Deere 55 Gearshift Question

mgr21 · Aug 15, 2015

I've got my 55 running and need to drive it home which is about 12 miles. I'm not sure that 3rd gear is engaging all the way. It's a 1957 model with the gearshift on the left-hand side and the shifting lever moves all the way to the seat for 1st, but stops a few inches short of the seat for 3rd. I've driven it a little ways in 3rd and it seems like it's engaged, but I would think that the gearshift should engage the same distance as in 1st and I don't want to get a few miles down the road and have issues. The shifting lever moves the same distance in the other direction towards the handrail for both rev and 2nd. I've checked the shifting rods that that slide into the transmission and they don't have any build-up. I was wondering if anyone here on the forum has one with this style gearshift and could let me know how far the gearshift engages in 3rd. This combine has been on the same farm for 40 years so it probably hasn't been shifted into 3rd for that long. Thanks in advance.

BANDITFARMER · Aug 15, 2015

One thing to check if it's been on the same farm for all that time is crawl under the combine and look at the shifting rails sticking out of the transmission and see if one of them has a build up of dirt and grease built up on it. If it dose scrap it off and check the shifter again and see if it moves more than it did before. I bought a Case 930 Wheatland out of Kansas that would not go into 6th gear (road gear)and it had dirt and oil built up on the shifter rail. Cleaned if off and it shifted into 6th with no problem. It's worth a look to find a simple fix. Bandit

mgr21 · Aug 15, 2015

Thanks Bandit, I've checked those shifting rails/rods (lower one is for 2nd/3rd) and I've moved them back and forth and cleaned them both off so no buildup.

GreenEnvy · Aug 15, 2015

Why don't you look at the shifting rods and see if they are going completely in or out or wherever they are suppose to be instead of the looking at the shift guide. I have two 1957 55s and tomorrow I could look and see were the rod is suppose to be in 3rd.

mgr21 · Aug 15, 2015

Thanks GreenEnvy, I have the header off so it's easy to see it, but it's just a solid shaft going into the tranny so I can't tell how far it's suppose to move. I was looking for a cover plate to remove and see how the gears are meshing, but don't see anything easy to remove. Also, I was researching other 1957 ones and noticed they all have a right-hand shifter so I got out the part books, for this 55H it shows the left-hand shifter as the only option through SN 60000 which I assume covers all of them until they stopped their production. For the standard 55, the left-hand shifter was only through SN 39349.

notjustair · Aug 15, 2015

I got nothin for you - my combine is a JD 9500.
However, all of the old tractors I have work just that
way. Gears used in the field have a longer throw.
I've always thought that it was likely to get the stick
out of the operators way as they turned in the seat
to see the implement. My old machinery has a long
throw in every gear but road gear. If it doesn't pop
out I would say it is far enough in gear.

GreenEnvy · Aug 16, 2015

I just checked my good 55. The front two rods should be all the way in and the back one half way out in 3rd. If yours is like that then you have nothing to worry about. And I agree with notjustair. If its staying in gear then let it be. These combines are old and who knows how the linkage gets warped, twisted, stretched, or bent over the years. In fact mine is just the opposite of yours. The gearshift seats all the way back 3rd but is a 3/4" from seat in 1st. I've run this combine a couple of years now with no issues in the shifting or staying in gear. It is what it is.

Deere 55 Gearshift Question

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BANDITFARMER

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