John Deere 3020 no reverse

3020 LarryK

New User
I found a couple post when looking for help on my 3020. None seemed to help that much. My reverse went out one day. It would only grind and try to pull itself slightly. The previous posts seemed to say change everything, that should get it. I finally found a smoking gun. The reverse shifting calliper is worn out on the inside. This would allow the sychronizer to over extend. The end synchronizer clutch plate would drop off the end of the spline. It was physically impossible for the spline to engage. I rebuilt the top shaft my self and installed a new reverse shifter/calliper. The total cost was just under $1000.00.
 
I was following you 'til you wrote "calliper"?????????

NOT sure if you mean "shift fork", or "shift collar"?
 

Bob
So you must think the shifter in photo doesn't resemble a disc brake caliper? Oh well I think it resembles a caliper.

47812.jpg
 
Shifter, shifting fork, caliper... call it what you like, it was worn out. The other parts I changed were symptoms of this damage, or change out preventively. In any case it took three splits to narrow it down, and it works perfectly now.
 
The way it all starts out is #1 the synchronizer clutch disc start to wear, then it takes more pressure on the shifter to make it work,,as the shifter wears from the extra pressure the drum is raking on the drive collar,,knocking the edge off of both of them,,and after a while that gear is gone..
 
I always check them for wear when working on a trans. An older mechanic told me many years ago that he would put an extra syncro disc in the pack to take up the extra wear. I have never done that but wondered if it would work. As far as replacing the other parts,if the drums were wore out they more than likely were as well. I hate doing something twice so I often replace more parts than necessary. Tom
 
I mostly agree with TimS. A few additional points. Even with all new sycronizers and splines it still would not work. That was the reason for the second and final split. The symptoms were exactly the same as the initial failure. Secondly, the failure was not gradual. It never missed or ground a gear until the day it failed, and it never backed up again after that day. Thirdly, I could not engage reverse even with moderate force directly on the sincronizer with a bar. The pressure Tim refers to was evident on the shifting fork. (Caliper) to remove it I needed a long prybar, because it was sprung or bent. The new one dropped straight in. The internal wear was obvious when I compared it to new. It had 1/16" or more worn off.
 
I have welded them up and ground them down to fit when trying to help some one get by,, I have the measurements here so I can get them close to right,, I have heard of the extra disc too, but never tried it.. adding the improved shifter kit helps a lot too..
 
The drum only engages the drive collar by about 3/16" so a little wear hurts them badly..Back a few years ago,8-10, I got a hold of a collar that would not match up well and would fail after a few shifts, it was from Deere,,ever since I look at them carefully,, I am not sure why but it cost me to go back in on 2 different 4020's back then,,Darn it..
 
Got "burned" hard on one of those kits once....the shifter was machined too wide, would let you shift to reverse once then hammer the lead in teeth off.....I can still hear that sound. Never put one in since without a real GOOD look first.
The only good thing was that it got that I could split a 2510 in about 20 minutes..........
 
Are the shifting forks or "calipers" still available new? Only reason I ask, is I'm probably gonna be involved in another 3010 trans before too long (not really a JD guy). The ones in the last 3020 I did were worn really, really bad,as was everything else. I am lucky to live near Worthington Ag, and they let me dig through the bins as I please for parts. After rebuilding the top shaft, syncros, etc, I was looking for some other stuff there, and happened to look in the JD bins where I noticed parts that must have been replaced right before the tractor was parted out. A new shifter handle, the shifting "drum", the rods, and all of the forks, or "calipers". They seriously looked like brand new, and I bought everything for about $150. I just figured if you could still buy those calipers new, they must be expensive now!

Ross
 
I personally have NO issue with the OP calling them "callipers", or even "loheckles", if he chooses.

But calling them what the OEM called them (shifters) will help someone out a ways down the road when he finds this post thru a search engine, then goes to the dealer asking for "callipers".

Just say'in!
 

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