Puzzling problem - IH 284 -- intermitant stuck transmissi...

I"m a newbie to the forum here with a question about my 1978 IH 284 gas tractor.

Earlier this winter I couldn"t get it started, but today I got it started after finding a bad wire between the coil and points. This meant the tractor sat in a cold shed (northern Minnesota) for a few months. But when I started it today and tried to back up it was like the wheels were locked -- it wouldn"t move. I tried going forward and the same thing. Eventually it budged backwards, but sounded like something was really, really tight. For what it is worth it was about 28 degrees when I started it.

I thought maybe there was water in the hy-trans fluid so drained it. The 284 takes about 3.4 gallons and I got pretty near that out. The fluid wasn"t that lovely color of new fluid, but it wasn"t milky or sludgy either. I didn"t see any real noticeable water. I filled it back with new fluid (happened to come straight from the store so warm - if that means anything) and presto: worked like a charm. Backed right up, and feeling proud I went out and started plowing the quarter mile drive with the grader attachment. Got most of the drive done (about 15-20 minutes) when it seemed like there was a loss of power and eventually the tractor stopped and I had the same thing I had experienced earlier. I couldn"t go forward, or rather I would go forward in a jump and start (like a 16 year old driver trying to work a clutch on a car - a bit of a jump,stop,stall). It also seemed at one point that one tire was trying to turn while the other was fixed -- which caused the tractor to lurch to the left. For what it is worth it was now about 8 degrees temp with a wicked wind.

When I shut the tractor off for a few minutes and then started it up again I was able to go forward normally for about 50 yards, and then the same thing happened. I let it sit for a few minutes and then was able to get it back to the shed about 150 yards away relatively normally ... though it seemed like there wasn"t a lot of power.

There are a few other (maybe not random) things I noticed. One, the brakes suddenly seem to be not working great. Everything else seems normal. Hydraulics worked fine. It wasn"t hard to get the stick shift into gear. I had the rear tires changed (by a shop) before this happened. One rim had rusted through and had to be replaced. I ran the tractor once briefly before it stopped starting this fall, so I don"t know if there was any relationship between tire changing and this most recent problem (seems really weird to me that there would be).

I am befuddled. Any ideas?

Thanks
ep
 
Could be a siezed bearing or the brake hanging up. When it won't move will it roll with the transmission in neutral?

Jack it up and try turning the rear wheels. IF one turns harder than the other you've at least isolated the problem.

I doubt if ice is your problem. The hydraulics would warm up the fluid and melt any ice in there.
 
thanks for the prompt reply. I will check that out tomorrow morning. It felt like it wouldn't roll in neutral, but I didn't put a real shoulder into it either.

Why would it appear to work fine with the fresh hy-tran fluid for a brief time, and then seize up again if it were a hung up brake or seized bearing? Could those be intermittent?

I will post what I find out.
 
I agree with mkirsch, Bearings going out (particularly roller but ball bearings as well will act that way. Sevier damage can result to the housings or case if allowed to be operated as is. Jim
 
This is very helpful in narrowing it down. Going out to check what I can find (unfortunately the temp dropped to -15 so it"ll be a bit chillier.

Question about the bearings if it is a bearing. Best thoughts on which one?: The mainshaft bearing, differential bearings or in the wheel assembly/hub itself? Probably any of those is outside my league since I don"t have the equipment to lift or pull that large.

Thanks again for all the help.
 
mkirsch and janicholson. A bit of an update, and thanks for hanging in there with me.

I put it in neutral this morning and tried to push, but alas at 165 pounds I am little match for a ton tractor to make a real test of it in the shed. So I started it up and backed it up a bit (no problems at all) and then let it roll forward in neutral about 5 feet. That worked.

I jacked the back end up and when in neutral I couldn"t turn either wheel. Not sure if I was doing something wrong or not, but it also seems like a lot of gears to turn by hand so can"t answer whether on wheel turns harder than another ????

But here is something new I discovered as I looked at the brake mechanism. First off, the seals all look good around the linkages. But when I push the brake down there is no give (and when moving forward little braking action)-- push pedal ... no movement of anything to actually "brake". But when I decouple the brake pedal (there is a bar that connects the right and left pedals so they go down together) the left pedal - presumably for the left rear wheel brake appears to work normally (push the pedal and it moves -- tho what "normal" means is a guess since I have never looked at it before) while the right pedal - presumably for the right rear wheel won"t budge. It makes me think that if a brake is stuck it might be that one. Make sense?

Now -- how does one "unstick" a brake? And why if the brake is stuck on can I back up or move in a normal manner at all?

Thanks for your brains on this one.
 
The brakes are hydraulic (as shown in the caseih.com on line parts description) As such they should move at the pedal about an inch before doing any braking. If one pedal is rigid, and does not move, it could be that the brake cylinder is mis adjusted and not allowing the pressure to be released. The piston in the master cylinder for that brake must retract all the way to the limit of the bore. if it doesn"t. or if the cup is swelled up covering the compensating port, the brake will stay on. If both wheels are in the air, and the engine is off and the trans is in any gear, one tire should spin forward moving the other backward (differential) easily. If not, there is an issue with either brakes (I hope because it is easy) or a bearing, Jim
 
ES--Check the cover on your 284 brake reservoir, the covers are made of plastic and they develop cracks over time. If rain water gains entrance to the brake fluid area it can lead to frozen brakes.

--Lee
 
Was out of town so couldn't work on the tractor for a while. Weather hasn't warmed up (-25 this morning) but today I jacked up the back end and the back wheels turn pretty easily, except at one point they get significantly tougher to turn. The resistance lasts about 1/4 or less of a turn, then gets easier again. No noticeable difference between tires turning.

The seals on the brake cylinders are intact, although as I said earlier when I disengage the bar that connects the two brake pedals the left pedal has play and the right one doesn't move at all.

Does this help at all with the diagnosis?

If the brake cylinder was frozen would the wheels turn? Thanks.
Erik
 
(quoted from post at 13:43:43 02/02/13) Was out of town so couldn't work on the tractor for a while. Weather hasn't warmed up (-25 this morning) but today I jacked up the back end and the back wheels turn pretty easily, except at one point they get significantly tougher to turn. The resistance lasts about 1/4 or less of a turn, then gets easier again. No noticeable difference between tires turning.

The seals on the brake cylinders are intact, although as I said earlier when I disengage the bar that connects the two brake pedals the left pedal has play and the right one doesn't move at all.

Does this help at all with the diagnosis?

If the brake cylinder was frozen would the wheels turn? Thanks.
Erik

Did the Op determine the issue with this problem? I am experiencing the same issue with the same model tractor.
 

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