300 Utility PTO and clutch questions

OK - here"s the deal. My 300-U and I just barely survived North Dakota"s last winter. I have a 74" woods blower on the back and we blew snow off my 1/4 mile long driveway almost 30 times. Worked the heck out of that poor 300.

Now I am trying to prep him for next winter.

The PTO started slipping the last few times - I used tarp straps to pull up on the "PTO" lever to keep it from slipping.

There seems to be no adjustment left as the adjustment "set screw" is threaded almost all the way in on the drive side.

Can anyone tell me how "tough" a job it is to disassemble the PTO and try to do something with the bands? Can they be relined? Are new bands available? Are the drive and the brake bands the same size? - Could I interchange them? Are any "special" tools needed for the job?
Also, since I have the linkage apart I was checking things over and can"t seem to make the spring in that "can looking" device near the last linkage work?????? I tried to pull the shaft out and it does not seem to budge??? I assume this is to hold some spring pressure on the "brake" band? I am soaking it in diesel fuel to try and free it up.......

Secondly - How can I determine if the clutch will make another winter? I don"t believe there is any way to inspect the clutch is there? Is there some sort of "slip" test I can do?

Thanks a LOT!

The bands are identical as far as I remember, and you could swap them. I suppose if you took them to a shop that does clutch and brake re-lining and they could tell you quick enough if they could re-line them. The linings are bonded to the bands, not riveted, so I doubt it. I don't know how much new ones are, but I'll bet they would be $150 or more each. The brake band is kind of important too, because if it is not holding, the PTO shaft will either always creep or turn full speed even with the lever in the off position. The only "special" tool you will need is a puller like a harmonic balancer puller. The first and last one I did was when I was about 16 (I'm 45 now) so they are not very hard to diassemble and reassemble. I did use an I&T manual. I replaced the drive band and the shaft seal. The drive worked great after that, and still does (it was slipping before) but the cylinder with the spring in it was then and still is stuck, so I always had a hard time keeping it adjusted so the shaft would not creep in the off position. I just never took the time to free it up. I still plan to though(!). I remember at the time the one band we bought was $40 and we thought that was a terrible price for that part. Oh, the good old days!

As far as the engine clutch goes, there is a plate under the clutch housing you can take off and see the flywheel and clutch, but the way that clutch is designed there isn't really anything you can see that will tell you anything about the condition of the clutch. The only simple way I know of to check it is to make sure you have the TA and clutch pedal linkage adjusted as/per the manual, then put it in high gear with engine at half throttle on level ground and let the clutch right out. It if the tractor takes off and the clutch doesn't slip, it is OK, at least for now. The only other way is to split the tractor.

Malcolm has it covered with excellant advice.
The 300U is notorious for PTO problems caused by worn and sloppy linkage. I had problems for too long before I took the time to take all the slop out of the linkage and then adjust it correctly.
I reposted this recently but it may help.
Dell

Most IPTO are similar on older Farmalls and IH. Here are some important things I learned about adjusting them.

When you have the linkage apart take the time to tighten up any slop using washers and tightening any loose nuts. This is major important.
1.Disconnect the bottom adjustable link near the IPTO housing (a cotter pin and a pin).
2.Remove the peanut shaped cover over the two adjusting screws (if it is there).
3.Then tighten the two band adjusting screws until you feel resistance then another ½ turn. This seems to “center up” the band linkage. (the front screw is the operating band and the rear is the anti creep band).
4.Now the book says to have someone hold the control lever in the center position (between engaged and stop) while you readjust the adjustable link and reattach it. There is supposed to be a punch mark to line up for center, but I couldn’t find it so I just put it in the center between the on and off notches.
5.Put a small screwdriver or bolt through the PTO shaft hole and loosen both adjusting screws until the shaft moves freely. Alternate adjusting until you get both screws adjusted properly so that the shaft moves freely ONLY with the control lever in the center position.
6.Move the control lever to on and off positions (make sure the lever clicks in each stop) you should not be able to move the shaft with the control lever in the engaged or stop position but it should turn freely in the center position.

Note: I didn’t have anyone to hold the lever in center position (4) so I readjusted and connected the adjustable link with the lever in the off position then move the lever to the center position while adjusting the band screws. It seemed to work that way.

I hope this helps anyone without a manual.