1947 JD B Late Model Transmission Shifter Forks Stuck

jdbuff

Member
I just recently purchased a 1947 JD B that has been sitting for about 15 years. I was told that the tractor had been under a shed the whole time. The engine was stuck, but we were able to role it up onto my trailer. After getting it into my shop, I took the top of the transmission off and found that the trans and differential had water in it. I drained and flushed out all of the oil and water. The shfter forks were rusty and stuck. I have cleaned for several days and have made some headway. I have the high and low shifter working. I also have the shifter at the rear sliding back and forth. I have not had any luck with the other three. I have the engine unstuck and working good. I have tried to find a diagram showing a side view of the transmission, but have had no luck. Would :?: appreciate any advice on getting the shifter forks unstuck and working. This is my first John Deere 2 cyclinder to restore. I have the shop manual for the B , but it doesn not give much info on unsticking shifter forks.
 
Have those shifters been updated to the one with locks on them? If they have the lock insert needs to move first to let the shifter move. Use emery cloth to polish as much rust off the shift rail as you can. You may need to slide the whole rail to the flywheel side so the shaft is free from the lock plate on the right side and then you can try to rotate the shaft in the shifter. The gears may be stuck on the sliding gear shaft also.
 
Some good penetrating oil and TIME for it to work should free them up. TIME is the key. If you can soak it down and forget about it for awhile you may have better luck.
 
That is what I have been doing so far. I tried filling the gear case with diesel, but the axle seals and one gasket leaked to much. I have been spraying them four or five times a day for about a week and a half. Thanks for the input. I am in no hurry, so I will continue with the penetrant.
 
My tractor is the Late Model six speed. I can't see any locking mechanism, but I am not that familiar with the transmission. The shifters have what looks like detent pins and machined depressions on the shafts. I have been soaking all of the shafts and gears with penetrant using acetone and automatic transmission fluid. I have cleaned the shafts that I can reach with emory cloth and they move a little now. To start with they would not move at all. I think you are right about the gears below the shifters being stuck. There is no good way to get to them that I can see. Thanks for your input. I wish there was a better diagram of the transmission with everything labeled. Probably asking for too much with something this old.
 
See if the detent pawls are free. Can maybe you grab the top of those with a pair of good locking type pliers & work them freely? Rotate & pull them up etc. There is a hole through them so once raised out of the shaft detent, you can slide a wire through to keep them released for assembly ease. If you can pull them out of the shifter far enough to "pin these holes" they need not be lifted any more than that and they are NOT the problem! If however they're rusted fast you won't move the shifters.

There is also an indexing assembly they called an adjusting screw on the left end of three of them. They are OUTSIDE the main case! The have a 5/16 cap screw in them that if loosened will allow the shafts to move side to side however much the cap screw is unscrewed. If you loosen them a half inch and the shafts with shifters move back and forth, you'll know if you're fighting shifter to shaft binding versus gear to shaft binding problems.

Maybe that helps?
 
Have you looked at the parts catalog with the exploded view.
Have you tried heat. low heat will help draw in the oil and penetrate areas.
 
Keep soaking and try some tap tap tapping on them to try and loosen them up. Are any of them moving ? or are all locked up ?
 
If you have a copy of the JD service manual it is one of the best service manuals ever printed. IIRC it even has an explanation of how that tranny works. You said you have a service manual is it only an I&T one ?
 
If the gears are stuck on the shaft you can still remove the shifters. The shift rails come out the left side. Remove the tin cover on that side, you should be able to get it off without removing the flywheel, but may take some wiggling to get it out.
 
I will try and moves the pins. I will also look at the bolts that you mentioned and loosen them up. This is the kind of information that I was hoping to get. Thanks for your help. I will let you know how it comes out.
 
I have gotten the rear shifter fork and shaft to move back and forth. The others wiggle a little, but do not slide. This is a big improvement over the way they were when I first opened it up.
I have been spraying penetrant on them four or five times a day for a week and a half. I have tapped on the some and have thought abought heating them a little. Thanks for your input.
 
I tried to pull up the pins today on the shifter forks. They will move and I can spin them , but I was not able to lift them up. I will keep working on them.
 
The shifter to the rear of the transmission will move side to side, the other three wiggle some now, but will not move side to side.
 
I did get the JD Service manual with the tractor. I have ordered a parts manual, hoping it has diagrams of the transmission parts.
 

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