New Clutch on Fordon Major:Can't get adjustment right

Hey All,

Looking for help on troubleshooting my Fordson Major's new clutch.

This fall I had the clutch replaced on my Fordson Major by a reputable local "old tractor" repair shop.

When I got the tractor back the clutch slipped noticeably, so I adjusted the clutch rod a few turns, until it stalled under load.

This worked well, and I have used the tractor for short to medium spells, but no really heavy work.

Two weekends ago I did a lot of dragging of stumps (already uprooted), grading, etc. By the end of 1+ hour session I could not shift at all, grinding gears. Had to turn off to shift, then limp home.

After a cool off, i re-adjusted the shift rod, and low-and behold, could shift again. Back to work. 10 minutes later, same problem. Re-adjust shift rod, back to work. etc.

As you can imagine, I quickly ran out of adjustment.

Since then I have been trying to dial in the right position, but I can't find a sweet spot.

It seems to be influenced from time of operation (or relative heat of the tractor).

Worth nothing that these weekends have had the tractor started from ~ ~15F, so a big temp swing from the starting temp and the operating temp.

Whats going on here? Is this temp related? Possible clutch wasn't adjusted right during install? Need to wear down the disc ?

Any input welcome. This 1955 runs really great, plenty of power, strong 3 pt. etc. amazing machine.

Thanks

Eben

I'm no expert Eben, but to me it sounds like they didn't set the finger pressure high enough.
By 'fingers' I mean the clutch levers that add pressure to the clutch springs.

Good luck and I hope you soon get it sorted.

Richard.

You do not say what clutch you have, is it a "Live" clutch or a standard one. Live clutches have to be set on a jig to get the
lever heights correct.

A standard clutch should not need any internal set up, it is set by the manufacturer. If the clutch slipped when you got it back it
should have gone straight back without you touching it. The free play at the pedal should be 1" to 1 1/2" measured from the pedal
to the foot plate. Any less and you can be soon in trouble.

Hey Majorman and Richard, thank you for the feedback.

In responce to your thoughts: It is a standard clutch (not live).

When I received the tractor back from the clutch work, it was slipping, and I did immediately call the shop, and they suggested I use the pedal adjustment rod, which initially resolved the problem.

Would a standard clutch still require the finger pressure adjustment?

The performance is definitely linked to work load.. which I assume is temperature dependent. As adjusted now I have the correct amount of free play, easy shifting, and no slippage. But, after 30-60 minutes of real work, the
shifting gets harder, then impossible.

Any other feedback welcome, I certainly will drop into the shop, but not hankering to have the unit split again if I can avoid it.

Thank you

Eben

The only adjustment on the clutch internally is the lever button height and these should be set by the manufacturer. The clutch should not have slipped when you got it back and should not be slipping after a short while working. Heat, unless from the slipping clutch, will have nothing to do with things.

Picture is of the disc I put in mine but I do not have a picture of the pressure plate. My pressure plate was fitted in 1952 and still going strong, the liner wore off the disc though.

I strongly advise taking it back for investigation before you damage the flywheel.

Just for your information, I used to be able to fit a new clutch on a standard tractor in just under 1 hour as did all of my colleagues, back in the day.

Got it; I'll get in touch with the local shop. the 1 hour swap is a good data point! I'm sure that comes from lots of practice.

I was interested in doing the swap, but at the moment don't have a level surface / garage to split the unit in. (using it at my camp, to clear land for a home). Thanks for the feedback and pictures.