59 Power Major revival

This forum is for the Fordson New Major, including the Super Major and the Power Major.
Billy26F5
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Re: 59 Power Major revival

Post by Billy26F5 »

Once you get the last plunger moving bleed the injectors (the rack should be free by then), if still nothing comes out the delivery valves are needing attention. If the injectors are properly bled you should be able to start.
Sandy
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relick
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Re: 59 Power Major revival

Post by relick »

She RAN today :beer: and sounded pretty sweet!!
2 plungers good, one still sticky, one still frozen, another overnight soak and some more heat tomorrow and see how we go. She is in a dirt floor shed with no access to power currently so if I can jet get her a couple hundred meters things will be a lot easier in a decent powered shed.
Ive got to start thinking about what I need to order to get the clutch sorted, the reason she got parked up was the 2 stage clutch gave up the ghost. When slashing I would engage the clutch to slow the tractor speed but would lose PTO speed as well. Is this likely to be a full clutch replacement or just get a couple of plates and give it to a clutch guy to refurb?
Thanks for the ongoing support guys.
Relick

1958 Fordson Power Major

Billy26F5
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Re: 59 Power Major revival

Post by Billy26F5 »

Great to know that! Keep at it and you'll get there. Always see what's wrong before ordering anything, you'll need to split the bell housing for this. A few pics will show what's wrong, it sounds like it's worn or badly adjusted.
Sandy
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John b
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Re: 59 Power Major revival

Post by John b »

Good news! Try adjusting the clutch first, see if that helps. Sandy is your man for all the settings and adjustments
My biggest fear is that when i die my wife will sell my tractors for what i told her they cost

relick
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Re: 59 Power Major revival

Post by relick »

Yes planning to get it onto a concrete floor then split it. Its got the seal problem that lets all the oil go from the transmission to the rear section so will be doing that and I guess axle seals at the same time.
Relick

1958 Fordson Power Major

John b
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Re: 59 Power Major revival

Post by John b »

There are 2 seals that can cause that, the pto unit underneath and the main seal inside. Do the pto seal first and hope it's that one, the main seal involves splitting the tractor and can be a pig to fit!
My biggest fear is that when i die my wife will sell my tractors for what i told her they cost

Billy26F5
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Re: 59 Power Major revival

Post by Billy26F5 »

Before you do the seals drain the axle oil and fill the gearbox, let them sit and see if they level out (PTO seal gone, the main one might be either) or the gearbox level holds once it's beneath the main seal ( the main seal is all that needs doing). The axle seals might be ok if greased thoroughly and the axle oil level doesn't exceed the full mark.
Sandy
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relick
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Re: 59 Power Major revival

Post by relick »

Thanks to you guys she is now running sweetly on all four cylinders and she has made it up to the shed where I can work on her properly.
Now the 2 problems are:

1/. Clutch, with the PTO engaged and I let the clutch out the PTO and transmission both engage together. John said try adjusting the clutch first. When depressing the clutch pedal I can feel that nothing is happening for about the first 3rd of the travel, looking at the adjustment in the linkage there is only a little there, is this the adjustment referred to?

2/. Hydraulic, the PTO engages fine but the up/down lever is seized at the mid point, I don't know where to start with this, the lever seems free to move externally so where should I start to look internally for the problem.

Thanks for the info on the seals, she has been sitting for about 5-6 years and I can see oil in the bottom of the gearbox but not much so I'll transfer oil from the rear and see what happens. I set up the old trick of transferring it with a tap on the hydraulic system years ago but without that I'll do it manually.

Do any of the Aussies have a preferred place to buy their spares from, particularly in Queensland?
Thanks again for the ongoing assistance, it was great to hear the old girl ticking over again like a clock!!
Relick

1958 Fordson Power Major

Billy26F5
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Re: 59 Power Major revival

Post by Billy26F5 »

Is there an increase of pressure below the contact with the transmission levers? If not you'll need to split the bell housing, as it means the clutch needs major attention (assuming there is actually a dual clutch in there). As for the hydraulic lever, you should try to get it moving, it should come at some point, try running the PTO for a while to give the oil time to warm up and maybe free itself.
Sandy
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John b
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Re: 59 Power Major revival

Post by John b »

If you remove the starter motor you should be able to tell which type of flywheel you have, the dual or single clutch type. Sandy should be able to help with measurements for the different flywheel thicknesses, worth checking because if you have the single clutch fitted there's no point splitting the tractor to look for a problem. If it's the dual clutch it could be several things, if it was changed at some point it may have been set up wrong when it was installed or the adjusting bolts on the clutch fingers are badly worn so the thrust bearing doesn't depress the transmission clutch enough to releasse it before the pto clutch releases and you may have to split the tractor as Sandy says to investigate the problem
John
My biggest fear is that when i die my wife will sell my tractors for what i told her they cost

Billy26F5
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Re: 59 Power Major revival

Post by Billy26F5 »

You won't see different thickness flywheels, what you will see is a gap or the springs and cover of the dual clutch.
Sandy
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John b
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Re: 59 Power Major revival

Post by John b »

Ahh ok, but am i right that it should be possible to tell what clutch is in there without splitting the tractor? You should be ble to feel the back of the flywheel and tell if it has a recess for the dual clutch
My biggest fear is that when i die my wife will sell my tractors for what i told her they cost

John b
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Re: 59 Power Major revival

Post by John b »

Just compared 2 flywheels and the one for the 2 stage clutch is about an inch thicker than the single clutch one, i think they are the same thickness to the face but the 2 stage flywheel is thicker with a recess machined out for the clutch plates, if that makes sense. I can't take a pic of the 2 stage one as its still in the tractor, but the starter is off so i can feel the difference
My biggest fear is that when i die my wife will sell my tractors for what i told her they cost

Billy26F5
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Re: 59 Power Major revival

Post by Billy26F5 »

You should still see the dual clutch parts, if you have a good torch; good to know that the flywheel is "thicker". I think Russell's clutch is very worn.
Sandy
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John b
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Re: 59 Power Major revival

Post by John b »

I think you may be right, if it is that worn it will definitely need checking out before something decides to break loose. I think its worth just checking that it hasn't had a single clutch fitted before splitting the tractor though, if it has it could be very expensive to change it back to live drive
My biggest fear is that when i die my wife will sell my tractors for what i told her they cost

relick
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Re: 59 Power Major revival

Post by relick »

Thanks for the input guys!! I just assumed it had the dual clutch as its got the "live" emblem in the grill, didnt think about a possible conversion.

Ill take the starter off and see what I can see but I think I'll be splitting the machine. It was fine for a number of years after I purchased it from the original owner. From memory this problem came on suddenly not a slow degradation, one day no probs and the next clutch and PTO engage/dis-engage together.

I want to finally sort the transfer of fluid from the gearbox to the transmission as well.
Relick

1958 Fordson Power Major

Billy26F5
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Re: 59 Power Major revival

Post by Billy26F5 »

Does it have a hefty clutch pedal with an adjusting screw? If so you should find a dual clutch inside, the stop bracket will have a pin and two holes. If the pedal is similar to the brake pedals, there's no adjusting screw and the stop bracket is made from 5/16" rod it indicates a single clutch linkage. The spring is also different, on the single clutch it's in front of the pedal cross shaft attached to the front of the footplate bracket, whereas the dual clutch spring is behind the cross shaft attached to the LH brake cable bracket.
Sandy
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relick
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Re: 59 Power Major revival

Post by relick »

Its split!!

Looks like a dual clutch to me, your thoughts appreciated, I'm thinking new assembly........
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Please let me know if you want other pics.
Thanks again in advance..........
Relick

1958 Fordson Power Major

Billy26F5
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Re: 59 Power Major revival

Post by Billy26F5 »

Definitely a dual clutch, strip it first and see what it's like, new ones are expensive and wrong. Here's the manual:
http://www.fordson.se/4A_Koppling_Suple ... 01-016.pdf
Sandy
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Emiel
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Re: 59 Power Major revival

Post by Emiel »

Hi,

What’s wrong with the new available dual clutches? Only heard positive things about them.


Rgds
Best regards

Emiel

N 1937, E27N 1948, 8N 1949, E27N 1950, E1A Diesel 1953, E1ADKN PP 1956, Dexta 1959, NH Clayson M103 1964

Billy26F5
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Re: 59 Power Major revival

Post by Billy26F5 »

I mean it in the sense that they aren't the original design (some of them, there used to be some that were but I don't know if they're still available), I also prefer to repair it rather than get a new one if possible, although this one is pretty bad.
Sandy
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Emiel
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Re: 59 Power Major revival

Post by Emiel »

Hi Sandy,

Totally agree with you. Did repair some in the past, with good results.

Keep in mind the design itself is not bullet proof. The aluminum cover can easily be cracked and when it breaks with a running engine you really have a problem.

If any safety doubts, put a new one in. These things can be a real danger.

This one is said to be very good. But it’s a lot of money.

https://histoparts.com/fm9000___dual-cl ... ly-major/3
Best regards

Emiel

N 1937, E27N 1948, 8N 1949, E27N 1950, E1A Diesel 1953, E1ADKN PP 1956, Dexta 1959, NH Clayson M103 1964

Billy26F5
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Re: 59 Power Major revival

Post by Billy26F5 »

I know of the broken ones, but I think Brian said those were mostly on NP Super Major's and that was because of the extra power. Something I would like to try (as an experiment) is to make the cover out of something better than aluminium but with "the same mould" for use in heavy conditions, as that would solve both issues with either design in use now (I wouldn't say it's 100% original though, but it would look right for anyone keen to use it with a six cylinder engine, which is currently a no go I think).
Sandy
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relick
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Re: 59 Power Major revival

Post by relick »

Billy26F5 wrote:
Wed Jul 21, 2021 11:46 am
Definitely a dual clutch, strip it first and see what it's like, new ones are expensive and wrong.
http://www.fordson.se/4A_Koppling_Suple ... 01-016.pdf
Sandy
I'm the same, prefer to keep it original, and its not being worked hard, a bit of slashing and its not heavy stuff. When its stripped what would make it not viable?
Relick

1958 Fordson Power Major

Billy26F5
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Re: 59 Power Major revival

Post by Billy26F5 »

A broken cover or distorted pressure plates, I don't think you have either of those, as it was NP Super Major's that broke the covers in general, and that was when working hard. You might be able to get away with simply replacing the adjusting bolts on the ends of the transmission toggle levers, but I think you should look at it and maybe reline the discs too, with pics that will be easier to tell. Adjusting it will have to be by trial and error without the setting tool, just ensure the toggle levers can't hit the PTO disc (you can't reach the stop pin when the pedal is fully pressed down) as that will mean checking everything again. You should have a marked increase in pressure half way down the travel of the pedal (immediately below the top hole of the stop pin), other than that ensure that all the levers in a group of three (transmission and PTO separately) have the same adjustment relative to the centre drive plate or PTO disc (rather than the length of screw protruding from the levers) to avoid extra wear and there is approximately 0.62" between the transmission and PTO levers to allow for the transmission clutch to release first. Try leaving the PTO screws for now ensuring they're all set to the same clearance.
Sandy
Last edited by Billy26F5 on Thu Jul 22, 2021 10:18 am, edited 1 time in total.
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