DC questions

I need to pull the transmission cover off my DC4. In another post mEL stated that the forks were not attached to the cover. He said to pull the gearshift out fist. I was worried about getting the forks back in place when I put the cover back on. Also, it's been sitting a couple years, in the past if it sat during the winter the clutch would not release. In earlier post I read about spraying the clutch with something, not sure what it was. Thanks, Dick

mEL's information is correct. Make sure you have the transmission in neutral before you remove the cover. Putting the shift on after you put the cover on will work the best.

Sticky clutches are common with wet clutches of that era. Cleaning up the stuck on goop that can build up on the transmission shaft will help some. Cleaning the fly wheel clutch surfaces will also help. You may have to use two or three cans of brake cleaner to get the job done. Do you drain the oil out of the clutch housing when you change the engine oil?

Removing the gearshift first may help, but it isn't necessary. When I pulled the top covers on my DC and DO, I made sure the shifter was in neutral but left it in the cover. Be careful lifting because the cover is heavier than it looks.

The clutch is located in a separate chamber between the engine and transmission. It will not be accessible by removing the top cover. When you store the tractor for winter, do you leave the clutch engaged or disengaged? I leave my tractors with the lever pulled back so that the plates and flywheel are not under pressure. I have never had an issue with the clutch sticking in spring.

Good luck.

Dick,

When you have the transmission cover off it is the perfect time to address any slop in the steering gears, if there is any. Don

Thanks for the info on the cover. Don, on the steering slop?, what can I do there to tighten it up. As far as the clutch, I always drain the clutch oil when doing the engine oil. It's a foot clutch so I basically don't do anything with the clutch pedal in winter. I'm not splitting the tractor so I guess I can spray the clutch plates with brake cleaner thru the covers, some now and more when it's back up and running. I plan on lifting the cover with my engine hoist. Dick

Dick,

The steering assembly has several wear points, but in my experience it is usually just 1 of them that needs attention. First, the bearings at the bottom of the steering shaft may be worn. Also, now is a good time to check the bushing at the top of the steering column. Usually they are worn pretty bad. There are also shims at the bottom of the steering column that may be adjusted to reduce clearance between gears, if the bearings are still ok. Make certain that the steering gears are tight on their shafts. I have reduced significant slop by just tightening the nuts somewhat. Also if your steering gears are worn you can remove the drop arm and reposition the horizontal shaft it is on by 120 degrees which will give you a new surface on that gear. I have never had to do this alone, but did it anyway as I was already working on the assembly. I have found the adjusting screw with the locknut doesn't reduce slop much-if at all, before it binds the steering action.

If your foot clutch is sticking, tie the clutch pedal down during periods of inactivity. My opinion is that many DC wet clutch discs were replaced with Farmall M dry clutch discs and that may be why they stick. Much cheaper and easy to find. Good Luck! Don

I have a 54 with a foot clutch that I use as a chore tractor every day. My foot clutch will not release when it gets below zero. Nothing I have tried seems to help at all. I have a 4', 2 X 4 that I keep handy in the cold weather. I have to hold it in front of the brake housing and push it into the belt pulley hub to get it to release the first time in the morning. On the 25 below zero days it makes a lot of smoke before it lets loose. Once loose it is fine for the day. Oil is changed every 100 hours on the electric hour meter. On the warmer days holding the clutch pedal in while starting will take care of the problem. It has been this way for 5+ years. I just deal with it.