Grinding when shifting out of neutral

jeff1616

New User
Hello, new the forum and first tractor
its a Massey 20F and great little unit
But its giving me some grief
When i am in neutral and go to shift into forward or reverse it grinds until gears inside slow down enough to engage
if im working and going forward, stop it enters reverse perfectly and vise versa
As soon as i stop the tractor and put it in neutral i get the same problem where gears seems to not slow down enough to enter
it even happens with both levers in neutral
anyone have any ideas?
its a Massey Ferguson 20F with 6 speed tranny 3 high 3 low shuttle shift :?: :?: :?:
 
The transmission in these older tractors are not synchronized.
Hence this is a common annoyance. The only way to avoid it
when shifting from neutral is to depress the clutch pedal and
wait a few seconds for the gears to stop turning.
 
(quoted from post at 19:50:17 01/19/15) The transmission in these older tractors are not synchronized.
Hence this is a common annoyance. The only way to avoid it
when shifting from neutral is to depress the clutch pedal and
wait a few seconds for the gears to stop turning.

I kinda thought and hoped this was the case and nothing was actually wrong.
Is there any way to slow those gears down? I wait sometimes and it takes forever
 
It will take forever if the engine is at a high rpms. The flywheel will pull the clutch plates along for the ride just with suction I think. Push the throttle to idle, and in a few seconds the gears will not be spinning and relieve your problem.
 
(quoted from post at 06:55:16 01/20/15) It will take forever if the engine is at a high rpms. The flywheel will pull the clutch plates along for the ride just with suction I think. Push the throttle to idle, and in a few seconds the gears will not be spinning and relieve your problem.

i never run the tractor with throttle lever anywhere other then idle position
i always just use the foot pedal to do everything unless running a snowblower or something that needs the higher rpm
i also dont understand why it only does it in neutral and not when it engine is reved up higher but still enters reverse from forward or vise versa
 
When you are in a forward gear and press down the clutch to stop, the input and output transmission shafts are connected though the gears to the rear wheels so they will not be spinning (assuming the tractor is stopped) when you shift into reverse which is why you don't get any grinding.

When you put the transmission in neutral and have the clutch up, the input shaft is spinning with the engine but the output shaft is stationary. When you then push the clutch back down the input shaft isn't connected to the output shaft so the only thing that will slow it down is the friction in the shaft bearings and the transmission oil. If the clutch is not completely disengaging it can keep the shaft spinning until you grind the gears, which acts as a brake to stop the shaft and eventually let the gears engage.


Dan
 
Dan[/quote]

Thanks Dan that makes a lot of sense
so is this a sign that the clutch is on its way out or just perfectly normal? you mentioned fully depressed clutch at the end there just want to be clear

thanks
 
The clutch may just need adjusting, or it may have a bit of oil on it causing things to get a bit sticky. It is normal to get some grinding in this situation if you rush to shift after pressing the clutch pedal, but if you hold the clutch down for an extended length of time and it still grinds a lot you may need to look at your clutch.

Dan
 
(quoted from post at 14:13:26 01/20/15) The clutch may just need adjusting, or it may have a bit of oil on it causing things to get a bit sticky. It is normal to get some grinding in this situation if you rush to shift after pressing the clutch pedal, but if you hold the clutch down for an extended length of time and it still grinds a lot you may need to look at your clutch.

Dan
What's the proper way to adjust my clutch? Is it All in the pedal slack? I just adjusted my pto clutch and it's working good now.
 
try this and see if this helps, after sitting running in neutral the trans. main shaft will free spin when the clutch is first disengaged,shift the high low shifter to the start position, then shift the main transmission into the gear desired, then shift the high low to low then to high if high range is what you're using, DON'T USE THE HIGH LOW START POSITION FOR A NEUTRAL POSITION INSTEAD OF THE MAIN TRANS. SHIFTER, ESPECIALLY WHEN DISMOUNTING THE TRACTOR BECAUSE IT IS POSSIBLE TO ACCIDENTALLY SHIFT IT INTO LOW WITHOUT THE CLUTCH BEING DISENGAGED
 
I don't have a MF20F so I can't tell you how to adjust the clutch. Hopefully someone with experience with these will come along with some pointers. It should also be in the service manual for your tractor.

Dan
 
i never received a manual with it and i cant seem to locate one
my tractor seems to be rare because i always have a hard time researching anything on it
 
It uses the same 2 stage clutch that's been used since the 1960's. Your tractor is basically just like my 1965 MF 2135 industrial (or a MF 135, or MF 235 farm tractor), but with hydrostatic steering, and few other upgrades.
 
BTW: I put a new clutch in my 2135, and it's adjusted properly. Even at a idle then pushing in the clutch you have to wait a little before putting it in gear.
 

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