Using clutch as a brake?
- Thread starter son of man
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OP
son of man
Bronze Member
this is the type of info I was looking for concerning possible damage to the clutch. however, I don't understand what they mean by a driver who 'slips the clutch alot.' My wife gets on me for 'riding the brakes' when I drive our truck. however, I don't really understand what she's talking about either?
OP
son of man
Bronze Member
yeah, I've learned the TBN forum is a very visually-motivated crowd. I got blasted for starting a stuck tractor thread without posting pics. lol..please get lessons, but most importantly, please, please, please, post pictures if, (I mean) when, you put the tractor in the pond.:laughing:
Loadstar
Platinum Member
Leave your foot COMPLETELY off of the clutch unless your using it. As for slipping it that's well something you get a feel for. You try not to drag out actions on the clutch.
the old grind
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- NH T-1520 HST, NH TC33DA HST, Case DX26 HST, .Terramite T5C, . NH L785
...With tractor not moving, a pause with the clutch depressed, and the shifter between positions before going into the next one. The 'S' shift position may include a parking brake and an additional clutch/safety/starting switch for starting without clutching ... a nice thing to have.
Wildlife will happen on its own as o'all size and depth allow. It may be worth adding barley-straw bales to minimize algae once cleared, but that can be pricey and is not a permanent fix. (One pond is enough to take care of) The 'back' pond that dries up may just become something you brush-hog in the dry season, but could be a good spot for reptile reproduction in Spring if you open it up.
You'll know when the 'front' pond is at full development if/when nutria move in.
(up here its muskrats if you have/like cattails etc for wildlife habitat/cover) No recipes for them to offer, but if not trapped or shot they would make it their pond until banks are rutted/collapsed and vegetation eaten out. That said, don't wish for issues that haven't happened, just ask us when they do.
OP
son of man
Bronze Member
I posted a diagram of my gears several pages back.
R 1 3
S 2 4
the starting position is the only position in which I can start my tractor. Incidentally, this is the gear I use whenever I want to pause for a moment and take my foot off the clutch. so I don't understand any real world scenario where I would use 'neutral'?
jimmysisson
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- 1993 NH 2120 (the best), 1974 MF 135 (sold, but solid), 1947 Farmall A (bought, sold, bought back, sold again), 1956 MH50 lbt (sold, in 1980, darn it)
Possibly your clutch needs adjusting, also.
It sounds like the main issue here is you're used to driving an automatic transmission vehicle, where once you place the shift in Drive (or R) the shift stays there, and you use the brake to stop and the accelerator pedal to go. With a tractor you're (usually) to depress the clutch, choose a gear you want to be in, set the throttle lever to appropriate engine RPMs, then let the clutch pedal out to engage the drive to the wheels. Let's say you choose 3rd gear, 1500 RPM throttle, let the clutch out. When you want to slow down but stay in gear, let's say if you're on the road, you reduce the RPMs.
If you're working the machine and need to stop temporarily, let's say to pause brush-hogging to open a gate, you'd reduce the engine speed to low idle, push down the clutch, shut down the PTO, then put the shift lever in neutral, let out the clutch, set the park brake, and go open the gate, staying away from the rear of the tractor. Once through the gate, push down the clutch, engage the PTO, shift to the gear you want, increase the engine speed to the sweet spot, then let the clutch out and mow.
When you want to change gears, you push in the clutch, then step on (both) brakes, wait until you stop rolling, change to the gear you want, then let the clutch out again. Most gear tractors are shifted only when stopped, with clutch down. Normally you want the engine to operate in its comfortable power range, so you don't change the RPMs. In a shift car, you're moving much faster than a tractor, so it's harder to coordinate gas pedal and clutch. In a tractor, the clutch pedal is more like an on-off switch: you let it out relatively quickly, like over the count of one-mississippi (or one-louisiana).
You must push in the clutch pedal to slow or stop every time, as you need to disengage the engine from the tires.
So many have tried different ways to explain this to you: too many words! This is hard stuff to get in writing, but pretty easy to have someone show you. I think it would be as many have suggested your best plan to get someone to show you how to run your machine. Should take only a half hour or so, then you'll get the hang of it. You need to get this info for safety, and to be sure you're not wearing out the clutch or brakes by having learned bad habits.
Best luck, Jim
It sounds like the main issue here is you're used to driving an automatic transmission vehicle, where once you place the shift in Drive (or R) the shift stays there, and you use the brake to stop and the accelerator pedal to go. With a tractor you're (usually) to depress the clutch, choose a gear you want to be in, set the throttle lever to appropriate engine RPMs, then let the clutch pedal out to engage the drive to the wheels. Let's say you choose 3rd gear, 1500 RPM throttle, let the clutch out. When you want to slow down but stay in gear, let's say if you're on the road, you reduce the RPMs.
If you're working the machine and need to stop temporarily, let's say to pause brush-hogging to open a gate, you'd reduce the engine speed to low idle, push down the clutch, shut down the PTO, then put the shift lever in neutral, let out the clutch, set the park brake, and go open the gate, staying away from the rear of the tractor. Once through the gate, push down the clutch, engage the PTO, shift to the gear you want, increase the engine speed to the sweet spot, then let the clutch out and mow.
When you want to change gears, you push in the clutch, then step on (both) brakes, wait until you stop rolling, change to the gear you want, then let the clutch out again. Most gear tractors are shifted only when stopped, with clutch down. Normally you want the engine to operate in its comfortable power range, so you don't change the RPMs. In a shift car, you're moving much faster than a tractor, so it's harder to coordinate gas pedal and clutch. In a tractor, the clutch pedal is more like an on-off switch: you let it out relatively quickly, like over the count of one-mississippi (or one-louisiana).
You must push in the clutch pedal to slow or stop every time, as you need to disengage the engine from the tires.
So many have tried different ways to explain this to you: too many words! This is hard stuff to get in writing, but pretty easy to have someone show you. I think it would be as many have suggested your best plan to get someone to show you how to run your machine. Should take only a half hour or so, then you'll get the hang of it. You need to get this info for safety, and to be sure you're not wearing out the clutch or brakes by having learned bad habits.
Best luck, Jim
I think he has been close by one of his pictures...please get lessons, but most importantly, please, please, please, post pictures if, (I mean) when, you put the tractor in the pond.
RaydaKub
Veteran Member
Slipping the clutch means having it partially engaged so it kinda - sorta keeps you moving but at a reduced rate with reduced power. As I said earlier, a gear - driven tractor (or any vehicle) has a fixed ratio of engine rpm to wheel rpm for any given gear that you are in. If you know you tractor will do 5mph in 2nd gear at 2000 rpm, and you measure the speed to only be 3 mph, you are either spinning the wheels or using the clutch to not transmit full power to the wheels. This will shorten the life of your clutch a LOT.
Riding the brakes means you have a foot on the pedal at all times. Usually you see this with some older people who think their emergency reaction time is slower than it used to be, so they keep their left foot on the brake and right foot on the gas. Invariably their leg gets tired and you see the car going down the road with the brake lights on solid. If the light is on, there is probably some braking force also being applied, thereby wearing the brake pads for no reason, generating more heat, and causing drag on the car so milage drops as well.
If you are doing either of these, STOP IT!
OP
son of man
Bronze Member
So I guess the 'starting position' on my MF is other people's 'neutral'...
