D15 transmission question

My FIL died a year ago and the family is starting to sell off a little of his equipment. He had 3 D17s Series IVs and a D15 with an add on 3 point. My son wants to buy one of his grandpa's tractors and restore/refurbish it like I did with an IH 350 a long time ago (still have that tractor).

The BIL that is now "in charge" of the farm says he can sell one of the D17s or the D15. The D17 he wants to sell he thinks has a distributor/ignition problem of some kind. It will run fine for a day or two then it will quit like you shut it off annd refuse to start. A day or two later it will start again and run fine.

The D15 runs OK but pops out of gear. He started telling me it was an easy fix that "only" required splitting the tractor (quickly moving it out of "easy" for me".

None of these tractors are in "good" condition - he ran his stuff hard and long and skimped on repairs. The last couple of years the smaller stuff (like these D17s) sat alot as he had bought newer larger equipment that he liked running better.

The only thing I would use either tractor for is putting up hay - probably running the baler and other light chores.

What do you think?
 
I have a D15 series II. It is only used for mowing. It pops out of third gear. It is a handy, light tractor, emphasis on light.
The D17 will have the much better hydraulic system, and hopefully, factory three point hitch. I think the D17 shifts a little easier, and the shifting mechanism a little more robust.
 
When you replace gears in the D15 tranny they are not cheap. I bought one last year that jumped out of 2nd gear and by the time it was done it was $1100 in parts.
 
Ain't nothing easy putting gears in any of those D series tractors. Splitting is only one part, the rear wheels come off, the lift housing, third member, final drives, then split it again behind the torque housing. All gears will need to come out. Getting after market gears will be a lot cheaper, but with after market, you will have to change both gears, the one on the pinion as well as the main shaft gear, new ones won't match with the orig.
 
The gear pop out might be correctable, without re stacking the tranny, I have heard of some having problems with shifter rails, or the tip of the shifter needs to be built up. I think others will chime in, if I am remembering right, or not. The 15 (II) is a rarer tractor, and the motor is quite pricey, parts wise.

A D-17 with a electrical glitch is easier to repair, by comparison.
 
I replaced 2nd gear and a bearing in my D12 which has a transmission that is similar to what the D15 has. Like noted above, I had $1000 in parts alone.

The engagement paws get rounded off by rough shifting and then slip out of gear under load.
IMG_2293_zpsffe50c40.jpg
 
Thanks for the pictures and the information. Like I said, the splitting of the tractor sounds like a deal killer - I have enough projects without buying one of that magnitude.
 

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Back
Top