1958 MF65 transmission and hydraulics

I have decided that the oil should be changed in the tractor transmission and final units. As I have only a small manual on this machine and it doesn't show too much detail, I thought I would throw this out to you knowledgeable folks in the forum.

Does the ransmission from the engine back to the the PTO output use the same oil source? That is, the oil used (80W90 is what I will use) is the same for the lift hydraulics at the rear, final drive and engine gearbox (3 forward, 1 reverse and high-low box). I hope I am making sense here, but there seems to be just the one filling plug that is situated next to the speed shift lever. It could be that there is another that I have not yet seen - maybe under the seat or somewhere else.

Also, has anyone changed out the rear PTO output shaft seal on these machines. I picked up a new seal and "O" ring to do the job, but again, not sure if I have the right approach.

Any help you could offer would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

John

NAPA"s 90wt mineral oil is PN 65-205. That is a 5-gallon bucket.

There are two drain holes and one filler hole. Note the fill slow at the end comment. As the filler hole is in the front of the case and the dipstick is at the rear. Only fill with four to five gallons, then fill 1 quart at a time with a couple to 5 min. wait between quarts. This gives the fluid some time to level out so that it can be read on the dipstick. The first time I changed my oil I overfilled by more than a gallon, I had oil coming out the axils on the breaks... what a mess.

This is a job you do not want to do too often, so plan it right. Determine all the maintenance that needs to be accomplished while the transmission is drained. (PTO seal, Pump repairs, Hydro leak fixes, axial seals etc) Get the parts and get them done while you can.

This is the procedure I used to clean my MF65 transmission oil housing. You will need to wash out the old fluid on crud. Any remaining fluid will contaminate the new fluid. If you have time in the evenings start to drain the tractor now. She will drip for hours/days.
You should also be prepared to deal with the gallons of fluids you the will gush out of the tractor. Have containers ready to pour the old oil in to take to your auto parts store for recycling.

Do your lift arms drop/leak down quickly? If so prior to draining the fluid pull the right and left side inspection plates. Lift an implement and look to see where the fluid is leaking out of the system as the lift lowers. Then you can repair/replace the required parts without the fluid in the way.

I would also recommend the you replace the PTO seal and O-ring seal if needed at this time and replace the inspection plate gaskets. The inspection plate gaskets are fairly easy to cut yourself if you need to.

Open the drains one at a time to handle the gush of fluid. Once you have gone through all of them open them all up again with a pan under each and let it drip at least over night. Make sure your lift control is in the down position to drain the piston.

You should plan on "Washing/Flushing" out the inside, particularly if you have water in the oil... i.e. if brown/milky. To wash the inside use either kerosene or diesel. (Note: It is generally recommended and I agree: DO NOT operate the tractor with your cleaning fluid in the transmission) I put mine in a garden sprayer and sprayed the insides down. I put the garden sprayer nozzle everywhere I can, up the PTO shaft opening, if you pulled it. Through the Filler hole, through the inspection ports, through each drain plug. I catch the diesel in clean oil pans let it settle then decant the "clean" fluid off the sludge and spray again, and again. Go have a beer and let it drain. I then wipe out the bottom with clean paper towels to get the crud out. (do not use cheap towels here you do not want them falling apart). If your fluid had water in it, the "Milky" oil will continue to appear for a while, I just came back and wiped it out again, and again until gone.

This is a good time to do other maintenance. Grease the fittings, Pull the air filter and clean it.

Be sure to do the diesel flush with good ventilation. The fumes are powerful.

Button her back up with your new seals and fill. Toward the end fill slowly... i.e. quart or 1/2 liter per 5 to 10 minutes, to let it all even out in the sumps. The first time I changed the oil I did not do this and I over filled by a gallon and a half. And because I did not wash out the back that gallon and a half was now water contaminated and useless.

You will be glad you did this when it is done.

To change the PTO seal take a wooden dowl and drive the old seal out of the retainer housing. Note the orientation of the seal before complete removal. To seat the new seal you will need a bench vice, a small board and a 2" PVC coupler. Place the retainer, the seal and the board in the vice. Use the vice to apply even pressure on the seal to press it flush with the retainer. Remove the board and replace with the PVC coupler. Again, use the vice to apply even pressure until the seal is seated in the retainer. That is all.

The beauity of the 2" PVC coupler is that the O.D. will fit into the retainer and the lip is wide enough to support the seal"s lip 360 deg. And it is stiff enough to drive the seal.

I hope this helps.
Jeff

The filter David mention may not be present in your 1958 MF 65. So, if you can not find it easily stop looking for it before you go nuts. As far as I know, MF made the MF 35/65 pump without any filters for some years. At least both my MF 65 from 1960 and my MF 35 from 1961 did not have them. "Did" because now my MF 65 have it, the old Mark I pump was shot, so it was replaced with a Mark II pump, and all Mark II pumps have the filter. Mark I pumps may have and may not have filters. Of course Mark III pumps have the filter too... but you can't put that in a MF 65, different splines and the filter is hanging because the 100 series tractors have a cover under the centerhousing to access the filter.

I will also recommend you using an emerycloth on the PTO shaft where the seal contacts, at least check the surface before you put the new seal back.

Bill

Randy

Thanks for the replies so far, they are exactly what I was looking for. The small manual I have is very vauge on the details and is limited in scope. I have ordered the Service Manual and Parts manual from YT - hope they cover what I need.

The manual I have says that 80W90 wt oil should work for all of the transmissions - anyone know if this is correct. It certainly looks as though there is gear oil all the way through. Also, I can only find the one fill plug by the gearshift lever. I may have missed seeing another but am not sure on that.

Re desludging; my thought was to drain out all the old oil and then refill with clean diesel fuel. Run the machine for a few mins to clean out the internals a bit (there should be enough lubricity from the residue, for the short time I would run it) and then drain. Refill afterwards with the new oil. Any comments on this idea.

Thanks again for the replies - much appreciated.

John

Altho there's two drain plugs, there's only one filler hole.

THe PTO seal is easy to change, as sexytractors says. But I found on mine that, when I'd unbolted the cover off the seal housing, the seal housing itself required a big tug to get it slid out of the trans casing. THe seal housing would rotate easily (it has 2 flats on it, and is about 3" diam) but it was a real trick to clamp something onto it strongly enough so that I could lever it out of the trans casing. However, once I'd managed this, everything was straightforward.

I also suggest, when you have the trans oil drained, to clean or replace the strainer for the hydraulic system ( accessed via the LH side cover), and replace any leaking gaskets. The strainer screws out easily by hand, but may be retained by what looks like a bush mechanic's application of fencing wire to secure it. If so, just cut this wire and replace with new when refitting the strainer.

There was also some discussion on this board some time ago about de-sludging the trans casing, and how to do it in situ. Others may disagree, but I figure this is optional...

regards
David