The Fordson Tractor Pages Forum

Ok so i split my 57 major to do the rear main while rebuilding the motor. Well i can not for the life of me get it back together. Any advice? Im ready to pull the block and put it on the tranny and then bolt the frame back in.... to complicate things it still has some of the loader attacher to the front end.... that may end up coming off....


Any advice would help i can get it to about 1.5 inches from being together then no more i have spent about 4 or 5 hours messing with it and am getting frusterated

Best is to take the pto out.
Gearbox in gear.
I did put the back transmission on a pallet jack so the wheels didnt touch the ground. You need to find the correct spot so the splines go right in. Make sure the front of the tractor is stable.

Sounds like the splines may not be lining up on the clutch plate / input shaft - have you tried to bar the engine or transmission round a bit ?

Is the gap around the bell housing 1.5" all round ? if not manouver left / right or up / down so it is

HTH, happy wiggling

Edit - I see I doubled with Mathias !

Is it between engine an gearbox or rear transmission and gearbox?

What do you mean take the pto out?
I have it in gear and had my wife turning it it over slowly

I will measure the spacing and conferm its 1.5 inch all the way around....

I did at one point have it so the pto got so we couldnt turn it. But i could still turn the motor over which i thought was odd

I'm not sure where you did split, but i guess its between rear transmission and gearbox. Then it's easier to removz the pto shaft. It will come out at the back of the tractor

I took the motor off the transmission. I was changing the engine rear seal

markr1001 wrote:I took the motor off the transmission. I was changing the engine rear seal

Ok, then you can turn the flyweel with a big screwdriver through the hole of the starter or the small hole on the right side.

Have you got the pto engaged at both levers, the one by your left leg, and the one at the back of the tractor?

There is no secret trick we can tell you about.. you just have to have the clutch plates centred in the cover, then have the engine and transmission straight and level with each other, then turn at least 2 of the engine - gearbox input shaft - pto input shaft, to get all 3 to engage each other's splines. A little copper grease on the splines doesn't do any harm.

And, as I think you know, don't use force (eg nuts and bolts) to pull the 2 halves together, it is fine to use long bolts or rods to help with alignment, but if you can't push things together by hand - something isn't aligned.

Good luck with the wiggling

Just a thought, presumably you took the clutch off the flywheel to get to the flywheel / crankshaft flange bolts, if so how did you centre the clutch plate on re assembly ?? if the plate is not central you can get the splines engaged but the nose of the shaft may not line up with the toe bearing in the centre of the flange on the crankshaft - easy to miss or am I teaching grandma to suck eggs ?

Finally got it!
I made up an alingnment tool for when i put the clutch back on..... i fought for another 2.5 hiurs but did get it....thank goidness iwas getting fruaterated.... tomorrow i measure for piston sleeve shims

markr1001 wrote:Finally got it!
I made up an alingnment tool for when i put the clutch back on..... i fought for another 2.5 hiurs but did get it....thank goidness iwas getting fruaterated.... tomorrow i measure for piston sleeve shims

Nice, you're doing great!
Centering the clutch is always needed. I took off the ingoing shaft to align the clutch before reassembling.
On to the next job!

Never thought of that.... good idea!