Hello all!Well as you might have supposed, the Easter break has brought a harvest of new questions from the not-so-frozen-anymore North. After the popularity of the last quiz, it seems that it would be fun to give people another chance to display their tractor-related analytical skills.
Questions relate to a '55 Fordson Major, with '59 Power Major engine and '60 Transmission.
1. To change from high to low on the Primary Gearbox, I push the lever DOWN. This tractor does not exhibit any symptoms of having a dual clutch. Discuss what kind of surprises may be in store when I renew the clutch on this "combination of tractors".
(100 points).
2. The transmission breather bolt is fitted through the front fuel tank mounting bracket, on the right hand side, going horizontally into the steering gear housing. Is this the correct location for this special bolt? (50 points)
If not, A. Could it be the cause of gearbox oil leaking from the split-pin hole?
(50 points)
B. Does it matter that it has been this way for a loooong time? (50 points)
3. A harsh grating sound can be heard when driving. This occurs in all gears. Originally I assumed this to be the right hand brake drum, but this is not the case. It appears to be coming from the gearbox or back axle. If I raise the rear of the tractor (after three dear, one-two-three LIFT!) and rotate the back wheels, a rumbling may be heard from the gearbox, but nothing like the scraping sound that occurs when driving (alright darling you can put it down now). Generally the scraping sound becomes much less once I put my foot on the clutch, but doesn't go away entirely. However, interestingly it's actually at it's worst when rolling backwards down a hill in forward gear, with my foot on the clutch.
Multiple Choice:
A. This is the famous "Fordson Scrape" which was designed into these machines by a pair of bored engineers for a bit of a laugh.
(800 points, if correct)
B. This is somehow clutch related, and will go away when I fix the clutch, which does slip a bit. I shall of course change the release bearing and "eye bearing" (translation from Finnish) at the same time.
(500 points, if correct) C. There are bearings breaking up in the gearbox.
(150 points, if correct)
D. There are bearings breaking up in the gearbox, and it's going to be tough to fix.
(50 points, if correct)
E. The answer involves something I don't want to know, possibly involving the terms "rear axle", "bearings", "oil like grinding paste", "hydraulic pump", "invoice", and "almighty great big" (but not necessarily in that order).
(5 points, if correct)
4a. Does the fuel lift pump act as a sediment trap? (50 points)
4b. When I work the hand lever, I get a sort of "novelty snowstorm" effect in the glass bowl. Are there any surprises here if I try to clean this out?
(50 points)
I suppose that that's enough for now, I shall keep the rest of the questions so that we have something for a thrilling instalment next month!
Many thanks, as always!
John-Paul
