49 John Deere A, Help Please!

I just inherited a 49 A from my father in law. I have a question:
I freed up the clutch lever where it snaps back and forth like it is supposed to. (It had been stuck for several years). The tractor shifts in and out of gear fine now. But when I put it in gear and roll the tractor to see if it will turn the engine over, (currently will not start as it has sat for several years), the transmission doesn"t seem to be engaging, the clutch/pully turns, but the engine does not. The tractor motor is not stuck, but is it possible the clutch itself could be? I am thinking of pulling the clutch parts and cleaning them up, but is this a common, Possible, problem for this tractor. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
Are you locking the clutch in during this, if not the engine will not turn. If the pulley is turning while moving the tractor meaning you have selected a gear and clutch not engaged, the trans and diff are functioning. Your turn ?
 
Yessir, Both with the clutch engaged and the clutch disengaged. The clutch lever in the forward position and the tractor in gear, the tractor will roll and the engine won"t turn. Same thing with the hand clutch in the rear position and in gear the tractor will roll, no engine, but the pully does not turn.
 
I would pull the cover off and take the clutch apart. Look for lots of rust and be sure to note how parts came out. It almost sounds to me like it is just slipping. There should be two dry disks, one on outside of cast driver,the other behind. Now the best bet would be that the driver wil come off hard. Use two 5/8 bolts with nuts on the backside to act as a puller. There are notches built in for this purpose. Witha little patience it will come. Dont break it as they are expensive! Removing that is the hardest part. Disks are cheap, and as far as being a common problem, no it is not.
 
Thank you very much. I guess, as I have no experience with John Deere"s, I am just trying to confirm if I am on the right track. My suspicion is to check the clutch first as the only time I drove the tractor several years ago, I could not get the clutch to engage properly. I did take the cover off and the inside is full of black powder, smells strongly of gasoline, though I cannot imagine how gas would be in the clutch housing. That is what I will try first. Thank you so much for the advise on pulling the cast disc.
 
The black dust is what prob remains of the clutch discs. As for the gas smell, chances are it could have flooded once or the needle stuck on carb letting fuel into the crankcase. Drain all the fluids and fill with new before you try much else. I have a 49 completely tore down in the shop and its getting every last thing it needs before i put her back together! If you have any other concerns or questions just let us know. . .good luck!
 
So this is a two gearshift tractor isnt it? If so do you have both shifters in some sort of gear? If you do in fact have the transmissions in a gear, when the tires roll so should the clutch pulley. If the clutch pulley rolls and the engine still doesnt turn you do in fact have a clutch problem.
 
Thank you so much for your reply.
Yes, either in high/low range, any gear, clutch in either position, the tires turn freely, the belt pully turns, but the engine does not engage. That's the reason I am thinking the clutch, but like I said, don't have much experience on a JD 2 cyl tractor, so it appears my suspicions may be correct.
 
you don"t say how you freed up the clutch. Could you have broken the brass collar or clutch for in doing so. When i tore into my 48A, mine were both broken. Still don"t know how it worked. Good luck. P.S these guys on this site are alot of help, I know, I"ve asked alot of ? too.
 

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