Fordson super major not going into gear

[Deutz514]

Hello guys i am new to this forum and my neighbour has a fordson super major he is willing to sell to me we havent discussed a price yet but the tractor is in overall good shape and seems complete has a loader and power steering but the only catch is it wont go into gear the guy said he was pushing dirt and when he hit the clutch the tractor wouldn't stop but he managed to get it into neutral and now it wont go into any gear his thoughts are the clutch seized up because lack of use it sits most of the time so could this be it or something completely different any ideas would be great before i make a decision about the tractor thanks

[Brian]

Welcome to the board. My immediate reaction to your query is, standard clutch, clutch finger pivot pin broken. I have had it happen to me and seen it over the years on a number of tractors. It is not a bad job but you will need a new pressure plate because if one clutch finger has worn and broken, the others will not be far behind. You will probably need a new clutch plate as well as pilot bearing and thrust bearing. It is false economy not to replace these items whilst you have the tractor split.

Parts are readily available, Old Twenty Parts, Agriline or Bertie Dunlop.

To split the tractor you will need a good jack, a hand fork lift, mobile crane or tractor loader to support the rear of the engine as you move it away from the gearbox. Also plenty of wooden blocks to support the gearbox housing. I do not recommend spliting the tractor on a trolley jack as, when you refit the engine with a new clutch, there is a lot of wriggling to get the splines lined up and I have seen cases of the engine falling off the jack. Do not try and force her back together with bolts, bolts can be used to line up the two halves but wriggling and turning the engine is the way to go. Make sure you have the tractor in gear as you do it. There are also two bolts under the side channels that can get missed so do not try forcing her apart without checking that you have all the bolts out.

A level floor would be a big advantage.

I used to be able to fit a clutch in that tractor in around an hour but you will have to add extra time if you have a loader on her. Look for a day at least.

[Deutz514]

Thank you for the info we have a fully equipped shop and mechanical know how to do the job i will price out the parts and find out how much he is wanting for the tractor i will be new to fordson tractors so this will be a learning experience for sure

Very much appreciated

[Pavel]

Yes; welcome to the forum. You'll certainly find the Super different to the 514. I've got a 110; but I much prefer working on, and servicing, the Fordson.

Pavel.

[Deutz514]

Ok after a very long time im back again ive made some headway into getting the super major after getting the time i was able to discuss a price with my neighbour which is only a couple hours of mowing with my tractor and the major is mine tonight we took the batteries out and are charging them now. i checked all the oils and fluids and made nothing was seized before we try to start it tomorrow now i finally was able to look at the tractor closely and noticed the front end is completly wore out and as it turns out the power steering is a homemade system and someone had the bright idea to cut the end off of the output arm from the steering box to the drag link and welded their own adapter on i believe the front loader is a robin loader it is loaded with weights front and back and fluid in the back also the tin work is surprisingly great shape and the rear tires are 80% when i was getting it ready i wiggled the shifter and it was solid and the shift tower bolts were all loose my dad is starting to think that the tractor is stuck in two gears and that may be why the owner thought it was the clutch any ideas on that would be apreciated i also should mention this tractor comes with a operators manual from 1963 still in good shape its rare to find a fordson in this shape for this price in northern Canada i would also like to say thanks to you guys your always a "major" help to us newbies

Cheers, mathew

[Brian]

The housing at the bottom of the gear lever is not where you want to look, the selectors are behind the plate on the side of the gearbox that pivots the clutch linkage and has the level/fill plug on it.

The gear lever can come out of its socket but it then tends to wobble around.

You will be able to see through there to check bearings and handbrake. Selectors are pretty trouble free as far as two gear selection goes but who knows what you will find. Good luck.

You may also take the pulley plate off the other side and check that the special nut that holds the pulley drive gear on has not come undone and jammed the gear box.

[Deutz514]

Thank you brian later today i might be able to pull it apart and have a look this weekend my family was at our local tractor pull and theres not one bit of blue paint there but with some luck i can have that changed i will pull both side covers off and have a good look that nut is seeming like a good place to check the tractor fired right up after sitting 3 years hydraulics work and the pto clutch works also as soon as i have a little more time i will try and get some pictures up for everyone to see when i had the tower off the ball and socket looked in pretty good shape

[Deutz514]

Ok so i was doing my part of the deal for the tractor which is using a brush cutter around his Shark and i burnt only about 50$ of fuel with my tractor then i decided to look into the fordson i took the belt pully cover off and found nothing unusual everything looked very good actually except the oil the. I pulled the oil fill off amd took a screwdriver and moved the shift fork back and forth and it works! So i drove the tractor home and the left brake sticks a little but i understand this problem is common??? So i got it home and hooked it up to our 8ft disk which is to heavy for my 50hp kubota and it just played with it me and my dad were very impressed with the hydraulics im very happy with a tractor i pretty much "stole" from the guy.

[Brian]

Great News You have an excellent tractor there. Brake stocking is common with that design of brakes on whatever tractor they were fitted to. You may need to strip them down and clean the dust and gunge out but be careful, the liners did contain asbestos.