Starter stuck in Case VAC

Hi all,

I suddenly can't remove the starter from my 1950 Case VAC.

I had the starter rebuilt last year and it's been working fine. I was able to remove it once earlier this year with no problem. I tried starting the tractor the other day (after fixing the fuel lines and some other misc. tasks) and it started fine and idled for a bit. So I shut the tractor off to do something else and then tried to restart a few minutes later and... nothing. No click, no hum, no whirring. I figured maybe the battery was dead, so I plugged in a remote battery charger/starter, but all it did was hum loudly when I hit the ignition. After checking the battery and starter cables, I decided to pull out the starter to make sure it was still working. That's when I realized it's stuck in the block. I can remove the mounting bolts, but the starter will not budge. No amount of prying or coaxing will make it come out. After talking with various folks, the consensus is the "bendix" (or whatever you call the little gear on the end of the starter that spins out when you power it up) is jammed against the flywheel.

Aside from prying, pulling, and gently pounding the starter, I've tried moving the flywheel so as to free up the bendix, such as trying to rock the tractor backwards while it's in reverse gear (where it's parked, I can't move it forward), but nothing has worked. A mechanic told me I can maybe use a prybar to move the flywheel, but I can't seem to find any place to access the flywheel teeth. I found a little inspection hole on the port side of the tractor, but all I see in there is smooth metal - nowhere to pry.

Any ideas on how I can free up my stuck starter?

Thanks in advance.

Switch off put in fourth gear
and rock tire back n fourth but
put bolts back in first.lots of
times this breaks locked up
starters loose

I've had that happen on my SC. I used the hand crank to move the flywheel. gobble

Reverse is a pretty low gear so take more then a man has to move things. Put it in the highest gear you have and jack up on side and pull hard forward and back on the jacked up tire. That way you only trying to move the engine not the whole tractor. Also block the front tires and the back tire that is still on the ground. Or if you have the hand crank a pipe wrench and a cheater bar will also work

Some good ideas - thanks guys!

Just to clarify: I tried pulling it from the back with my pickup while it's in reverse, but the tractor just slid. (It rolled when I put it in neutral.) Also, I need to buy or fabricate a new manual starter crank since the original is missing.

Anyway, I'll try these things and let you know if I get anywhere. Thanks again!