WD45 hand clutch shimming

A couple of yr's ago I split my 45, and put in a new transmission clutch. I just put back the original shims, that was in it, and couldn't get the handle to stay locked back, when the engine was running. The IT manual said to shim it to .030 clearence, however I couldnt make up my mind how to use the feeler guage, with the pressure of the disks rubbing on the blade. The IT manual said to move the driven discs, and spacer discs foreward, and measure between the pressure plate, and rear driven disc. It sounds pretty straight foreward, however, when I move them foreward with a screwdriver, and let go, they relax, and rub on the feeler guage. Should I set the gap, on a .030 guage pinched in to the point that I can just veryly slide it with some force,from my fingers? or should it be looser? The goal is to have the clutch handle lock, and stay locked, while running. I have had it tied back with rope for the last two yr's, so I could use the tractor. Is there some other adjustment, that I am not addressing?

The shims control how hard the clutch grips. Adjust so you have a reasonable amount of resistance when you pull the lever back to engage. It shouldn't be hard to pull it back, just. If you don't have it it shimmed tight enough it will slip, no slip, tight enough. Not staying engaged is another matter, worn parts in the internal linkage behind the clutch. I haven't delt with this problem, maybe someone else will tell you just what is worn.

Thanks Tom! That was the conclusion that I was arriving at, after studying the pictures in the IT manual. Perhaps the three little rollers on the pressure plate, or related linkage, perhaps the notches that the brass throw out yoke sits in.

Since you don't have any other response dealing with the problem I will say a little more. Linkage like that goes over center, sort of like locking your knee. That is why it gets hard to a point when engaging, then wants to snap beyond the hard spot. Look for why it isn't able to do this "over center" action anymore. As I said, I haven't had to fix this one yet and it has been a while since I looked at the linkage on mine. And Ididn't pay much attention to the hand clutch because it was OK. When you find the problem I would be interested in knowing what you do to fix it. Holding the lever in or tieing it isn't good, it will wear the throwout bearing after a while.

Ralph WD45, it has been a few years since I replaced the clutch pack on my WD with a used unit. The difference is that there is one fewer sets of plates in the early WD version. However, I used the setup described in the AC Service Manual for WD45 in the belief that it was OK, and the unit has worked fine for me in light duty.

The service manual desribes how to adjust the plate spacing when the clutch is already mounted on the splined shaft. It calls for a space between a pair of plates of 0.065". I believe that I used a 1/16" hex key or drill bit and removed shims at each point to get a snug fit at three points around the clutch. It worked fine from the outset, with good snap, so I have not messed with it. I believe that I can get the clutch to slip if I am pulling hard, but that is not usually the case in my light duty.

The service manual does refer to a spacing of 0.030", but that is if assembling the clutch pack on a bench, which I did not do with my replacement unit. If you have only 0.030" spacing after installation, that would explain why you do not have enough space to "snap over". If you actually put in a new clutch with no new spacers, it seems logical that there would not have been enough old spacers to provide the required clearance. You might try putting some additional spacers in.

Attached is a nice pic of a wet clutch from Tom MN. It's a good refresher if you haven't had the cover off of your own for a couple of years.
Tom MNs Transmission Clutch

Ralph WD45, I just saw on another post that you fixed your problem. Good news.