case 411b - no clutch when trying to shift into gear

I'm very new to owning a tractor. When I press the clutch i'm unable to shift into gear without grinding, i believe the year to be 1959 with a case-o-matic system. i do not have any technical experience with being retired and disabled, any help or assistance would be greatly appreciated.

The Caseomatic is a little different than most other tractors. They are not supposed to be shifted above idle. To start out, With the engine at idle, press the inching pedal (clutch pedal) and place the transmission in gear. Then, let out the inching pedal. Then, give it some throttle to get the load moving. Most of the Caseomatics I have seen do tend to grind between gears but I do believe you can help that by lowering the idle speed of the engine. You can also start and stop forward movement of the tractor without pushing the inching pedal in by idling the engine and applying the brakes. I am by no means an expert on them though and I would head over to the Case forum for better answers!

First off, welcome to the Case board. The guys are great here and we will be glad to get you familiarized with your tractor. An op manual would be good for you to own.
Your 411B does not have a dry clutch in it. It is driven by a torque converter with a hydraulic clutch pack which locks and unlocks the converter. That is what the lever on the rh side of the dash controls. To put your tractor into gear, the motor must be idling, and the pedal you are pushing with your foot is hooked to a converter dump valve which drops pressure to the converter. The converter will still drag a bit and thus some minor gear grinding. To get the tractor moveing after a gear is selected, and engine is still idling, take your foot off the pedal, and then throttle up to get moveing, (much the same sequence as using the auto tranny in your PU truck). Once the tractor is up and moveing at near top speed for the gear you are in, you can manually pull the dash lever down and lock the converter solid in direct drive. If the engine lugs down under load, all you need to do is flip the lever back up, and the converter will compensate for the load until it has passed, and then you can pull the lever back into direct. Just a caution, the converter needs to be in direct drive so the motor can help hold a load back when going down hill, because the load can overrun the converter, if not in direct drive.
Loren

Sorry, I thought I was on Case board. To get there from tractor talk, where we are now, click over to discussion forums and then scrool down to Case and DB forum, and post further questions there.
Loren