everything in there (including the syncro) would run about $710 in parts.

Then who knows how much labor it would take to split the tractor and all. $1000 if I were really lucky.