JD 3020 clucth mystery

Foot clutch pedal suddenly went totally dead / floppy when clutching to lower three point and at the same time i lost all power to the wheels. I can now change gears while the engine runs without any grinding and no clutch. So tractor sits running but motionless (in any gear of my choice) with clutch pedal all the way down by the force of gravity and requires no resistance to lift / lower it by hand (the lever return spring is also broken). PTO and its clutch works normally as does everything else. I removed the service cover to look at the clutch and could see no problems like filings, worn throw out barrings, in fact every thing looks like it should given that the clutch was recently replaced. But the mystery is that smaller diameter throw out barring that is supposed to make contact with the front set of 3 clutch fingers, does not make any contact. Even when I look in while moving the clutch lever's full range of motion (with my hand), there is never any contact with the three front clutch fingers. These three fingers appear to be sitting all the way down position tips towards the front of the tractor (on the end opposite of the throw out barring) that is supposed to press them. I can wiggle them very slightly with my finger tips so I know that they are not bound up. I talked to two seasoned JD mechanics who seem a little puzzled. They think the the center geared flange on the clutch is stripped to explain no power to the wheels but cant figure out the issue with the floppy foot lever / no contact between the throw out barring and the 3 clutch fingers. Any in put is appreciated. Thanks!

My guess is..

the pressure plate broke or came apart.. and the springs popped out of place and now its collasped and will not grab the disc...

Sounds like the clutch disk came apart and blocked the pressure plate away from the flywheel when you pushed the clutch down. With the plate blocked in the released position, the TO bearing won't reach the fingers and the disk (or what's left of it) is free to spin. Was the tractor coasting when this happened? Let us know what you find.

Welcome to YT
Possible cause for no power to rear wheels could be center hub stripped out of traction clutch. Did throwout brg lock up and wear ends off pressure plate levers?

Thanks for the help. The coasting question is very interesting, I think yes but only very briefly as I was in the processes turning hard on a hill side so once I passed the level apex of my turn to head up hill is when drive went dead.
Very interested to know your expanded thoughts,
Thanks again

Tx Jim, thanks for the input, really appreciate everyone's help with this.
All the visible parts of the clutch that I can see with the access cover off, are in tip top shape, TO barrings spin free and all fingers show a nice polish but no wear, where they touch the TO barring.

So obviously its clutch rebuild time, any suggestions for what source to use for the best clutch kit
out there?

sotxbill, very good idea, neither of the mechanics I spoke to thought of this, sounds likely. Thanks so much for your help.

(quoted from post at 10:04:36 05/19/17) Thanks for the help. The coasting question is very interesting, I think yes but only very briefly as I was in the processes turning hard on a hill side so once I passed the level apex of my turn to head up hill is when drive went dead.
Very interested to know your expanded thoughts,
Thanks again

Click to expand...

One doesn't need to coast with trans in gear very far with clutch pedal depressed to cause clutch plate to dislodge clutch linings

very interesting! so operator error? or rare fluke? or just an odd random issue with 3020?
teach me what to not do, Operating tractors on hills & steep hills most my life but this is a new tractor for me and one of the first times Ive used it for this application on a hillside. Something has to change. I like the tractor but would consider trading it if another more hill friendly tractor is recommended. Im afraid my operation techniques will be hard to totally un-learn. All my mechanic friends were very positive about 3020 or 4020 and this particular one came from one of them who was neighbors (as a boy) with the original owner.

honestly I cant get my head around why this would happen, not questioning it though.
it will be hard to always avoid coasting while in gear on this farm

Disintegrating clutch lining by depressing clutch pedal with trans in gear while coasting isn't limited to JD 3020 as it can happen to any manual shift vehicle whether it's any color of tractor,pickup or car. If your 3020 clutch is bad then it's operator error by not knowing

okay good to know. thanks for taking the time to tell me. Too many years doing stupid stuff on dirt bikes as a kid I suppose.