Hard to get TO30 out of gear

I was using a rather heavy 6' blade on my TO30. I noticed trouble shifting. I couldn't get it out of gear (or sometimes in) unless I released the clutch just a bit while pulling on the shifter.

I thought my transmission had trouble until I noticed it always shifts fine if I first fully lower the blade or disconnect the PTO.

Is it possible that weight on the 3pt could keep the transmission from shifting? Could something else be happening? Any suggestions or pointers if I need to repair something?

The transmission is not scynchronized so it"s difficult to shift "on the go". It may have normal wear because it"s over 50 years old. It"s also possible the clutch needs adjustment because it may not be releasing all the way.

The three point"s connection to the transmission is that the transmission drives the pto and also drives the hydraulic pump that powers the three point. the only connection between the blade and the transmission is that the blade is supported by the hydraulics which is driven by the tansmission via the pto shaft. So I can"t imagine how the blade would make a difference.

Our TO-30, if left in gear on an incline with the engine off, will be difficult to shift to the start position. That"s because the driveline is continiuously connected to the transmission ( that the reason you need an ORC for pto driven attachments with high rotating inertia) and there is a load on the drive line caused by the weight of the tractor and the incline. Now if you did that with a heavy blade on the three point, the load would be greater and it would more difficult to shift to start or any other gear. In my opinion, this is a normal condition for a 50+ year old Ferguson.

Yes it is the weight of the Blade that is indirectly causing your problem, but it should not do this It is probably about its maximum lift weight. Do you know if the hydraulics drop when the Clutch is pressed as this could be part of your problem too. Make sure that the free play in the pedal is correct,set it to 3/8" between the footrest and the top of the arm to the pedal, do this when the tractor is hot. Do the gears grind a little when engaging unless you engage gear quickly, this would mean that the Clutch plate is not slipping between the Clutch and the Flywheel as it should do, this could be due to incorrect pedal adjustment or oil on the Plate and this would cause your problem as it is trying to drive all the time. So check and adjust pedal clearance if that doesn't cure it then it may mean the Engine having to come out to replace the plate and find out where the oil is getting onto it...john(UK)[email protected]

John(UK):

I adjusted the clutch and that made a nice improvement. 3/8" didn't seem quite far enough or when fully depressed I felt additional resistance and got gear movement again. But I found the sweet spot and it helped a lot.

To answer your questions in case you have further input:
The hydraulics drop when the clutch is pressed, slowly when the load is light, moderately quickly with as much weight as this blade. How much is normal?
The gears rarely grind. Perhaps what little did happen won't now with the better adjustment.

Thanks.