Massey 65 stuck in reverse

RBoots

Well-known Member
Hey guys, I dont usually venture over here as I dont have any MF tractors, but I am in need of a bit of help from you all if you would be so kind. Anyway, I was fitting one of our rented fields today and the guy that owns it stopped me to ask if I would look at his tractor, I've worked on it before for him. It is a 65 MF gas. He said he backed it into the barn and went to take it out of reverse and can't get it out of reverse. I figured it was the old "shifter popped out of the shift rail deal", which it has done a couple other times. Those times just required me to do the usual, and take the filler cap off and hold the shifter up while sliding the rail back into place. This isn't the problem this time though. The shifter is still in reverse, still in the rail, and it's still in reverse, and the shifter won't move. I tried to rock it and wiggle the shifter around and get it out, no go. He didn't have a pry bar of any sort, just a long screwdriver, so I tried to pry against the rail while wiggling the shifter, that didn't work either. Then I got on it and pushed the clutch down and started it and while working the clutch and the shifter at the same time, and it still won't come out of reverse. I asked him if he ground it into reverse or anything and he said he didn't think so, but he is not an operator and not mechanically inclined at all. What's the story? Could the end of the splines be galled up from grinding it, not letting the gear slide over it? I don't want to break anything, but I'm tempted to bring my smaller pry bar over there and try that on the rail, as the screwdriver he had was basically useless for leverage, only pushing at the rail. Anyone have any ideas of what I can try now, or is it time to pull the steering gear/trans cover? He only uses the tractor a couple times a year to brushog, but I really don't have too much time to mess with it right now, as our planting season just got started. Thanks guys!

Ross
 
It tries to move in reverse still, put the LNH shifter in neutral, and it will stop from trying to move, but that's only because it's disconnecting the drive train

Ross
 
First off, don't try to move the shift lever at all. Place the hi-lo back in start position to remove any gear tension, then through the oil fill use a heavy screwdriver or bar to move the large gear forward out of reverse back into neutral detent. If this does not work he may have other serious trouble. Had a customer ruin his sliding gear shaft once, tractor stayed in first because the shift fork broke. Shift lever moved fine in all positions but trans would lock up when he tried 2nd or 3rd. So he gets the bright idea of 2nd gear, full throttle, and pops the clutch. Just did more damage to the trans that had to come out anyway to replace the broken fork, but he added the sliding gear shaft too after it was twisted so bad lengthwise the gears would not slide anymore. Had the fun job of using a torch to get that out.
 
Thanks dieseltech, I'll give it a try with an actual prybar. I'll use enough common sense to not horse it too much if nothing is happening.
Ross
 

When using the pry bar or a screwdriver through the oil filler hole protect the threads for the filler bung . If you don't the levering can bruise them and make fitting the bung back in a pain. A slice of pvc pipe works well .
 

One other thought comes to mind - it is possible the bolt that fixes the selector fork to the shifter rail has either sheared or fallen out - if this is the case, then the rail will still be moving, but the selector fork won't, so the tractor will stay in gear.

Again, as has been suggested by others, a gentle pry against the selector fork will show if that is what has happened - at least you will be able to get the tractor out of reverse and into neutral.
 
My 35 was stuck in gear and had to pull the lift cover to get to a detent ball on one of the shift rails. The detent bracket had bent and was binding the shaft. Seems that it was stuck in reverse at the time. I just remember having to pull the lift cover and there was the problem staring at me.
 

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